Her Perfect Man- The Complete Series Box Set

by Z. L. Arkadie

“Really?”

  “All I’ll need is for you to submit a statement of one thousand words about how you’ll plan to use the fellowship at this point in your career.”

  The sound of what he just said is music to my ears. I guess I am finally building a career.

  “That’s only if you’re ready for the responsibility,” he says.

  “Oh, I’m ready,” I say with such enthusiasm that I catch myself off guard. I compose myself. “I mean, yes, I’m ready.”

  He laughs. “I like the way you said it the first time.”

  I return to my desk, shut down my computer, freshen my makeup for the evening, and walk to the museum exit on Randolph Street with a certain bounce in my step.

  I have a date with Lance this evening. He called me last week, said he will be in Chicago for business, and asked if I would have dinner with him. He’s cute, nice, and persistent, so I accepted his invitation. I walk out into the early evening. It’s lukewarm tonight, which is appropriate for the black leather moto-jacket that I’m wearing with a white A-line skirt and white ribbed tank top. When I dressed myself this morning, I was thinking specifically about this date. Lance doesn’t make my heart go pitter-patter like Nolan did, but I can’t pine after a lost cause. I have to get back in the saddle, take the bull by the horns, and the rest of those clichés when it comes to matters of the heart. Two guys walk past me, and they both give me admiring looks. That’s a great sign that I look attractive enough for my date.

  I check my watch. Lance has eight minutes to get here. I dig my phone out of my purse to call Kimmy and let her know that I’m finally going to spend some time with the opposite sex. However, my phone rings in my hand. I answer it, thinking that it’s Lance calling to confirm that he’s going to be late.

  “Hello,” I say.

  “Hi, Abby. It’s me, Liza!”

  I’m suddenly struck with so many emotions and thoughts. Wow, how ironic it is that I’m hearing from Nolan’s sister before going on the first real date I’ve had in a long time. Regardless of how Nolan treated me, his actions have no bearing on Liza’s and my relationship. Heck, she’s still one of my best Facebook friends!

  “Liza, it’s so good to hear from you. How’s the baby?”

  “Oh, he’s great. We’re on a yacht in Sardinia,” she says. “And John isn’t with us. I divorced him.”

  “Oh,” I say. That’s something she did not publish on Facebook. “I’m sorry to hear it.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You win some and lose some,” she says. Her tone is indifferent. “So you’re in Chicago these days?”

  “Yes! Are you planning on visiting?”

  “Not any time soon.”

  I see Lance walking on the other side of the street, about to cross Randolph. “Hey, Liza, I have to go. Can I call you later?”

  “Sure… hey, on your Facebook page, you say you work at the Art Institute.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  The light turns green. Lance crosses the street. He’s wearing a nice white shirt, dark trendy jeans, and Italian-style brown loafers. What a sight for sore eyes he is. He waves, and I wave back.

  “Abby, are you still there?” she asks.

  “Um, yes, but I have to go.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Huh?” What strange questions she’s asking. I’m almost reluctant to answer. For some odd reason, I don’t want the fact that I have a date with Lance to get back to Nolan. “Um, on a date.”

  “A date?” she says as if I just slapped her in the face.

  “Yes, and he’s only a few steps away.”

  “Okay, but where is he taking you?”

  I frown. “Liza…”

  “Come on—where, Abby?”

  “Tavern at the Park. Why?”

  “No reason. Enjoy your dinner. And yes, please call me when you get a chance. Okay?” All the urgency has faded from her tone.

  “Sure. Talk later.”

  “Later,” she says and ends the call.

  That was one hundred percent weird. Regardless, I stuff my phone back into my purse and smile at Lance.

  His arms are open, ready to receive a hug. “Hi, Abby. You look stunning.”

  We hug.

  “You, too,” I say.

  Lance hasn’t let go of me yet. The long hug feels just as odd as Liza’s phone call.

  I’m the one who initiates the release. “So are you hungry? I’m starving.”

  I can feel the intensity in the way his eyes look deeply into mine. “I am starving.”

  I can’t help but pick up the double meaning in his response. I smile, making it as platonic as possible. “Good, then we should go eat. Did you make the reservations?”

  “Absolutely.” Jeez, he hasn’t lost that intense look in his eyes.

  “Okay. Let’s go!” I say.

  Lance sweeps my hand into his, and now we’re walking back across Randolph and past Columbus Avenue toward Michigan, holding hands. Part of me is happy to be so close to a man again. The other part of me fears Lance may think we’re more of an item than we are.

  “Oh, excuse me.” I take my hand from his to zip up my purse. Leaving my purse open was a stroke of luck. I fold my arms across my chest as we walk the rest of the way, making sure that the handholding doesn’t resume.

  “So how was work?” he asks.

  I smile. “Better than I expected.”

  “Oh?” He sounds intrigued.

  I contain my excitement. “I was offered a fellowship, that’s all.”

  “Sounds pretty major.”

  “It is.”

  We arrive at the restaurant, and Lance opens the door for me.

  “Then congratulations,” he says.

  “Thank you.” Our gazes connect, and we share a brief moment.

  I study Lance as he stands at the hostess booth. He’s gotten better looking since I last saw him—even the hostess thinks so! I just saw her flex her eyebrows at him. Can I see myself with this guy for an extended period of time? He lives four hundred miles away!

  The hostess checks me out before she grabs two menus. “This way,” she says. I guess she wanted to see what sort of taste Lance has in women. I don’t know why he’s been so persistent with me. He’s good-looking enough to get just about any woman he wants. Perhaps it’s the thrill of the chase.

  “Do you still prefer the patio seat that you requested?” the hostess asks.

  “Yes, please.” Lance turns to me. “Unless you prefer to sit inside.”

  “Patio seating will be fine,” I say.

  The hostess watches as Lance puts his hand on the small of my back and guides me to our table. She gives us our menus and tells us that our waiter will be here shortly.

  “So…” Lance says as soon as she’s gone. “How do you like Chicago?”

  “I like it. I like it a lot,” I say enthusiastically.

  “You’re never moving back to Minneapolis, are you?”

  “I’d never say never, but I don’t think so.”

  Lance opens his menu and nods. “That’s too bad. Minneapolis is missing you as we speak.”

  I chuckle as I open my menu. “And I miss it.”

  He tilts his head curiously. “But not enough to come back?”

  “Only for visits!”

  We smile at each other, then my gaze revisits the menu. Everything looks good. I learned a long time ago to never be modest when a man takes me to dinner. I don’t have to order the costliest item on the menu, but I don’t have to be afraid to order what I want.

  “I’ll have the ribeye,” he says then looks at me. His expression says he’s waiting for my order.

  “I’ll have the salmon.”

  He smiles. “Good choice.”

  I fold my menu and set it on the table. “So, Lance, how does a good-looking, nice, and, proven by the price of dinner, rich guy like you stay single in Minneapolis?”

  He chuckles. “I can ask you the same.”

  I lift an eyebrow. “Oh no, I’m not r
ich.”

  “Does a woman have to be rich?”

  “Depends on the woman.”

  We share a laugh, and the conversation between us continues to flow easily even after our food arrives. Time speeds by. We’re an hour and a half into the date, and I’ve been relaxed by a glass of Merlot.

  “That night of the Christmas party,” Lance says.

  “Yeah, what about it?”

  “I saw that you left with Nolan Patrick.”

  Whoa. That came out of left field. “You did?” I ask, trying to gather where he’s going with this line of questioning.

  He nods. “Yeah, I did.”

  My gaze falls across the street. It feels if we’re being watched, but I don’t see anything but a bunch of nighttime tourists walking up the sidewalk. So I focus on the waiter approaching our table. We’ve been sitting here way too long, and the place is packed like it usually is on Friday nights. A few thoughts are competing in my head. Is he insinuating that there’s something going on between Nolan and me? Could he have gone to all the trouble of landing a date with me just so that he could inquire about Nolan?

  Lance follows my line of sight to the waiter and turns just in time to receive the bill.

  “Thank you,” Lance says to the waiter. He digs his wallet out of his pocket.

  The last question he asked still hangs in the air between us. I stare at the traffic shooting up and down Randolph. I still feel as if I’m being watched, but I’m so ready to go home.

  “Listen, I didn’t mean to make things awkward,” Lance says.

  I set my eyes on him. He moves closer.

  “I only asked because it’s hard to compete with a guy like Nolan Patrick, and I like you.”

  I look at him as if that’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard. “Like me? You don’t even know me.”

  He slides his credit card into the bill holder. “I’d like to get to know you.”

  The waiter is back at our table to collect the check. I wait until he’s gone.

  “I’d like that, too, but you live four hundred miles away.”

  He smiles. “There are planes, trains, and automobiles.”

  I smile, but it’s half-hearted. “Right, but that would mean agreeing to a long-distance relationship, and I’m way too busy here in town for that.”

  The waiter is back to return Lance’s credit card.

  “Thank you, and have a good night,” the waiter says. He’s definitely trying to rush us. There’s a line of hungry diners out the door.

  Lance puts his card back into his wallet. “We didn’t have dessert. You want to go out and get some?”

  I twist my mouth thoughtfully. I’d rather just go home and call it a night.

  “I just want to spend a little more time with you, if I can,” he says.

  He looks so desperate for me to say yes that I can’t help but give in. We walk to Michigan Avenue then along the river down Wacker. We stop at McDonald’s, order two chocolate sundaes, then eat them as we stroll along the river and toward my apartment building.

  “It’s a nice night,” Lance says.

  “Indeed it is.” I’m sort of glad I chose to extend our date. The air is nice tonight, and the sweet ice cream in my mouth keeps me from thinking about that strange phone call I got from Liza.

  “Hey, you never told me your plans for the future,” Lance says.

  The wine, the air, and the sugar have my head feeling as if it’s floating. “I don’t know, I was thinking about going for my PhD in Fine Art.”

  “Right,” he says dismissively. “I mean your plans plans.”

  “Those are my plans plans.”

  “No children? Marriage?”

  “Oh, those kinds of plans…” I sigh as we make it to a set of steps that takes us back to Upper Wacker. “Let’s go up here.”

  “One second.” Lance eats the last remains of his ice cream sundae, throws the cup in the trash, and puts his arm around my waist as we walk up the stairs.

  I let him take such liberties only because I truly had a good time tonight, even though we had that little hiccup where he asked me about Nolan. Tonight reminds me that I like dating.

  We make it up the stairs. Lance looks at me, and I look at him. We laugh because we’re both winded. Thank goodness there’s a red light, which gives us time to catch our breaths.

  “You never answered my question,” Lance says.

  I draw quotes. “The one about plans?” My tone is sarcastic.

  He chuckles. “I’m not saying studying for your degree in Fine Art isn’t a major plan. Sure it is!”

  “Actually, I said PhD—that’s not just an ordinary degree. That’s the big one.”

  The light turns green, and we walk.

  “Yeah, but so is love and family—at least I think so.”

  “I think so, too, but all that will come in time.”

  He presses his hand on his chest. “Ah, a beautiful woman who trusts fate. Be still, my heart.”

  I laugh, and even I love the sound of it. I can see the stars in Lance’s eyes as he looks at me, and just for a moment, I feel bad because I know I’ll never be able to give him the relationship he wants to pursue with me.

  We make it to my building, and he walks me to the door. There’s a lot of anxiety between us. I can tell he wants a kiss, and I am debating whether or not to give him one.

  I extend my hand. “Thanks for the dinner”—I giggle—“and dessert and the stimulating conversation.”

  Lance takes my hand and pulls me against him. At first, I can hardly breathe. His lips are getting closer to mine. Now my head is spinning. He kisses me, and I kiss him back. A part of Lance’s body has gotten hard and is pushing against the top part of my crotch. Our kiss gets more heated with every second that passes, but the taste of his tongue and the warmth of his mouth feel like a foreign country.

  I drop my head to separate our mouths. “Good night,” I whisper.

  He kisses my forehead. “I’m not ready to say good night. Are you?”

  I lift my face. “Yes, I am.” I sound winded.

  Lance looks disappointed for a second, then he shows me that winning smile of his. “Tomorrow for breakfast then?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “You don’t sound too enthusiastic, but I’ll take it. How about I call you in the morning?”

  I nod, and it feels as if I’m bobbing my head in slow motion. I think my lightheadedness has more to do with the wine than the kiss. “Sounds great.”

  “Good.” Lance kisses me on the forehead one more time before walking to the elevator.

  I rush inside and press my back against the door. Why didn’t I invite him in for a casual roll in the hay? I know why—I’m unable to have sex with someone who doesn’t feel extra special to me. My memory wants to take me back to that weekend I spent with Nolan, but I won’t let it. I should run after Lance and invite him in for a nightcap.

  There’s a rattling knock on my door, and I jump because I can feel the vibration on my back. I know exactly who it is. Lance must’ve read my mind. I swing open the door, and after I capture an eyeful of the caller, my mouth drops.

  “Abby…” Nolan says.

  “Nolan? What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you.”

  I can still hardly believe who I’m seeing.

  22

  Nolan

  Four Months Ago...

  I flop down in my chair and stare hopelessly at the empty space Abby left behind. It’s as if the wind has been knocked out of me, and now my head is spinning out of control.

  I finally muster up the energy to say, “Shit.” I picture Abby fumbling with her keys to get inside her car then slamming the door behind her.

  I take my cell phone out of my pocket and clutch it. All I have to do is select Abby in my contact list, call her, and explain my dilemma. But I’d be a fool not to take Kelsey seriously. She’s gone through a lot of trouble to put me in checkmate. This weekend, I conferred with Pete and D
onald, my personal accountant, about Kelsey’s threat. First and foremost, I don’t want her to destroy my father’s legacy over petty jealousy. Donald assured me that she can’t do that. Yes, she could make life difficult for me, as she is doing, but not take anything away. I stare at the floor and sigh with relief. If she forces me to liquidate now, then I won’t have the money I need to buy back key investments. But yesterday afternoon, Pete offered insight on this entire situation.

  We met in his study after he and his family returned from Sunday service. Pete loosened his tie as he sat in the armchair next to the fire he’d just kindled. “I don’t think it’s going to work that way, buddy.”

  Sitting in the black leather armchair across from him, I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my thighs. “Well no, Donald said I don’t have the money.”

  “That’s to even assume that she would be willing to sell for the right price.”

  I started tapping my finger on my knee. He was right. How could I have expected that she would be reasonable?

  “Even if you had the money, she wouldn’t sell,” Pete said. “Her threat is not about money; it’s about you.”

  I sighed sharply. “Right…” There was nothing worse than feeling trapped by a desperate individual. “Why in the hell would Bill do this to me?”

  Pete watched me with a grave look, as if he felt the depths of my pain.

  I collected myself and got up to look out the window. “What do you think I should do?”

  Pete got up to pat my shoulder. “I want you to just play it cool. Don’t ruffle her feathers. I’m on it.”

  I remember feeling hopeful after he said that, but I also dreaded the moment I would have to tell Abby that I couldn’t pursue a relationship with her—at least not right away.

  I hope she’ll read between the lines. Just because we can’t be together today doesn’t mean we can’t try to make a go at it in the future. Abby’s a smart woman. I’m sure she’ll figure it out.

  I would love to sit here and sulk all day, but I can’t. I call Misty into my office, and she struts in with a big smile and refreshed makeup.

  “I heard Abby quit. That’s too bad because she was a great assistant.” Misty sits down comfortably in the chair across from me. She smiles. “So what did you want to talk about?”