Page 42 of One Night in Glasgow
As he walked away, I felt a familiar, chilling mix of emotions: the thrill of a new opportunity, and the cold dread of knowing I’d just made a deal with a man I was fairly certain I shouldn’t trust. My fresh start in New York was already feeling dangerously complicated.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SEAN
The late morningsun in New York beat down on my face as I slumped in my chair opposite Danny at the outdoor cafe. My third coffee of the day sat untouched, growing cold while I stared at my phone. The list of New York charities we’d visited was depressingly long, with zero results to show for it.
“This is fucking impossible,” I muttered, scrolling through my notes. “We’ve hit what, six places by noon today? And nobody’s even heard of a Scottish intern.”
Danny picked at his sandwich, looking as worn out as I felt. “Seven places. And that’s not counting the three foundations that wouldn’t even talk to us without an appointment.”
I ran my hands through my hair, frustration building in my chest. “There’s gotta be a better way to handle this. We can’t just keep roaming around Manhattan, crossing our fingers and hoping for some kind of miracle.”
“You mean like we’ve been doing for the past four days?”Danny’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Face it, man. New York’s huge. Beth could be anywhere.”
“Appreciate the geography lesson, Captain Obvious.” I realized I was being a dick, but the fatigue and letdown were getting the best of me.
Danny shot me a look. “Hey, I’m just being realistic here. We’ve burned through half our time here already. Maybe it’s time to focus on the Phi?—”
“Don’t say it,” I cut him off. “I’m not giving up.”
“For fuck’s sake, Sean.” Danny tossed his napkin onto his plate. “We’ve been at this for days. My feet are killing me. We’re both running on caffeine and stubbornness, and what do we have to show for it? Jack shit.”
He had a point, but I wasn’t ready to admit it. “Look, we just need to be more strategic about this. Maybe if we?—”
“Strategic?” Danny barked out a laugh. “‘Scottish woman working at a charity in New York’ isn’t exactly narrowing it down. This city’s got more non-profits than it has rats.”
I pulled out my phone, finger lingering over Kinna’s contact. Maybe if I called her one more time...
The thought died as I detected movement and a glimpse of red hair at the table across the outdoor seating area of the cafe. My breath caught in my throat.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, sitting up straight. “Danny, three o’clock.”
Danny turned, subtle as a brick through a window. “Where? What are we looking at?”
“Jesus, be more obvious why don’t you?” I hissed. “The table by the planters. Red hair, green dress.”
Danny’s eyes widened as he spotted her. “No fucking way. There she is. That’s?—”
“Beth,” I confirmed.
She was sitting across from some guy in a fancy suit, laughing at whatever joke he’d cracked. The sound carried across the space between us, bringing back memories of that night in Glasgow.
The guy leaned in closer to Beth, his hand brushing her arm. My fingers tightened around my coffee cup.
“Easy there, tiger,” Danny murmured. “You’re gonna break that cup.”
I had to consciously loosen my grip on the coffee, but there was no way I could pull my gaze from Beth’s table. The guy she was with was the kind of good-looking man that made you think he probably walked straight off Wall Street with his perfect hair, expensive suit, and a smile that could convince you to invest in anything or convince a woman to do anything.
“Who the hell is the dude?” I muttered, more to myself than Danny.
“Could be anyone,” Danny shrugged. “Co-worker, friend, date...”
The last word landed hard, twisting in my stomach. “They look cozy.”
Danny studied me carefully. “What are you gonna do?”
I wrestled with the idea of strolling over to Beth’s table, my brain a whirlwind of memories from our last run-in in Glasgow. Those angry words she hurled at me, seeing though my bullshit, still played on repeat in my mind like a broken record. But her being here, in this moment, twisted something in my chest. I couldn’t take my eyes off the suit guy leaning in closer to her. It was easy to see he was into her; his body was angled toward her like a predator sizing up its prey, and his gaze was glued to her face like she was the most fascinating thing in the world. But Beth? She was a different story. Her posture was all business, neutral and professional, making itdamn near impossible to figure out what was going on in her head.
