Page 95 of The Wrong Promise

I want to do something exciting this weekend. Something Piper would also enjoy. Any ideas?

Darling, I am the king of ideas. We’ll make plans over lunch. And let’s dine somewhere exquisite. I’ll take you to the Ritz.

I pop my cell away and smile as I head to my office. Jobe is going to hate that I’ll be dining at the Ritz without him.

We have come so far as a couple. I’m smiling because I still love to tease him.

Though he’ll be glad I am with George. So much has changed over the past two months. George and Jobe are friends and get on like a house on fire. I needed them to be because George reminds me of the good times with Piper and how fun it is to live in London.

I really couldn’t have gotten through the pain without him.

An incoming call vibrates inside my bag.

My heart flips seeing Jobe’s name on the screen. “Hey, I was just thinking of you.”

“Good. You’ll be more than thinking about me tonight when I make you scream my name as you come. I’ve missed you, Zee. I’ve missed your mouth around my?—”

I cut him off. “I’m at work,” I whisper as my cheeks flame. No one can hear us, only I don’t want to go the entire day thinking about what Jobe will do to me tonight. Who am I kidding? Of course I will. “Tonight?” I track back. “What time is it in LA?”

“Eleven p.m. I’m about to board the jet. I secured the contracts with Byron for this new art studio he is planning for Giana, so there is no reason for me to stay a second longer. I need you.”

My toes curl the way he says,I need you.

“I need you too.” So much it scares me. “Oh. I made plans for the weekend not realizing you would be here. George is taking me to The Ritz,” I say excitedly.

“George will not get a table at the Ritz at such short notice. Looks like you both need my help. Tell him I’ll make a booking… for three.”

I laugh. There is no chance Jobe will let me out of his sight while he is in London. And George will be equally thrilled to be dining with both of us, especially when Jobe orders his favorite expensive whiskey. “See you tonight,” I whisper.

“I love you.”

“And I love you.”

In a matter of minutes, my day is already brighter, and my weekend is going to be even better. I have survived my first English winter, and I can’t wait for summer.

JOBE

OCTOBER

Zara takesa sip of her champagne and places it on the white tablecloth.

A harpist plays on the balcony above us. Succulents and ivy hang from the potted garden strung above us in the lush hotel. It’s romantic, and there is no one else I’d rather be with at a fancy high tea. She takes a bite of her sandwich and looks at her watch.

“Is there somewhere else you need to be?” She beams that beautiful smile at me, and I’m ready to agree with whatever she asks of me.

“Your brother’s game starts in another hour,” she says as though I should know this.

I check my watch. It’s Byron’s first game in almost a year. It happens to be against his former best friend and teammate, Brandon’s team, Chicago. The Chicago team is not the focus as much as Brandon Johns. My sister is running the LA Sharks and more than anything, she wants us to crush Chicago and for Byron to outclass Brandon in skill on every inch of the court. It’s more than a game. More than winning. It’s about pride.

My family expected me to be there, except I had already committed to be in London to finalize the new executive director to replace me. And to be with my girl.

Zara handed in her resignation, and we are returning to Los Angeles in three weeks. We are packing up our London lives and, with it, a shitload of emotion. She is my lotus flower rising from a dark place, beautiful, strong, and resilient.

She has made a life for herself in London and has fallenin love with the city. But she misses her friends and wants to be part of their children’s lives as they grow.

If this is what Zara wants, then I’ll do everything to make it happen. Zara is my future, and I’ll go wherever she goes.

We have invested in a new business as partners. A hotel in Beverly Hills where Zara will manage the staff and HR Department, and I will oversee the executive team. We have plans to style it similar to the hotels we love in London, which has brought us to the famous hotel in Edinburgh, especially since Zara never got to see much of Scotland.

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