I sit at the table while Kyle begins to ask Zack about his restaurant. I’m actually kind of curious to know more myself.
Zack tells us the story about quitting law school to attend culinary school. He even had five offers to join very prestigious law firms, but that wasn’t his passion. In his free time, he would cook for corporate events and private parties. He finally decided to open his own place. His restaurant, Luca Verona, will be three years old next month and is doing really well.
“Congrats, man,” Kyle says sincerely. One thing about Kyle is he really is just a sincerely nice guy. He doesn’t get caught up in the jealous, competitive thing that so many men do. “So, what brings you to the city?” he asks.
Zack laughs. “Well, other than being here to annoy my kid sister, I met with a few investors today. I’m thinking about expanding and opening a second location here.”
I’m so impressed right now. I really admire all that he’s had to do to achieve his goals. He probably would have had an excellent career as a lawyer, but that wasn’t what he really wanted to do. It’s a good reminder for me.
I munch on a piece of garlic bread while I listen to their conversation.
“Maris, have you spoken to Liv yet?” Zack asks, changing the subject.
“Not yet. I had to leave a message.”
Kyle gives me a curious look. “What’s that about?”
I shake my head. “It’s a very long story.”
It could be my imagination, but Kyle looks a little perturbed that Zack knows the story and he doesn’t. Oh well, I really don’t want to hash it all out again.
Dinner is fantastic. Zack outdid himself once again, and even Kyle’s impressed with the meal. I’m pretty quiet during dinner while the guys chat about sports and jobs. It’s probably a good thing that Zack doesn’t live here because I would probably gain way too much weight from his cooking.
I zone out while Kyle unloads about his issues with his job and Zack offers him some good advice. Poor Zack, I’m sure he wasn’t expecting to be listening to so many career problems when he came to visit.
After dinner, I help Zack clean up while Kyle checks his emails.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper to Zack while we’re cleaning up. “I promise I had no idea he would come by unannounced.
Zack shrugs. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. Your personal life is just that.”
“But I want to,” I interrupt. “I promise Kyle and I are just friends.”
He leans into me, and I take in the scent of his cologne. “You might want to let him know that.”
I frown. I really hate this part but it’s long overdue.
I walk out of the kitchen to find Kyle on his laptop with his feet up on the coffee table. Seriously, what’s the deal with these men taking over my apartment?
“Hey. I’m almost finished. I just had to do a few things to prepare for a meeting tomorrow.”
I sit down in the chair across from him. I really don’t want to hurt him. Kyle’s a good man.
“When you’re done, we need to talk,” I say.
His smile starts to fade.
Right at that moment, we’re interrupted by the front door flying open and Layla is sobbing. She slams the door behind her.
I jump up from the couch. “Layla, are you okay?” She falls down on the chair in tears. Zack runs out of the kitchen.
“Layla, what the hell happened?” he asks, concerned.
The three of us are trying to comfort her, and Kyle runs to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. She’s sobbing so bad that we can’t get her to tell us what’s wrong.
“Bobby,” she says in between sobs.
Zack rolls his eyes. “Why are you talking to him again? Haven’t you learned your lesson?”
Kyle comes back with a glass of water and some tissues.
“Who’s Bobby?” I ask.
Zack shakes his head. “Ex-boyfriend, complete douche-bag.”
“He”—sob—“said”—“he”—sob—“wanted to work things out,” she wails.
Zack holds up his hand. “Stop. How many times are you going to do this to yourself? This on-again, off-again crap has to stop. You can’t let yourself get sucked in anymore.”
I watch Layla dab the corners of her eyes, and I know exactly how she’s feeling. I was almost sucked back in with Trevor.
I sit next to Layla and rub her back, she starts to calm down, and Kyle being Kyle brings her more Kleenex.
“Thank you,” she says, before loudly blowing her nose.
Once she calms down, she notices our little group of three and gives Zack a strange look.
“Do you want some dinner? We already ate,” he says, clearing his throat.
She looks at me.
“Kyle stopped in to surprise me tonight,” I tell her.
She nods. “Oh.”
“I’ll make you a plate,” Zack says.
“I’ll help you,” I add.
I follow Zack to the kitchen. Neither of us says a word as we prepare Layla’s plate.
“What time do you leave tomorrow?” I ask after a minute.
“Around six.”
I nod. I wish I could ask him to stay longer, but it’s clear that once again I have the worst timing.
Zack brings Layla her dinner, and I wait a few minutes before joining the others in the living room. Kyle and Layla are talking, and she’s actually laughing. I sit down on the couch with my phone. Sure enough, there’s a text from Trevor waiting for me.
We need to talk.
This is definitely not my night.
Layla laughs loudly at something Kyle is saying. Of course I missed it because I was completely preoccupied in Trevor’s text message. I have no idea how I got to this point, and more than ever, I know it’s time to make some changes.
Chapter 17
How did I get back here? Somehow, I’m back at Do-Re-Mi and I’m standing in the middle of one of the practice studios. Trevor and Giselle are slow dancing in the corner, and I notice that Giselle is wearing a wedding gown.
“Maris, you promised Gran that you would be there for me,” Trevor says, looking over Giselle’s shoulder. “I’m expecting you to sing at our wedding. I know it would make Gran happy.”
“No, you can’t marry her,” I shout, shooting out of bed. I sit up and put my face in my hands. Are you kidding me? What kind of a dream was that? I’m sure it’s only because I fell asleep trying to decide what to say to Trevor. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep now. I get out of bed and make my way to the kitchen for a glass of water and maybe a snack.
I’m standing in front of the fridge looking for something—anything to cover up my emotions.
“Can’t sleep?”
I jump about a hundred feet in the air. “Holy shit,” I exclaim.
I turn around to see Zack standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He’s wearing sweatpants and he has no shirt on. Dear heavens.
With just one glance, I can see that it’s pretty obvious he’s not eating most of the meals he prepares. And if he is, then he either works out like a maniac or he’s got crazy good genes.
“Sorry,” he says, trying not to laugh. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was on the couch and I heard you in here.”
I sit down at the table and put my hand on my chest. My heart is racing, I feel like I’m having a heart attack.
“I totally forgot. I’m sorry if I was too loud,” I say, getting up and returning to the fridge now that I’ve calmed down. Without even thinking, I grab the cheesecake. I know eating in the middle of the night is awful, but I’m stressed out.
“How’s Layla doing?” I ask. “When I went to bed, she seemed okay.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. She did seem better after your friend talked to her.”
She really did. And I’m not surprised because Kyle has a very calming presence.
“Yeah. I’m glad he cheered her up.” I hesitate. “Although, I didn’t get a chance to talk to him about . .
.”
He raises his eyebrows. “About what?”
“Ugh.” I sigh. “About us not being more than friends. Sometimes I think he’s still hoping we have a future.”
Zack gives me a half smile. “Obviously. He sure was curious about who I was when he arrived.”
“Really? What did he say?”
Zack tells me about the series of questions Kyle asked him. According to him, it was a major inquisition. I’m trying really hard to pay attention to what he’s saying without looking at his chest—or his abs—or his arms.
“Anyway, he seemed really happy to find out that I’m Layla’s brother. I assume he was concerned I was here for you.”
I nod, slowly taking a small bite of the cheesecake, and then I push the plate away. After seeing Zack’s body, I have no desire to eat any more junk food. Ever. And I need to go back to yoga ASAP.
“You’re welcome to the rest of the cake,” I tell him.
“Thanks,” he says, taking my fork and digging in.
Typical man who can eat anything he wants. I hate him.
“So why can’t you sleep?” he says, his mouth full of cheesecake.
I shrug. “I guess I have a lot on my mind. To complicate my decision even more, my boss told me that our studio might be doing some work in an off-Broadway production. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’m not sure it will have the same long-term results as Liv’s offer. Considering she’s already booking events internationally, I’d say that’s a broader reach.”
“I still think you should take the job with Liv.”
I smile. “You really are a risk taker, aren’t you?”
He holds his fork up. “Always. I’m not afraid to go after what I want. And I get the feeling you aren’t either, you took a chance and came here, didn’t you?”
I look down at the cheesecake and all that’s left are a few crumbs.
“I can’t believe you ate all of that,” I exclaim.
He shrugs. “You said I could.”
I scowl. “Can I just ask you how you cook like you do and look like . . . that?” I wave my hand back and forth toward his chest and abs.
He cocks his head to the side. “Look like what?”
Is he really going to make me do this?
“You’re in . . . really good shape.” I try not to hesitate, but it’s better than telling him he’s freaking hot.
He laughs. “Well, thanks. So are you.”
I can feel my face get red. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m completely out of shape. I just know I could try a little harder. Thankfully, I took the first step by pushing away the cheesecake, and as of tonight, I’m giving up desserts for the rest of my life.
“Thanks.” I yawn. I really should to go back to bed, but I want to continue talking to him.
“Am I boring you?” he asks sarcastically.
Hell no.
“No. I’m just a little tired.”
“Yeah, I should probably try to catch some sleep, too.” He stands up and brings the dish to the sink.
I follow his lead and walk to the fridge to refill my water glass.
We’re standing next to each other, but neither of us says anything.
I hold my glass of water tightly to my chest. “Thanks for talking to me, again.”
He nods. “I’m happy to help.”
We both stand awkwardly, but neither of us makes a move to leave. Holy crap, our chemistry is off the charts. I admit the last time I felt this way was with Trevor, but it still felt different somehow.
“Well, good night,” I say.
I turn to walk away until I feel his hand on my arm. As soon as I turn around, Zack pulls me into his arms and starts kissing me. I barely have a chance to place my water glass on the table before I wrap my arms around his waist and kiss him back. I admit I was just waiting for an excuse to touch his abs. He lifts me up onto the countertop, and I wrap my legs around his waist. When we finally pull our lips away from each other, he throws his head back.
“Finally,” he exclaims.
I start to laugh.
“That’s all you have to say right now.”
He shakes his head.
“Hold on. You haven’t exactly made this easy for me,” he insists. “First, you think I’m dating my sister and kick me out of your room. Then, your ex-boyfriend shows up and crashes a dinner that was meant for us. Then, my sister comes in hysterical over her douchebag ex-boyfriend so we have to spend my last night in town comforting her.” He takes a deep breath, and I’m trying not to laugh.
“So, I’d say that ‘finally’ is the perfect word to describe how I’m feeling right now.”
I ignore what he says and run my hand down his stomach.
“Sorry. I’ve been dying to do that since you came in here and startled me. I can’t believe you just ate that whole cheesecake. I kind of hate you right now.”
His eyes grow wide. “And that’s all you can say after we just made out on the kitchen counter in the middle of the night.”
I shrug. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty complicated.”
He puts his hands on both sides of the counter and leans in to kiss me again. All I know is I’m so glad that dream woke me up now.
~*~*~
I hear my phone ringing, and I know I need to answer it. It could be Liv. I reach over to my nightstand and grab the phone.
“Hello.”
“What’s going on with you?”
What do you know, it’s my long-lost best friend Georgie.
I clear my throat. “Me? You’re the one who’s been M.I.A. I thought for sure you’d have some long wedding to-do list for me by now.”
Georgie tells me about working extra shifts at the hospital so she could attend Dr. Scott’s family reunion in Cape Cod this past week.
“And for your information, everything is mostly done for the wedding now that we’re getting married on the ship. But, enough about me, what’s happening with you? The last thing you said was that you had some big problem.”
I have no idea where to begin. And considering I didn’t fall back to sleep until just a few hours ago, my head is pretty foggy. Not that I’m complaining, let’s just say Zack and I made up for lost time.
I tell Georgie all about Liv’s offer and Ash and Giselle also working for the company.
“You can’t be serious?”
“Oh, I’m dead serious,” I reply. “Anyway, I’m waiting for Liv to get back with me. I’m going to tell her my concerns and see what she has to say.”
“That’s crazy. Have you seen Trevor since this all went down?”
I groan. “No, I basically told him to get lost. Oh, and I had a huge fight with Cassie because she told me to grow up and stop asking for everyone else’s advice. See what happens when you run off and leave me, all hell breaks loose.”
We both start laughing.
Just then, there’s a knock on my door.
“Hold on, Georgie.”
“Come in,” I call.
The door opens and Zack peeks in. “Morning.”
I smile and wave him in. Without saying a word, he sits on the edge of my bed and leans in and kisses me on the cheek.
“I was wondering if you want to go out for breakfast,” he asks. I give him a surprised look.
“You mean you’re not going to cook for me?”
He smiles. “I will if you want me, too. But, I’d like to take you out.”
Damn, he’s so hot. At least he put a shirt on, so I’m not as distracted.
“Sure. I’d love that.”
He points at the phone. Crap, I forgot about Georgie.
“Hello.”
“Who are you talking to?” she demands.
“Um . . . it’s my roommate’s brother.”
“I’m getting a shower,” he whispers.
“Maris Dawn Forrester, you better tell me why there’s a man in your room at eight o’clock in the morning.”
I laugh nervously. “It
’s kind of a long story, but he’s leaving today, so can I call you tonight? I promise I will explain everything later.”
“Are you bringing him to my wedding?”
See You Later Broadway (Broadway Series Book 2) Page 11
