Free Legacy of Love by Donna Hill Page B

really nice to meet you.”
    â€œAnd you. Thanks. About Shay…”
    She waved off his thanks. “Not a problem.”
    He wanted to ask when he could see her again, but he could feel the testosterone exuding from Mike in waves and wondered if their relationship went beyond work.
    â€œProfessor! Professor, over here,” one of his students called out and waved him over to where the group had assembled.
    â€œDuty calls.”
    â€œYes, it does. Enjoy your evening,” Zoe said and walked off with Mike.
    Jackson watched her until she was hidden by the crowd then he went to join his students. He knew where she was now. That was all that mattered. Zoe Beaumont .

Chapter 9
    Z oe felt like she was disconnected from her body, yet every fiber of her being seemed more alive than ever before. Colors were more vivid. The lights were brighter. She could hear the air move through the building. There was an inexplicable happiness inside of her that made her want to weep with joy and dance to silent music.
    She wasn’t even sure what Chairman Lang was saying to her. She simply smiled and nodded at what she thought were all the appropriate places. But her mind was with Jackson Treme. That’s what she wanted to tell everyone. Jackson Treme. He wasn’t a dream. He was real. He was flesh and blood and gorgeous and…
    â€œMs. Beaumont…”
    Zoe blinked, snapping out of her daydream and focused on Chairman Lang. She smiled sweetly.
    â€œWhat do you think about that?” David Zuckerman, a board member from New York asked.
    â€œThink about that…?”
    â€œYes. The Guggenheim?”
    She was at a total loss. “I’m sorry. I have so much on my mind. Can you repeat that?”
    He cleared his throat and looked at her askance. “As I was saying, if tonight’s results are as spectacular as we believe they are, we’d like you to spend three months in New York at the Guggenheim to mount a fall show.”
    She gave a quick shake of her head. “Excuse me?”
    â€œIt’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Phil Harris, one of the High’s board members, said.
    â€œBut…”
    Lang held up his hand and chuckled. “I know it’s a lot to take in. You wouldn’t have to leave right away, of course. Think about it and we’ll talk in a week or so.”
    Talk in a week or so? She was speechless. How did the conversation go from zero to one hundred in the blink of an eye?
    In a daze, she got up from her seat and glanced around the room at the smiling faces. Did they just offer her a job at the Guggenheim?
    â€œCongratulations,” Lang said enthusiastically.
    â€œEnjoy your evening,” she murmured and walked away. She stepped into the corridor and Mike was there waiting.
    â€œEverything cool? You look shaken.”
    â€œYes, everything is fine,” she said in a faraway voice and kept walking. It was a dream assignment. She should be ecstatic. If this had been any other time, she would be. Now . Why now?
    She slowly walked down the wide, winding staircase and stood for a moment looking out at the activity below. She wouldn’t begin to guess how many people had attended tonight’s event. And from where she stood, the board was right, it was a success and they had her and her team to thank. She continued down the stairs, her thoughts a jumbled mess that shuffled back and forth between tonight’s event, her family, her grandmother, meeting Jackson and now the Guggenheim Museum. She couldn’t think straight. She needed some space, some quiet and some time to think and sort things out.
    The reception would be over in an hour. Sharlene had promised to meet up in Zoe’s office at the end of the night. Sharl was the only person she could talk to…about everything.
    Â 
    Jackson lifted Shay from the backseat of the Explorer and carried her into the house. Michelle was resting on the couch and jumped up when they