Exclusively Yours

by Nadine Gonzalez

  “I can’t tell you that, but it’s solid.”

  Alicia pulled through, raising her offer to just above full asking plus the promise of a short escrow. It was enough to grab Stephen’s attention.

  “I’ll take it,” he said over the phone. “We’ve got a deal.”

  “Congratulations, Stephen,” Leila said. “You’re a landlord no more.”

  “And you’re a rock star,” he said. “That was fast work. Miller was right about you. I’ll spread the word.”

  Leila felt like a rock star, too. She’d done well by her client, helped out an old friend and given Marisol the finger all with one transaction. Most importantly, she’d done it all on her own.

  Chapter 27

  Once off the phone with Stephen, Leila couldn’t sit still. She was in the mood to celebrate, and it was all she could do to keep from calling Nick to share the news. By nightfall, she just couldn’t take it anymore. She called Sofia.

  “Hey,” she said a bit aggressively. “Let’s go out and have fun.”

  “I’m already out,” Sofia replied. “Top of Hotel M. Come and join us.”

  Sofia and her girlfriends had reserved a rooftop poolside cabana, which doubled as a VIP lounge come sunset. The occasion: a girls’ night out/birthday party. But Sofia chastised Leila for even needing a reason to party. “You forget the first commandment of business—work hard, play hard.” She handed Leila a cocktail glass. “We’re drinking Miami Highs.”

  Leila took a long sip, all the while reaching for her iPhone to check for missed calls.

  Sofia caught her. “Are you still working?”

  “I sold a house today. Sometimes there are follow up questions.”

  “Forget that. I want updates on the Nick and Leila telenovela.”

  With so many twists and turns, their story did qualify as melodrama. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Who are you kidding? You’re dying to talk about it.”

  Sofia led her away from her pack of friends. They found a bar height table and ordered jalapeño guacamole and chips.

  Leila found that she really was dying to talk about it. It had all been bottled up for so long and none of it made sense anymore. She started with her proposed moratorium on sex. “You know, to clear the slate.”

  “When does that ever work?” Sofia asked.

  Leila admitted that it had worked a little too well to her liking.

  “Got to give it to Nick, that’s a boss move,” Sofia said. “You asked for it, you got it.”

  “Now there’s so much awkwardness between us.”

  “What did you think would happen?”

  “I thought we’d get to know each other better.”

  Sofia wasn’t buying it. “Oh, please. Leila.”

  “Please. What?”

  “You know each other plenty.”

  “Not true,” Leila said. “I just found out he has a brother. All this time and he never mentioned a brother.”

  “Okay, so you don’t know his family tree,” Sofia conceded. “But you know the man.”

  Leila loaded a pita chip with guacamole and considered this.

  “Or maybe you don’t,” Sofia said.

  Leila dropped the chip. “How do you mean?”

  “I keep thinking about how you disappeared on him.”

  “We’ve been through this—”

  “I know your reasons,” Sofia said, “but it’s not the sort of thing you do when you know somebody’s heart.”

  Those words hit Leila so hard she felt dizzy. The other day Nick had said jokingly that she overestimated what he could handle. What if he hadn’t been joking?

  “I’m curious,” Sofia said. “When you proposed this sex moratorium did you say, ‘Let’s slow down and get to know each other better.’ Or did you just kick him out of bed?”

  Sofia laughed at her own wit, but Leila wasn’t amused. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

  “Want to know what I think?” Sofia asked.

  “Don’t stop now. You’re on a roll.”

  “You’re scared.”

  Leila wiped guacamole off her fingers with a napkin. Sofia was wrong. She wasn’t scared. She was flat-out terrified. What if she allowed herself to love Nick as fully and deeply as before only to lose him again? Sofia and Nick might argue that she hadn’t lost him. That she’d chosen to end things. And on that point they wouldn’t be wrong. But Leila knew this: when Nick’s life imploded he recovered nicely with a high profile job and a fabulous new car. That wasn’t how things typically worked out for her. So, maybe a little less concern for Nick, and a little more regard for her welfare were in order here.

  “Hey. Were you meeting him here tonight?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Because if I’m not mistaken, that’s him at the bar.”

  “What?” Leila swiveled in her seat.

  Sure enough, there was Nick in heated debate with a stunning woman with jet-black hair and cocoa brown skin. She wore a mini-dress that showed off her long, shapely legs. It didn’t help that Nick looked devastatingly gorgeous in one of his favorite indigo-blue shirts, sleeves rolled up, exposing tan arms. Leila floated to her feet. If he’d been seeing other women after all that talk about finding a home and being sure of what he wanted, if that was the real reason he hadn’t called, she was going to toss him off this rooftop.

  “What are you doing? Sit down!” Sofia whispered frantically. “For all we know she’s a client.”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “He has a type.”

  Leila took off, her heels digging into the faux grass rooftop landscape. Sofia trotted after her, carrying the purse she’d left behind.

  Nick caught sight of her. His face immediately darkened with anger. He was mad at her? Really?

  He stepped away from the woman and greeted her with a tight smile. “So you do find time for fun while focusing on your career. I wouldn’t have known.”

  “And you find time for all sorts of things while pretending to be heartbroken.”

  Nick’s companion spoke up with a smooth and authoritative voice. “Excuse me. Can’t you see you’re interrupting?”

  Whoa! Leila whirled around, prepared to launch a verbal assault when Nick draped an arm around her waist and pinned her to him.

  “Christine, this is my girlfriend, Leila.”

  Leila fell quiet. Sofia let out a low whistle. Christine turned beet-red.

  Taking advantage of the awkward silence, Sofia said hello to Nick. “Good to have you back.”

  “Nice seeing you, Sofia,” Nick said. “How have you been?”

  “Nick!” Christine snapped.

  Everyone turned to Nick. In this highly volatile game, it was his turn to serve.

  “Christine, please excuse us.” He pulled Leila aside. They found a quiet spot at the balcony rail and stood side by side, facing the night.

  “I’m not your girlfriend,” Leila said flatly.

  “In that case, you don’t get to pretend you’re jealous.”

  Leila felt heat rise to her cheeks. She stubbornly kept her eyes on the view.

  “Don’t you trust me?” he asked.

  “I don’t know that I do.”

  “Okay. Ask me anything.”

  “Who is she?”

  “Someone I used to work with in New York.”

  “And we both know what that means,” Leila said. She paused to give him time to deny the accusation, but he didn’t. “What’s she doing here?”

  “She’s in town for a convention. She called, wanted to meet.”

  “What does she want?”

  “What do you think?”

  His straightforward answers were unnerving. She wanted so badly to catch him in a lie,
to watch him squirm.

  “She’s in love with you.”

  Leila stated the fact to better accept it. In her warped mind, loving Nicolas Adrian was her personal privilege. Who was this Christine person? Why hadn’t he ever mentioned her? What had he done or said to make her want to follow him from Manhattan to Miami?

  Nick’s tone softened. “No, she’s not.”

  “Yes, she is. I know what it looks like.”

  “Leila, she doesn’t even know me, not really.”

  Sofia approached and suggested that one or both of them consider making alternate plans for the evening. “This rooftop ain’t big enough for all of us.”

  “I’m tired,” Leila said. “I’m going home.”

  “I’ll come over after I’m done.”

  “After you’re done with your date?” Leila asked. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Chapter 28

  It was the fitting end of a horrible day. All Nick could make of it was the “universe” Leila carried on about was screwing with him.

  It had all started at eight in the morning. An unscheduled meeting with Reyes had culminated in a shouting match. Reyes was frustrated that his ground-floor units weren’t moving fast enough. But the simple truth was that they were priced too high. Nick couldn’t get the stubborn old man to admit it. No one in his or her right mind would fork out one grand per square foot for an eye-level view of pedestrian traffic. “Buyers aren’t that dumb. Not anymore.”

  Reyes had scoffed at him. “We offer the best amenities.”

  “Who gives a damn about amenities?” Nick had asked. “No one stays home long enough to enjoy them.”

  During the meeting he had two missed calls, both from Christine. He was considering blocking her when the phone rang in his palm. Frustrated, he answered.

  She wasted no time. “I’m in town, and I want to see you.”

  “Not going to happen. I’m busy working.”

  “This is about work. I’m in town for a convention, but I may have a client for you. Ten Twenty Biscayne. Right?”

  Nick had the distinct feeling of walking into a trap. “Right.”

  “Meet me for dinner and we’ll discuss it.”

  “I’ll meet you for a drink. Where are you staying?”

  That had led to this: him parked in the alley behind Leila’s car, next to the dumpster. Texting her and hoping she’d let him in.

  I’m outside. Give me five minutes.

  By the time he’d made it to the front door, her key was turning in the dead-bolt lock. The door gave way and she greeted him with icy silence. She looked oddly sexy, her tiny frame overwhelmed by an oversized T-shirt, her hair in a messy ponytail.

  “I was asleep,” she said finally.

  “No, you weren’t.” He moved past her and looked around for a place for them to sit and talk. There was no couch in the front room; Brie’s desk took up most of the space. He wondered how she could live this way.

  “I told you not to come.”

  “You and I need to talk.”

  “What about? Your crazy ex-girlfriend wants you back. And?”

  Nick tried not to smile. “She’s not crazy. She’s actually very sharp.”

  “But she was your girlfriend?”

  “We weren’t together, Leila. You saw to that.”

  “I’m starting to think it was for the best.”

  He pulled out a chair and got settled for the long haul. “I’m not mad about this. At least I get to see a glimpse of my Leila.”

  She planted herself before him. “If that’s what you’re pining for, Nick, forget it. That’s over.”

  “What’s over?” The hem of her T-shirt didn’t clear the top of the thighs. He traced the line with a finger.

  She jerked away, coming dangerously close to kneeing him in the groin. It only made him laugh. “Leila, you don’t get it both ways. Do you want me or don’t you?”

  “Everybody wants you, Nick. Remember?”

  “What does that mean?”

  She turned away. He got up and walked around her. “What does that mean?”

  Leila’s face was ravaged. Nick wanted only to hold her and take away that pain. But she wouldn’t let him touch her.

  “It means Connie Madison can’t be without you, and Reyes loves you like a son,” she said. “That’s not my life. People don’t shower me with love. And I lose everyone I love.”

  “Not me,” Nick said. “You haven’t lost me. I’m here. But if you can’t see that, I don’t know what else to do.”

  “Don’t do anything. Just go.”

  Nick rose to his feet. She stepped back and walked around Brie’s desk.

  “Did I tell you about those first months in New York?” he asked. “I never slept, waited weeks for you to reach out to me. Finally, I got your address from HR and flew back so we could talk. But there was no talking to you then, either. You were gone. Being on good terms with Connie Madison and Raul Reyes makes up for all that. Right?” His tone sarcastic.

  Leila was stooped over the desk. Nick waited a long while for her to meet his eyes before he gave up and walked out. He stood outside her door long after she’d locked it. More and more he felt as if he were building towers in the sand, the high tide wiping away any progress he made, him tirelessly starting over every time.

  * * *

  Next morning Leila woke with her heart trapped in ice. What had gotten into her last night? You saw Nick with that beautiful woman and you lost your mind, that’s what.

  Rightly or wrongly, Leila was hotly, insanely jealous. Nick had always made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world for him. Now this Christine person challenged that. Petty jealousy had popped the cork, and every other foul emotion bottled inside her had spilled out.

  Brie wasn’t scheduled to come in. Leila was glad to have her home to herself. She needed time alone. No hunting for clients. No networking. No hustling of any kind. She had to sort herself out. The way Nick had looked at her before he left. This time she couldn’t pretend it was unmerited.

  Leila found her sneakers buried deep in her closet and went out for a run. When she returned, she used an app to meditate for a full half-hour. She was determined to do the things that used to keep her sane. Before she became consumed with proving her self-worth to Jo-Ann Wallace and other people who didn’t matter, she’d had a balanced emotional life. She was determined to find her way back to the woman Nick had fallen in love with and had not wanted to let go. It didn’t matter if they had a future together or not. She never again wanted to see that look of disappointment in his eyes.

  However, Leila’s newfound Zen was shattered late in the afternoon. The developer’s agent called with a response to Nick’s offer on the Miami River house. Her name was Claire, and she was never anything but sunny.

  “Unfortunately, Leila, I have bad news. The offer was rejected.”

  “Any counter?”

  “Nope. My client’s really insulted, to be frank.”

  Nick’s offer on the house was roughly one hundred grand below asking price. Leila had warned him not to go about it so aggressively, but he hadn’t listened. Still, the outright rejection was equally insulting.

  “The neighborhood doesn’t command the asking price,” Leila said.

  “My guy is standing firm,” Claire said. “Talk to your client. I’d love it if we could come to a deal.”

  And so the time for soulful meditation had come to an end. She had to contact Nick and come up with a new action plan. Before she did any of that, she had to apologize for last night’s outburst. She was intent on doing it in person.

  Leila showered and dressed. She was looking for her keys when the doorbell rang. Certain it was Nick, she raced to the door. The apology she’d rehearsed in the shower was at the tip of her tongue. She yanked the door open.

>   It wasn’t Nick.

  Leila greeted her unexpected visitor with a cold, polite smile.

  Christine was in an aqua-blue romper and heels. She wore too much bronzer, as women tended to do while vacationing in Miami. But she was poised and calm. Leila debated whether to invite her into her office. What was the point in that? They stood facing each other in the cavernous front room.

  In the hostile silence that locked them in place, Leila understood one thing clearly: her jealousy had nothing to do with Christine’s looks or her history with Nick. Christine had guts, which she sorely lacked. Crazy or not, she’d booked the flight, hopped on the plane and hunted down her man. Christine had dared to do the one thing that Leila hadn’t. So Leila thanked the universe for the gift of Christine.

  Christine was saying something and Leila strained to pay attention.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I looked you up online and decided to stop by your...agency. Or whatever this is.”

  “I do mind, actually.”

  “I won’t be long,” she said. “I’m on my way to the airport. The taxi is waiting, meter running.”

  “I suggest you get to it.”

  Christine nodded. “He dropped everything to move back here. I can’t believe it was all for you.”

  “No, no, no.” Leila was happy to set her straight on that point. “He’d landed the sort of work that always interested him, I think. And if we hadn’t run into each other at a party—” Aware she was oversharing, Leila stopped talking midsentence.

  “That’s not how he tells it,” Christine said.

  “Really? What did he say?”

  “If you think I’m here to patch things up between you two—”

  This was going nowhere. “Why are you here?”

  “I want to know what the deal is,” Christine said. “Nick’s a dreamer. He might’ve come here hoping to find something he’d lost, but last night opened my eyes. You two are not in sync. If things aren’t going to work out, please tell me.”

  Leila felt a flash of anger. She was not about to hand deliver Nick to this woman who, truly, didn’t know the first thing about him. He wasn’t some starry-eyed dreamer. He set goals and met them.

  “We may have some things to work out,” Leila said, “but Nick and I are connected. You’re here because you know it.”