Read Between The Lines: Business of Love 6

by Parker, Ali

  “Why did you break up with Walker?”

  “Because it wasn’t fair of me to leave him behind and go traveling to pursue my dream while expecting him to wait for me to get it out of my system. What if I never did? What if I made him wait for me for six months and realized I wanted to live in Australia? What if I broke promises? What if—”

  “What if he wanted to come to Australia with you?”

  I hesitated. “Sorry?”

  “Did you ask him if he was open to travel?”

  “Well, no, because his life is here.”

  “You made his choice for him, Nora. He said as much to you when you got out of the car.”

  After I got out of the shower last night, I’d told Julie and Grace all about the last time I saw Walker. They’d sat and listened and supported me. They’d shed tears with me. They’d made me feel better when I didn’t think that was possible.

  But now Julie could use the truth against me. I wasn’t sure I liked that very much.

  “I made the hard choice for both of us before we got in too deep,” I said.

  “If you’re questioning booking your trip like this, how can you be sure the hard choice was the right choice?”

  Why did she have to have her follow-up questions locked and loaded? Was this what therapy was? I felt like I was coming under fire for looking out for the man I loved.

  That was what I’d done last night. I’d broken things off to spare him more hurt down the road. I’d made sure we could both move forward with our lives.

  That was what mature people did when they cared about each other. Wasn’t it?

  I massaged my temples. “I’m confused now.”

  Julie sat up a little straighter. “Can I be honest with you, Nora?”

  “Yes.”

  “We don’t always get to choose when and who we fall in love with. There are some things that are completely out of our control. What’s within our control is how we respond to changes. Travel makes you happy, but so does Walker. Maybe there is still a way that you can have both without having to sacrifice the other.” Julie smiled reassuringly and put her hand on mine. “You’re not a traditional woman, Nora. You blaze your own trail. I think it might be time for you to find one that’s a little wider so there’s room for two people. What do you think?”

  Room for two people?

  I licked my lips. “I think it’s getting harder and harder for me to dislike you, Julie.”

  Julie threw her head back and laughed. “Well, that’s good to hear because I’ve been biding my time waiting for you to warm up to me.”

  The laughter died in her eyes and I stared down at my lap. “I’m scared.”

  “Of what?”

  “I don’t want to hurt him again down the road. What if I take your advice? What if we try to make this work while I travel and things fall apart and we can’t make it work and I end up in the exact same position a year from now? What if it hurts even more than this?”

  “You have to decide if that’s a risk you’re willing to take. You know for a fact Walker is. He didn’t want to end things. He wanted you.”

  I grimaced. “He doesn’t know how hard it will be.”

  “Nora, it doesn’t have to be hard. Make room for adjustments. Maybe you want to start by booking two seats on your flight to Bali instead of one.”

  “That seems extreme.”

  Julie nodded. “Or you could just talk to him now that you’ve both had some time to think and process and wade through the muck.”

  “And if he doesn’t want to talk to me?”

  “That’s your fear talking. I saw the way he looked at you when he was here for dinner. He’s head over heels for you, Nora. And you’re in love with him, too. It’s obvious. And even though this might be overstepping and I never like to give my clients straightforward advice like this, I need to tell you, I think you’d be making a huge miscalculation if you never gave him a chance to start this adventure with you.”

  I didn’t realize I’d started crying again until Julie stood up and grabbed a box of tissues from the counter and brought it back to me.

  “Thank you.” I sniffled as I pulled one free and dabbed at my eyes.

  Chapter 36

  Walker

  I blew through the intersection on a yellow light. The person in the left-hand turning lane going the opposite way laid on their horn before completing their turn. I watched them go in my rearview mirror as I dropped from fifth to fourth gear and stepped on the gas. My Maserati hummed and booted forward, and I wove between a taxi and a minivan going far too slow to be considered reasonable. Another horn honked, presumably the minivan.

  I didn’t care who I pissed off. I had a girl to get to.

  A girl who I wasn’t going to let throw in the towel without a proper fight.

  I never should have let her get out of my car last night without trying harder to keep her. I never said my point of view. Not really. I never took my chance to get her to see reason and explain that this dream job of hers didn’t have to mean the end of us.

  Why had I been so willing to roll over?

  Shock.

  That was what I chalked it up to as I left the core of Manhattan behind and sped toward the more residential areas and older neighborhoods of the city. Finally, after what felt like ages, I made it to Nora’s street.

  My usual parking spot was taken.

  “Seriously?” I growled at the blue coupe parked in my spot.

  This was just my luck. I crawled down the street, minding the speedbumps, and kept my eyes peeled for an open spot. Apparently, noon was a hard time to find a spot to park. People must have come home on their lunch breaks or picked the kids up from school or something. It was a family friendly neighborhood, after all.

  Someone pulled out of a spot on the opposite side of the street. I picked up a bit of speed and grimaced as I went over a speedbump a little too fast and scraped my front fender. I turned into the first driveway I came across and reversed back out onto the street to turn around.

  Yet another person honked at me.

  I didn’t give a damn if I cut them off. I needed that parking spot. Otherwise, I was going to abandon my Maserati in the middle of the road while I knocked on Nora’s door and told her everything on my mind and heart. Would I get towed? Highly likely.

  Would it be worth it?

  Only if she takes me back.

  The car behind me rode my ass as I circled back to the open parking spot. I parallel parked while the woman behind the wheel of the SUV behind me threw her hands in the air. I assumed she’d been planning on taking this spot.

  You snooze, you lose.

  I got out of my car after she sped past while shooting me a dark glare. I waved back with a tight-lipped smile and hoped it didn’t put too much of a damper on her day. Then I jogged across the street, hopped up on the curb, and ran three townhouses down until I reached the bottom of the steps of Nora’s unit.

  I swallowed as I stared up at the door.

  This was it.

  It was either all up or all down from here.

  She might kick me out on my ass and get angry with me for not respecting her wishes. Knowing Nora, that wasn’t entirely unlikely. She was a woman who knew her mind and I was showing up about to question that.

  Is this really the right thing to do?

  I thought of Briar. Before I left the gallery, she’d reminded me that she and Wes almost didn’t work out, and they never would have had their happy ever after if he hadn’t fought for her and put it all on the line. She reminded me that people constantly think they know what they want when in reality the thing they really want is the thing they’re running from.

  It was a mind-bender but it made sense.

  It was crystal clear in my mind what I wanted, and that was Nora. I wanted her in any capacity I could have her. If that meant I wouldn’t see her much because she was solo traveling, so be it. We could make that work. If it meant I got to travel the world with her?

 
; Well, that hardly seemed like a con to me.

  I ran my fingers through my hair in an effort to tame the wild case of bed head I’d woken up with. I was still a bit of a mess. I hadn’t showered and my clothes were as disheveled as my hair. I’d been struggling and Nora would be able to see that as soon as she laid eyes on me.

  Assuming she was home, of course.

  Oh fuck me, what if she’s not even home?

  What if I’d gone through all this panic and cut off thirty strangers in traffic for nothing?

  Just go knock on the damn door.

  I put one foot in front of the other and climbed the stairs to the black front door. It seemed to taunt me. Its glossy black surface reminded me that I’d been kicked aside. I wasn’t wanted here. The woman inside was doing just fine without me. She wanted this. The pain of the goodbye was worth it to her.

  I gave my head a shake.

  My internal voice was wreaking havoc on my confidence.

  Before I had a chance to second-guess any longer, I lifted my hand to knock.

  Seconds before my knuckles hit the door, it swung inward. Nora, wrapped up in layers to brave the cold, had her back to me as she pulled the door closed behind her, and she backed right into me. She yelped and stumbled before unceremoniously pitching forward as she caught the toe of her shoe on the lip of the doorway.

  I reached out and caught her arm to steady her. I pulled her up and turned her around.

  Nora gazed up at me with huge, startled eyes. They were still puffy from crying. Had she been up all night? Had she been crying this morning? Was she suffering just as much as I was?

  God, I hoped not.

  “Walker?” she breathed. Her eyes slid past me and she looked up and down the street for my car. “What are you doing here?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “Yes, we do. I was just about to come to your gallery and—”

  “Nora?”

  She gazed up at me with slightly parted lips. Her breath evaporated between us. “Yes?”

  “I’m in love with you.”

  Somehow, her eyes widened even more.

  “I think I’ve loved you since the minute I saw you,” I continued. I hadn’t meant to come out of the gate so strong like this, but now that the words were tumbling out of me, I couldn’t make them stop. “You lit something in me that hasn’t burned in a long time and I didn’t realize it until you ended things last night. Nora, I’m falling apart without you. I can’t think straight. I can’t taste my food. Hell, I can’t even eat anything. I drank myself to sleep last night hoping the liquor would keep dreams of you at bay because you were all I could think about when I was awake and it was literally killing me to know you were no longer mine. But you found me in my drunken dreams anyway, and when I woke up…” I trailed off and ran an exasperated hand through my hair as Nora looked at me like she hung on every word I said. “When I woke up, the world felt so much darker than it ever used to be and I can’t imagine spending another day without you. I know this is a lot. And I know it’s unfair to unload all this shit on you when you have your own plans but I couldn’t let you end things without telling you exactly how I feel about you.”

  Nora pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead.

  I winced. “I’m sorry. Fuck, Nora. I’m not trying to make this harder. I just—”

  “Stop talking.”

  I shut my mouth.

  Nora looked me over. Her eyes landed on my hair, my untucked shirt, my unshaven jaw. “You’re a mess, Walker.”

  “I know.”

  She smiled. “So am I.”

  “You are?” I asked hopefully. I gave my head a shake. “That came out wrong. I don’t want you to be a mess. Well, I kind of do because that means maybe you’re having second thoughts. Please for the love of all that is good, tell me you’re having second thoughts.”

  Nora pinched her bottom lip between her teeth. It wasn’t the kind of lip biting she did when she was anxious. This was bashful, charming.

  This was the Nora I loved.

  “Walker?”

  “Yes?”

  “I love you, too.”

  The pit in my stomach and the hole in my chest suddenly filled in with hope. “You do?”

  “I do. And I have for a while. Maybe not as early as you but I can’t help that I’m so loveable.”

  I chuckled. “That you are, in a prickly, snarly, twisted sort of way.”

  “Hey,” she said firmly.

  “Just saying.”

  She rolled her eyes and stepped in so close that I could smell her citrus shampoo and vanilla body spray. “I’ve loved you since Hudson,” she cooed. “I don’t think it will be easy for us to make this work but I’m willing to try.”

  “I’ll go with you,” I said. “Anywhere you want to go, take me with you. I’ve talked to Briar and she’s willing to step up and run the galleries while I’m gone. Everything would be in good hands with her. She’ll give us room to figure out what balance works for us.”

  Nora’s eyes were glassy with tears. “Are you really willing to change your whole life around for me?”

  “I’m all in. Are you?”

  She nodded. “I am.”

  I couldn’t wait any longer. I surged forward and gathered her up in my arms. She let out a delighted squeal that I silenced with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck and plunged her fingers into my hair. The kiss deepened and I savored every second after thinking I’d never feel the warm press of her perfect lips again.

  Just then, the door opened.

  I put Nora down and we both watched Julie come out of the townhouse. Her cheeks were flushed as she offered us a flustered smile. “I’m going to go into the office for an appointment. You two head inside where it’s warm and enjoy having the house to yourself. I think you could use it.”

  Nora frowned. “I thought you didn’t have any appointments today?”

  “I don’t. I was trying to be subtle. Do me a favor and stay out of my room and the kitchen, okay?”

  Nora giggled. “Okay.”

  Julie brushed past me and hurried down the steps. When she reached the sidewalk, Nora called after her. Julie paused and looked up at us.

  “Thank you, Julie,” Nora said.

  Julie grinned. “You’re welcome.”

  After that, Julie hurried off down the sidewalk and out of sight.

  I turned to Nora. “What was that all about?”

  “She gave me some good advice this morning.”

  “Does that mean I owe her a thank you, too?”

  “It couldn’t hurt,” Nora said.

  “First things first,” I said, stepping toward the door and nudging it open with my hip. “Get your ass in this house so we can take her up on her offer.”

  Nora giggled and slipped past me into the townhouse. “Yes, sir.”

  Chapter 37

  Nora

  Walker shrugged out of his leather jacket and laid it over the back of the sofa. He turned his attention to me as I struggled to get out of all the layers of clothing I’d put on for my trip to his gallery, where I’d fully intended on apologizing for throwing away the best thing that had ever happened to me. Now the layers were a barrier between my skin and Walker’s touch and I’d never been more desperate to strip down to my birthday suit in my life.

  Walker chuckled as I struggled to get out of one of my sweaters. “Need some help?”

  “Please.”

  He locked the front door before he helped me wriggle out of my two layers of sweaters and my spandex undershirt. I stood before him in my bra and jeans and reached for his waistband to start stripping him.

  He hesitated.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “I haven’t showered this morning.”

  “Dirty boy.”

  “I was hungover and feeling sorry for myself and late for a client appointment, so I rolled out of bed in a hurry.”

  “That explains this,” I said,
reaching up and running my fingers over the stubble on his jaw. “I kind of like it.”

  “Oh?”

  “It suits you. Besides, I have a bit of a thing for rugged men.”

  “Lucky me. So, I don’t have to shower?”

  I giggled. “Rugged doesn’t mean unhygienic, you barbarian. How about we shower together?”

  That seemed to catch his interest because he nodded eagerly. I led him up the stairs while memories of our time in the bathtub at Tiger House played in my mind. I remembered how good it felt to soak in the hot water while he pressed himself deep inside me. I remembered how he’d held me like he might never let go, like he owned me.

  My insides ached for that again.

  On the second-story landing, I steered him to the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower I’d cried in for almost an hour last night. It would feel wonderful to wash those memories away for good and replace them with something better. He closed the bathroom door and stripped out of his shirt, pants, and boxers. I did the same and we left our clothes in a messy pile on the linoleum floors before stepping under the hot spray of water and tilting our heads back to let it run through our hair.

  Walker held my face in his hands and drew me to him for kisses. “I thought I would have to beg you to reconsider.”

  I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his waist. “And I thought you might not be able to forgive me.”

  “You were only doing what you thought was best at the time.”

  “I hurt you.”

  Walker nodded and I appreciated his honesty. “You shook me up and made me realize what I’d lost. I think this gave us a chance to see what we really have here, Nora. We couldn’t turn our backs on it. Even though one of us tried,” he added with a devilish smile.

  “Are you going to remind me of that every time we have a fight now?”

  “I wasn’t planning on it but now that you mention it…”

  I laughed. “What have I done?”