Chapter 104 A Ride
The noise of the press conference was still ringing in the air, but the crowd had started to break into smaller groups that were drifting toward the coffee shops and the subway entrances.
Alex stepped away from the podium and walked toward the edge of the construction site alone, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket as he tried to find a moment of quiet before heading back to the Vane estate.
He didn't get very far before a group of young men in work clothes stopped him near the sidewalk, and they weren't looking for a handout or a legal statement.
They were looking at him with a kind of raw, genuine respect that made the old "Harrington" persona feel like a suit that no longer fit. One of them reached out a hand, and Alex took it, feeling the rough callouses of a man who actually worked for a living.
"You did a good thing today, Harrington, my family has lived in that brick building for three generations and we never thought we’d see a clinic go up on this lot," the man said, his voice was gruff but honest.
"It should have happened twenty years ago, but we’re making sure the foundation is solid this time," Alex replied, his voice was a low, grounded sound that lacked the cold edge he used to carry in the city.
"Is it true what they’re saying on the news? That you’re doing all this because of the architect?" a woman asked, she was standing on the edge of the group with a phone in her hand. "Some people are calling you a hero for standing up to your father, but a lot of people are asking why a guy with your status is settling down with a woman who has a grown son."
Alex didn't feel the flash of anger that usually hit him when people brought up Sarah, and he didn't feel the need to defend his choices to a group of strangers on a street corner. He looked at the woman and gave her a small, calm nod, his authoritative nature showing through in the way he stood his ground without becoming aggressive.
"The work we are doing here is about the neighborhood, and my private life is exactly that, it is private," Alex told her, his voice was steady and firm. "Sarah Hayes is the lead architect because she is the best in the city, and whatever else happens between us is not part of the corporate charter."
"Fair enough, I guess everyone loves a bit of drama when the money is this big," the woman said, she lowered her phone and gave him a respectful look before walking away with her friends.
Alex continued walking toward the parking lot where he had left his car, and he felt a strange sense of restorative peace as he realized that the public opinion no longer had the power to shake him. He was a man who knew what he wanted, and he was a man who had finally found a partner who was his equal in every way that mattered. He saw his black sedan parked under a streetlamp at the far end of the lot, but as he got closer, he noticed a figure leaning against the driver’s side door. It was a girl wearing a short skirt and a leather jacket, her blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and she was scrolling through her phone with a bored, practiced ease.
"I thought that car looked familiar, though I didn't think I’d see it parked in a place like the North End," she said, she looked up and a slow, knowing smile spread across her face.
"Mandy? I haven't seen you for a while," Alex said, he stopped a few feet away and looked at her with a smart, observant curiosity.
"You haven't seen me because you disappeared into that glass tower and stopped answering your texts, Alex, though I guess I know why now," Mandy said, she pushed off the car and walked toward him, her heels clicking on the pavement. "The news is everywhere, you’re the big hero of the district now, and you’re dating a woman who’s old enough to be our senior lecturer."
"I am busy with the foundation, Mandy, and I don't spend a lot of time looking at my old college contacts," Alex said, he reached for his keys and his tone was polite but blunt.
"You did a great job of keeping things secret while we were still in school, I’ll give you that," she said, she leaned back against the hood of his car and crossed her arms. "None of us knew you were the heir to the Harrington throne, we just thought you were a guy with a nice watch and a very private personality. Did you know then? That you were going to blow up your father’s reputation for an architect?"
"What I did in school and what I am doing now are my business, Mandy, and I’m not really in the mood for a trip down memory lane right now," Alex told her, he walked to the door and hit the unlock button.
"You always were the serious one, even when the rest of us were trying to get you to stay for the after-party," she said, she didn't look offended by his coldness, she looked like she was enjoying the fact that she was the only one from his past who was standing there.
"I’m just heading downtown to meet some friends, and my ride fell through because of the construction traffic. Since you’re the one who caused the gridlock with your big announcement, the least you can do is give an old classmate a lift."
Alex looked at her, and he saw the same girl who used to sit in the back of the lecture hall and make jokes about the professors. He didn't want to spend twenty minutes in a car with someone who represented the life he had walked away from, but he didn't want to be the guy who left a girl stranded in a parking lot at sunset either. He looked at his watch and realized he still had an hour before he was supposed to meet Sarah at the cottage.
"Fine, get in the car, I’ll drop you off at the plaza on the way out," Alex said, he opened the driver’s side door and got inside.
Mandy didn't wait for him to change his mind, she pulled open the passenger door and slid into the leather seat, the smell of her perfume filling the small space instantly. She looked around the interior of the car with a look of sharp, greedy interest, her eyes moving over the high-end dashboard and the custom stitching on the seats.
"This is a lot nicer than the jeep you used to drive to the campus," she said, she buckled her seatbelt and looked at him. "So, tell me the truth, Alex, is she really as authoritative as she looks on the news? Or is that just a show for the board members?"
"I’m not talking about Sarah with you, Mandy, so you can either talk about the weather or you can sit in silence until we reach the plaza," Alex said, he started the engine and the car hummed to life with a low, powerful growl.
"Touchy," Mandy muttered, she leaned back and looked out the window as he backed out of the space. "I’m just saying, it’s a big change for a guy who used to be the most eligible bachelor on the South Side. Everyone thought you’d end up with someone from the trust circle, not a woman with a mortgage and a kid who looks like he could take you in a fight."
Alex didn't answer her, he just turned onto the main road and focused on the traffic, his hands steady on the wheel. He felt a strange sense of tension in the car, a feeling that Mandy wasn't just looking for a ride, and he wished he had stayed at the site with Mark and Sarah. They drove in silence for a few minutes, the city lights starting to flicker on as the sky turned a deep, dusty purple.
They were halfway to the plaza when Mandy reached into her bag and pulled out a small, silver flask, she unscrewed the cap and took a long drink before offering it to him.
"No thanks, I’m driving," Alex said, his voice flat.
"Suit yourself," she said.