Page 70 of Right Number

“Well, then consider it a gift from a friend who hopes you never lose sight of how truly beautiful and amazing you are,” Liam said softly.

I could feel my cheeks blush as I pulled my hand away from his. “Thank you, Liam.”

A comfortable silence hung in the air for a few moments. “Can I tell you something, Anna?” Liam finally asked.

“Of course.”

“For what it is worth, I think you should go after Mason.”

I was so shocked, I was certain I’d heard him wrong. “What did you just say?”

Liam looked at me and very clearly said, “You should go after Mason.”

“I don’t know…I…I just…I don’t…” I stammered, unable to collect my thoughts. I stopped and closed my eyes as I took a few deep breaths. When I opened my eyes, Liam was still looking at me, waiting patiently. I took one last deep breath and started again. “I don’t know how all of this would even work. It feels like the attempt to actually come together was a failure in every way possible. Plus, I don’t think he really wants to see me again anyway…at least not after this morning.” Just saying it out loud made my heart physically ache.

“Anna, trust me when I say this—you’re a hard one to get over. I’d be very surprised if he didn’t want to see you. Bree and Sarah told me about what happened yesterday. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to fly here and just show up on your doorstep after that.” Liam reached up and pushed his beanie off his forehead. “Whatever it is you guys need to figure out…you’re worth figuring it out for, Anna.”

“You think so?” I whispered softly. I couldn’t believe Liam was sitting there, being so calm and kind about everything. Then again, it was Liam and that’s just how he was.

“I know so, Anna. If he’s the one for you, then you two will figure it out.”

“You’re a damn good friend, Liam.”

Liam stood up and gave me a quick hug while I remained seated. It was a little awkward, but I was trusting him when he said we’d be all right. When Liam pulled away, he moved back several steps before putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Thank you. I’m going to give the gallery owner a call and let her know your painting isn’t for sale.”

I stood up and followed him to the front door. “Thank you, again, for everything, Liam,” I said with a smile as he walked out.

“That’s what friends are for.” Liam gave me a brief smile. “Now, get out of here, Anna. I think you have somewhere else you need to be.”

Chapter 24

Kiss Me

“WHAT ROOM ARE YOU in?” I texted Mason from the lobby of the Sherman Hotel. It had been almost two hours since he left my apartment. After my conversation with Liam, I took a quick shower. I needed to wash everything from the previous night off and gather my thoughts before I went after Mason to fix this giant mess. Between the shower and the bus ride there, I had plenty of time to think…only I hadn’t really come up with anything solid other than showing up at Mason’s hotel. I really hoped I was doing the right thing.

I stared at my phone waiting for a response from Mason. After what seemed like an eternity, it finally came. “Why?”

“I’d like to talk. Please,” I wrote back. I suppose I should’ve started with that.

Mason’s response was almost immediate. “What more is there to say?”

What the hell? Without thinking, I typed out my next message. “Don’t be an ass. There’s plenty to say.”

“Why would I give you my room number when you just called me an ass?”

I chewed on my lower lip. He had a solid point. Maybe calling him an ass wasn’t my best move. I sighed as I quickly sent an apology. “I’m sorry I called you an ass. I would like to talk to you, Mason. Please.” I waited for a few moments with no response before I let out a frustrated sigh. Maybe it was a bad idea…maybe I shouldn’t have come. I chewed my lip as I decided to send a second message with a slightly different approach. “If you’re not going to give me your room number, I’ll just wait down here in the lobby for you. You can come down when you’re ready.”

I watched my phone as the little bubbles in the corner popped up indicating that he was typing something, then went away. They did that a few times without any actual message coming through, so I decided to go big. “Mason…I’m not willing to just walk away from this.”

“Did you just use my own words against me?”

I smiled at his message. “I sure did. Now, can we please talk?”

My phone felt heavy in my hand as I waited for his response. I was prepared to wait in that lobby all damn day if I had to. Finally, the screen lit up with an incoming message. “I’m coming down.” I let out a huge sigh of relief followed by a smile. I was glad he finally agreed to talk. It seemed like a step in the right direction.

I nervously ran my hands through my hair which, after my shower, had air dried into its normal state of moderately wavy. I was wearing jeans and a fitted, black sweater under my tan wool coat. Not the wildest outfit, but I felt much better in it than I did in the pajamas and sweatshirt I’d been wearing for our first meeting.

I paced around the lobby for what felt like a million years before I heard the elevator ding. I spun around as the doors opened and there he was. My breath caught in my throat and every doubt I had about being there floated away. Mason scanned the lobby looking for me and my heart rate started going double time. When his eyes landed on mine, I could feel the flutter in my stomach. He was wearing the same gray Henley and jeans he had on in my apartment, only he’d added a navy peacoat. The overall look was effortlessly sexy.

---