Page 29 of Destined To Fall

Laurafillsme in on the shuffles, all because Antony needs my ass in New York. Seriously? He has others he can call. Though I’m not opposed to spending more time in New York—any excuse—I never rearrange my clients. He must have thrown down some serious money for Laura to consider it.

“Like I was saying, you were supposed to be seeing Lewis all day Sunday, but he was more than happy to have you longer, which works out perfectly.”

I skid to a stop.“You called Lewis?”

“Well, yeah. I was checking in with all your clients to make sure your previously booked arrangements still stood. Like I normally do for your regulars.”

“Okay…” I’m still confused.

Laura sighs, exasperated.“I subtly mentioned you’d be in New York sooner, and he was very eager at the prospect of having you longer. So I booked him in before Antony for two nights instead. This way he gets more time with you.” I can hear the smile in her voice.

“Lewis and Antony, back-to-back?” I want to laugh. That’s a lot of time on my back. And my knees, for that matter.

“Yeah, you’ll hate it.” I can almost hear the eye roll.“The rest of the week is practically arm candy. If you’re not up for the challenge…”

I scoff.“We done?”

“Yup. I’ll email you the new itinerary.”

“Wait, what about Max?”

“Oh, I forgot. There was a cancelation. Him, for Thursday night. Which is how everything else fell into place.”

“Did he reschedule?” Is he having second thoughts?

“Yeah, for the following week.”

“Okay. I’ve got to go.”

“Later.”

At six minutes past ten, I step into the café. It doesn’t take long to spot Jeremy in the far corner, leaning back, looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world reading the Boston Herald. As I get closer, I notice how his index finger taps nonstop on the paper, and his eyes keep flicking to his wristwatch. The cool, calm, and collected look he has going on is a façade.

He pulls his bottom lip into his mouth, worrying it through his teeth before releasing it. The gesture has an adverse effect on my body, but I can’t help wondering if he thinks I stood him up. I make quick work of the distance between us, hoping to rectifythe situation post-haste.

“You read that crap? You know it’s full of propaganda, right?” One corner of my mouth flicks up as his fingers tighten around the paper before he slowly lowers the top of it. His beautiful blue eyes are extra twinkly this morning.

“One woman’s propaganda is another man’s…” He seems to search for the right word as he folds the paper away.“Time killer?”

I wrinkle my nose.“Yeah, I’m sorry I’m late. I slept in and ran a little longer than planned.”

“You run?” His eyes sparkle further.

“Yeah. It’s my Sunday thing. I run along the harbor and then gorge myself on bacon after.”

“I like it.”

“Which bit?”

“All of it.”

I shake my head with a smile.“Well, I’ve already had the run.” Though I am still a little pumped.“You wanna get that to go?” I nod toward the half-empty latte.

“I can’t drink coffee and run.” He chuckles, standing up.

“We’re not running.”

“Oh. What else did you have in mind? It would have been fun and un-date-like. You can’t argue with that.”

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