Big Rock(55)

He clucks his tongue. “Here’s the thing. I already found someone.”

My eyes widen. “You did?”

“Yes. Not to sell it to.” He stops to roam his eyes over the office and then to the door, as if he’s reflecting on all that’s beyond. “But to run this place while I kick back. I’m not ready to let Katharine’s go, even if I am completely ready to work less.”

“Okay.” I ask tentatively, “Who is it?”

But the instant the words make landfall, I know who it is. Something in my head clicks, like a lock sliding into place. I snap my fingers. “Nina! You asked Nina to take over day-to-day operations?”

He nods and beams. “And she said yes.” He taps his finger against the papers on his desk. “That’s what I was working on when you came in. Her new contract. She’ll be CEO of Katharine’s, and I’ll remain as founder and owner while I sail across the seven seas with your mother.”

“You are such a romantic,” I say, shaking my head in admiration. “She’s perfect for it. She’s been with you from the start, and no one knows the business better.”

“Exactly,” he says, then strides over to his couch by the window overlooking midtown Manhattan. “But since I am a hopeless romantic, and since I have been happily married for thirty-five years, and since I know a little something about what women want, let’s talk about how you’re going to win back Charlotte. I saw the way the two of you look at each other.”

He pats the couch. I sink down next to him, my limbs heavy. “Love the thought. But she made it clear she’s not into me.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm, what?”

“Did she, though?” he asks quizzically.

“I believe her exact words were, ‘It was never real.’”

“Those were her words. And generally speaking, I believe a man should pay keen attention to a woman’s words. But sometimes actions speak louder, and what did Charlotte’s actions tell you?”

An image of her yanking off her ring mocks me.

“That she doesn’t feel the same,” I say bluntly. No point mincing words. He saw the same thing.

Or maybe not. He tilts his head to the side, and raises an eyebrow. He shakes his head. “I saw a woman who put her heart on the line for you.”

I stare at him. His words don’t compute.

“I saw a woman who took the fall for you,” he continues, gesturing from him to me. “You and I both know that Charlotte didn’t ask you to be her fiancé. You asked her. She said yes to you. She wanted to help you. And today, she wanted to help you, too. It might not have worked the way she intended, but she was trying to save this deal because she cares about you. She was trying to help you stay out of trouble by throwing herself under the bus.”

Something comes alive inside me again.

Not an alien, or anything weird like that, but a racing heart, a spiking pulse, a thrilling possibility.

“Holy shit,” I say under my breath, cycling back through the day, the morning, last night. The sandwiches, the noodles, the whiskey. The broken rules, the jealousy, the pure, private moments of bliss and connection. Last night, and the way she said she was falling. How she looked when she was naked on top of me.

I grab the collar of my T-shirt and tug. Whoa. It’s hot in here. Not my brightest move to linger on a sex memory.

I shove it aside.

Most of all, I rewind to how she was always saving me from me. From the very start of this affair, right through to the end, she saved the day when I needed her most.

“I need to find her,” I say, patting my pockets. They’re empty. “Oh, shit. She has my phone. And my wallet. And my keys.”

“Good. Because we’re not moving that fast.”

“Why not? Shouldn’t I just go to her place and tell her how I feel or something?”

“Or something?” He arches a brow as he mimics me. “You might know a thing or two about how to land the ladies for a night. But I know how to win one woman for a lifetime,” he says, tapping his heart. “Your dad happens to be a hopeless romantic. So let the master give the apprentice some lessons in winning back a woman.”

I stand and hand over the reins. “I always did kick ass in school. Teach me your secrets.”

He surveys my attire. “First, we need to get you into some decent clothes.”

“I don’t have my wallet.”

He rolls his eyes. “I bought your first onesie. I think I can spring for a nice pair of slacks now.”

“Dad, that’s fine and all, but can you swear to never say that word again in relation to me?” I say, as we leave his office.

“Onesie, you mean?”

I nod.

He shrugs. “I’ll do my best to never discuss how adorable you looked in a little baby blue onesie.”

“Dad.”

“Right. You weren’t adorable in it. You were manly and rugged.”

Have I mentioned I have the coolest dad in the universe?





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT


I look sharp. I’m rocking a pair of charcoal gray pants, a navy blue button-down, and new shoes. And…wait for it…I’m freshly showered, too. Yup. Dad took me shopping and let me use the guest shower at his home. And damn, do I clean up well.