Page 307 of Sins & Secrets

“I’ll call you back shortly,” I tell Sean and hang up before he can respond as Andrea walks in. The door closes behind her. Dressed in loose gray pants and a billowy white top, she’s nothing but professional.

“What is it?” I question.

“I made a mistake,” she tells me, not taking the seat she stands behind.

“We all do,” I say, attempting to ease any worries she has, but her expression doesn’t appear to reflect that. There’s not a worry line in sight.

“The error in the contract with Mr. Wyatt Patton’s—” she starts.

I still, my blood going cold. “What about it? What error?”

“I sent in half of the contract signed, but the second half … Somehow,” she says and gestures in the air, a shrug rolling from her shoulders, “I faxed it over unsigned.” Her lips quirk up at the end. As if she knows.

Of course she does.

“Andrea.” My head falls into my hands for only a moment, the relief waning as if this isn’t real. “Could you repeat that, please?” I swallow thickly, praying that what I heard her say is exactly what she did say.

“From what I can tell,” she tells me, now taking the seat slowly, “I must have had some questions and somehow I mixed up the paperwork.”

“I have to call my lawyer,” I tell her, still in a state of disbelief, my hands nearly trembling. If she’s serious, if she didn’t send it … It’s twenty million that she saved me.

“I thought you might say that.” She pats the desk before standing. “She distracts you, but like I’ve always told you, I’ve got your back.”

“I could kiss you?—”

“Please don’t,” she says jokingly.

“I don’t know how to repay you,” I tell her softly before she can leave, still not truly believing. Not until I see it myself and not until it’s confirmed.

SUZETTE

Idon’t think I’ve ever been so nervous for a dinner date. This man has fucked every part of me, he’s seen me break down and punished me in ways a younger me wouldn’t understand.

He knows me and every inch of me. And that’s what scares me. He could crush me so very easily and it would take far more than a bottle of rosé at Maddie’s to get over him.

In the back of his car, with Adrian’s driver taking me through the city, I sit alone. According to Noah, he’s to take me to dinner and Adrian is meeting me there.

I play it off as if I’m not nervous at all. As if tonight doesn’t feel different. As if that’s a perfectly normal thing to happen. It’s a perfect New York City evening. The sunset is a watercolor painting above the buildings, slowly growing darker as the few stars we can see appear high above us.

I’m in love with him, and no matter what he says, I think he loves me too. My heart beats faster with every minute that passes on the drive, and I can’t concentrate on my phone. Finally, I put it in my purse and ignore it completely. All the emails I need to send can wait.

I don’t miss Noah’s eyes peeking back at me and the third time I meet them, I cave.

“Is he going to break up with me?” I question, my voice squeakier than I’d have liked, though I know he’s not the person I should be asking.

His head tilts a bit and if I’m not mistaken, the wrinkles that form around his eyes indicate that he’s smiling although I can’t see that part of his face. “I didn’t think you were dating, Ms. Parks.”

I laugh, feeling a little less nervous. “Very funny.” My fingers fidget among themselves.

He laughs back at me. “He would be a fool to do such a thing. And Mr. Bradford isn’t a fool.” I can only nod in agreement although I don’t feel entirely reassured.

“Besides, we’re here so it’s a little too late to run.”

Peeking out through the tinted window, my gaze focuses on a tempting man in a suit. Heat flows through me seeing Adrian’s waiting for me on the sidewalk. He pulls the door open for me before I know what’s happening. I step out, slipping my hand into his to keep my balance.

“I’ll take it from here,” he tells Noah, and that’s when I see we’re at the Waldorf again. Glancing down at my office attire, I give Adrian a look and he only smirks back.

“If you’d like to go shopping first,” he offers although I’m certain it’s more for comic relief than anything else.

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