Page 99 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 1

“I . . . I came to realize today that I’m no good without you. Call me selfish, smug, or whatever else you want, but I’m in love with you, Natalie.”

My breath catches somewhere in my chest, a knot near my heart as I digest what he just said. That wasn’t what I expected. I expected a hard day at work, or his pipes are busted at the bungalow, or even that he never meant to hurt me. Those things crossed my mind before he just unleashed the love lines.

I won’t cheapen the words by second-guessing him. He literally has nothing to lose at this point. He said the right thing, though, to gain my attention. “Go on.”

“I miss you so much that it aches to have been away from you for so long.” His voice catches this time. “I love you so much. Will you see me? I’ll catch the red-eye and be there in the morning. I’ll explain everything.”

When I look up, the weather has gotten worse, and the wind causes a few people to move inside after their napkins are swept away from their tables. They’re easy to ignore when I see a charcoal suit on a man who I swear could have walked right off a runway. I smile to myself, enjoying the sight of Nick taking cover against the corner of the building.

Tatum sets her cup on the table, and asks, “How long are you going to leave him out there?”

I place my hand over the phone, and whisper, “A little longer.”

She laughs. “You’re naughty.”

Shrugging, I bring the phone back to my ear. “Save yourself the trip. What would you tell me if I was in front of you now, Nick?”

I watch him position himself to avoid the wind, giving me a good view of him. His hair is darker as if the sun refused to shine on him any longer. I can’t see his eyes well, but those lashes are visible as he squints into the distance in deep thought. His suit fits those broad shoulders as if it was tailored to him. He says, “I was brought in at the tail end of negotiations to meet with your mom and dad when Andrew had to cancel at the last minute. I was representing my family as much as the company, scoping them out as much as they were me.”

“St. James, Nick. How did you not put two and two together? We even ran into each other that morning at the building. The revolving door from hell. I won’t even go in one of those contraptions again because of getting stuck in it.” That’s actually one of my favorite memories, but I have so many if I allow myself to still enjoy them. I find myself smiling and glance around the coffee shop, wondering if I look like a fool. But I notice I’m not the only one staring out the window at him, and jealousy spikes when I see how pretty the competition is.

“I don’t have a good reason for that. They all sound like excuses, but I think I was ignoring the evidence in front of me on some level. I didn’t want to see what was so obvious.”

Rolling my eyes at these poor souls thinking they can get his attention through a window if they apply fresh lipstick and bat their eyelashes, I look back at him. He’s barely staying put with the wind gusting around him. Pulling my shoulders back, I stick out my chest and flip my hair. “This is part of the problem we had. Everything was so fast that important details slipped through the cracks. And the thing about secrets is they always come out.”

“They do. I just wished there were none between us.”

“When did you find out about my company being shortlisted for ending the funding?”

“When we went to my parents’ house for brunch. In the meeting with my dad and Andrew. But I swear I came to tell you. You took the call from your mom on the terrace. I told my family I needed to be the one to talk to you. That’s when you found out about your dad’s heart attack.”

“That morning is a blur to me now.” Trying to remember how it played out, I finally land on his mom’s expression when we came inside. “Your mom was mad at you like you were the one who made me cry.”

“Yes,” he says, running his hand through his hair. One of his tells I’ve become familiar with. We keep saying we don’t know each other, but that right there reminds me that I do. I do know him. And he also loves to say I do, as I just did twice. “She gave me the dirtiest look for hurting you.”

I smile. “She took my side without even knowing what made me cry.” I wish he could see how that makes me feel. Just when I start to admire him again, he turns in my direction. “Oh, shit.” I drop to the floor, hitting the table on my way down and rattling the mugs on their saucers.

“What is it?”

Spying on him through some guy’s denim-covered legs, I see him with his back to the coffee shop again.Phew.“Nothing. We were just saying how Cookie loves me more than you.” A smug grin rides high on my right cheek. I exhale and climb back up while Tatum laughs her ass off.

He chuckles. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“I already did.” As much as I want to indulge in the sound of his laughter or how handsome he is, I still need answers. “So, let’s get to the details. Why did you sign a contract that effectively dissolved my company?”

“I sign as legal counsel representing our party, Christiansen Wealth Management. I had met with Manhattan Financial’s legal team, so I signed, which is standard. It was boilerplate stuff. My dad even mentioned that your father was fighting for one of the companies, and we were happy to let him have it. I didn’t know, at the time, that it was yours.”

Pinning him to the wall with a glare, I ask, “Does that mean you would have kept it to control me?”

“No. No, not at all. If it were up to me, I would have freed you from the burden of the loan and reworked your contract.”

Legal speak has to be missing love language. Like a sixth sense, it’s the sixth language to getting laid. Another is the phrase “Freed you from the burden.” Five of the hottest words ever heard.

Okay, so maybe I’m not thinking clearly. How can I when he looks so damn handsome in the middle of what looks like a tornado brewing? Add snow into the mix, and I say, “You should come inside.”

“Come?” he asks, and my tummy clenches, just hearing him say it.

“I mean, go inside.” Eyeing Tatum, she nods her approval. She picks up her cup and nods to the corner by the fire where she’s heading. “The wind sounds strong. You should find a coffee shop and wait it out.”

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