Proposing to Preston (The Winslow Brothers, #2)(9)

“Not yet,” he amended, mimicking her words. “But you will.”

She looked up at him, youthful giddiness lighting her face. “You think so?”

“I know so,” he answered, staring down at her from the opposite side of the narrow hallway.

She leaned against the hallway wall across from him, her soft, golden waves a lovely contrast to the drab concrete behind her. “How do you know Mr. Durran? Do you work together?”

He thought about lying. He strongly considered telling her that yes, he was an entertainment lawyer who regularly worked with Mr. Durran, because he wanted an “in” with her that badly. But he couldn’t bear lying to her. Something about the openness of her face made it impossible.

“The truth is, I don’t know him at all. We met last night…I mean, we chatted after the show, and then ran into each other again tonight.”

“Again?” She laughed softly. “Why in the world would you come and see He Loves Me Not again?”

“For you,” he answered simply, his voice low and gravelly in his ears. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling much younger than his twenty-nine years.

“For me?”

He nodded as his chest tightened with some unspecified emotion. Anxious for a breath of fresh air, he gestured to the hallway. “Shall we?”

She searched his face for an extra beat before turning to the left, and Preston followed her past several closed doors, waved goodnight to a crew member who told Elise he’d see her tomorrow, and stepped down three concrete stairs to a bright green door. Elise pushed it open, and Preston was surprised to find them on a dark, wet New York sidewalk.

Elise crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him, her face uncertain and her eyes cautious. “Are you making fun of me?”

Preston leaned away from her, taken aback. “Making fun? What are you talking about?”

“You came to a bad play two nights in a row to see me?” she asked, her eyes challenging. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It does to me,” he said. “I came last night with my… I mean, I came to see the show, and I admit I didn’t get into it until the end, but all day I thought about you dying, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind, and so I…I don’t know, I came back to see the show again.”

Her face softened. “You’re serious.”

“Hundred percent,” he confirmed, nodding at her.

“And you don’t know Mr. Durran personally?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“So…who are you?”

“A fan of your work?” he asked, offering her his most charming smile.

“My work?” She chortled. “My excellent portrayal of Matilda?”

He sniffed. “You were better than the play. Like Mr. Durran, I’d like to see you in something good.”

She swept her suspicious eyes down his blue and white striped dress shirt, glancing briefly at his watch, skating down his designer jeans and resting on his expensive leather loafers before sliding back up to his face. His body tightened at her perusal, turned-on by her frank inspection.

“Are you a patron?” she asked. “Of the theater?”

He shook his head. “No. But the friend who brought me last night? She is.”

“She.” Elise took a deep breath and two spots of color appeared on the apples of her cheeks. “Girlfriend?”

“No,” he answered simply. Not anymore.

“I see,” she said, releasing the breath she’d been holding, the hint of a smile warming her lips. “So, are you really a lawyer?”

“I graduated from Columbia law school last June. I’m taking the bar, well, bars, in July.”

“Bars? I’m assuming New York and…”

“Pennsylvania.”

She tilted her head again, scanning his face like she was trying to make a decision about him.

Before she could overthink it, he asked quickly, “Let me take you for a glass of Champagne. To celebrate.”

“Oh, I don’t—”

“Coffee? Who says no to a cup of coffee?”

“Me, I guess.” She grinned at him, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t drink coffee.”

He took a deep breath, pursing his lips. Was she politely blowing him off? Probably. She didn’t know him from Adam, she’d had a long day, and probably had people she wanted to call, friends with whom to celebrate her good fortune. He had no right to monopolize her, or follow her around like some stray dog looking for a home. As much as he hated to admit it, it was time for him to leave her alone.

“Well, then I guess this is goodbye,” he said softly, surprised by how sad the words made him feel.

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyebrows furrowing as she stared back at him, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

He put out his hand and offered her a final smile. “I really did enjoy your performance, Elise Klassan. I think…well, I think you’re a terrific actress. You certainly made me believe. Good luck on Tuesday.”

She looked down at his hand, but didn’t offer her own, and her eyes finally glided back up his chest to his face. “By any chance are you walking north?”

His grin spread so wide that it eventually turned into a small, relieved chuckle. “Absolutely. I’m absolutely walking north.”