Page 53 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 1

She wags a finger in my direction. “You should be grateful I talked your dad and Andrew into sending you. Not only are you coming back with great business news but also a girlfriend. You can thank me later, but for now, stop stalling and give me details.”

Shifting on the stool, I laugh. “Mrs. Singh was tough, but Garrett Stans, one of the other attorneys, shared an insider secret with me.”

“Not that,” my mom says just as Andrew says, “What is it?”

I start laughing. “Do we want the personal or the professional news first?”

“Personal.”

“Professional.”

I think we know who voted for what. Andrew finally caves. “Get the personal stuff out of the way so we can get down to business.” He reaches into the fridge and pulls two beers out for us and a bottle of wine for my mom. She likes her white wine extra cold despite what the know-it-all LA elites think.

He pours her a glass, and I twist the tops off the beer bottles. Seems like we’re going to be here a while, so I settle in after taking a long swig.

“I met her last spring actually.”

My mom’s grin grows. “In Catalina?”

I could lie just to throw off her game, but my mom’s the best, so I’ll always tell her what she wants to know. “I think you called it last May.”

“But how? You were in New York.”

“That’s where she’s from.” I take another drink and then add, “You’ll like this part best—I literally ran into her. Like physically ran into her on the street.”

Snapping, she bolts upright and points at me. “That’s fate intervening!”

“I knew you’d get a kick out of that.”

She slips around to my side of the island and hugs me again. “I’m so happy for you.”

I hug her back. “Me too. You’ll really like her. She’s smart and funny, really funny.” My mom steps back but keeps a hand on my cheek. “She loves to laugh and a great pun. Mom,” I start, now feeling a little shy with the next admission, “she’s so pretty. Literally, like I can’t take my eyes off her.”

“Do you have a picture? What’s her name?”

“I do.” I chuckle at that, as I pull out my phone to show Mom the photo Tatum sent me. “Here. This is Natalie.”

She hums with a smile on her face. “Oh, she’s beautiful. So sweet. And look at that. Nick and Natalie like Corbin and Cookie.”

Andrew shakes his head. My mom can’t see him, thank goodness. “Kissing in a tree.”

Gently laughing, she takes her glass and turns to him. “I actually have kissed your dad in a tree.” Walking around him, she taps his nose. “And then nine months later?—”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Andrew proclaims.

She’s still laughing when she heads for the back door. “I think my work here is done. I’ve horrified one son, and the other has met his match. On that note, I’m going to enjoy a little sunshine out back and let you boys talk business.”

As soon as the door closes behind her Andrew asks, “What’s the secret?”

“It’s not so much a secret as it’s wicked skills, big brother.”

My shoulder is punched. “Really? You know I’m talking about business. What did Stans tell you?”

“Ah. Yes. He told me the CEO wants to retire. He’s had some health issues. He also says that they want to keep the family atmosphere and were impressed with us.” I finish the beer and then continue, “I got the distinct feeling that if we padded the offer, we’d probably get a quick answer.”

He drinks his beer, but I can tell by the distant gaze that he’s deep in thought. “What do you think would seal the deal?”

“Obviously, we need to be in the millions. A few hundred K isn’t going to impress anyone.”

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