Page 72 of Honor

I don’t know how that’s a compromise, but I’m in. I have nothing going on tonight, so tagging along on her shoe shopping spree sounds like fun.

She circles an arm around my waist before I can take a step down the path leading out of the park. “If you happen to find a pair of shoes that you can’t live without, you’ll let me buy them for you. Deal?”

I haven’t known Lottie long, but I do know that arguing with her will only result in me losing whatever the battle is. “Deal.”

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Reid

Talk about a week from hell.

Three deals we’ve been chasing for months all came together in the past five days. That meant hours upon hours spent in meetings and away from my desk.

In other words, I only had a few minutes each day to stare at Evie and no chance to discuss how we’ll handle this weekend.

I hoped to do that before we left the office today, but when I returned from a late afternoon meeting, her desk was unoccupied. Baden sauntered off the elevator to tell me that Evie asked to leave an hour and a half early, and since I was in the middle of an intense negotiation, he gave her the go-ahead.

Baden came bearing an invitation from Vance and him. They wanted to go to Nova for dinner tonight to celebrate the week, but I’m bound for East Hampton.

Randall arranged for a van to drive us up at noon, but I opted out of that circus on wheels by arranging for Basil to take me after I finished at the office for the day.

I could tell by his expression when I asked that he had other plans, so I sent him a bonus that was four times his regular monthly salary. I did that while he was standing in front of me, so I got to witness the joy radiating from his smile when he spotted the text message from his bank alerting him to the deposit.

I’ll have accounting work out the details on Monday.

“Do you want me to pick you up on Sunday, sir?” Basil asks as we near the beach house that I spent two weeks at when I was a kid.

My sister and grandmother squealed when they caught sight of it. I was stunned silent since it was the biggest house I’d ever seen. Beyond that, the view of the ocean behind it was awe-inspiring.

My grandma spent most of that vacation wishing my grandpa could have been there with us, but work kept him in Manhattan. Melody brought him back a collection of seashells she found on the beach.

He cherished those damn things like they were gold. He always had at least one in his pocket until the day he died.

“Tomorrow,” I tell Basil. “Say around five or six.”

He tosses me a look over his shoulder. “That’s less than twenty-four hours from now.”

I know how to tell time, so I ignore the comment.

Even though Randall mentioned one of his friends is driving up in his car, and I can grab a ride back to Manhattan with him, I don’t want to count on that happening. Plans change, but I don’t want mine to.

Basil takes the hint and changes the subject. “I haven’t been this way in years. How about you?”

“It’s been a long time,” I say, not getting into specifics. “It doesn’t look like much has changed.”

The house I’ll be spending the night in is still painted the same shade of light blue it was when I was a kid. The shutters are as crisp white as they were then, but I suspect that’s because they’re repainted regularly.

Basil steers the SUV up the driveway and parks it. By the time he’s out of his seat and rounding the vehicle, I’ve got the door open.

Even though he’s already seen what I’m wearing, he gives me another once over. “I like the more casual look, sir.”

It’s jeans, a blue button-down shirt, and the dark blue suit jacket I had on all day. I’ve only packed the essentials in the leather bag I’m holding. This trip will be short and sweet for me. I may be the best man, but the other men Randall invited are likely better friends to him than I’ve been in years.

“Reid!” Randall exits the front door of the house dressed in red board shorts and a white T-shirt stamped with the logo of the bakery he sold years ago. “You made it.”

“You knew I would.”

He chuckles. “More like hoped you would. I wasn’t sure if a business emergency would throw a wrench in your plans.”

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