“I’d love to catch up over dinner, but I have plans tonight.” She lifted the card between her thumb and forefinger, “I’ll call you and let you know when I’m free.”
Shit. Did she have a boyfriend, or worse yet, was she married? Nah, Adam would have told me if his baby sister tied the knot. But I was still curious, so I nonchalantly glanced at her ring finger, sighing in relief that the slender finger was bare.
Wait. Did she just say she’d call me? Well, this was a new one. Gone was the girl who would jump through hoops for me.
The car came to a stop in front of my office. “This is me.” With my hand on the door, I looked over at her. “It was great seeing you, and I hope to hear from you soon.” I leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.
“It was good seeing you, too, Noah, and thank you for the ride.”
“My pleasure.” I got out, but before I closed the door, I pointed to the umbrella. “Be sure you take that; I wouldn’t want you to get wet without me.” I tossed in a wink as her eyes went wide.
As they drove off, I couldn’t help but smile. Margo Perry . . . I’ll be damned. She turned me down, but I wasn’t the type of man who gave up easily.
The next day was much like all my other ones, meetings and more meetings. Jan popped into my office holding a box and sporting a mischievous grin. And recognizing my umbrella in her other hand explained the look on her face. “You’re cheerful today,” I chided.
She arched her brow in disbelief. “I don’t recall ever being anything but cheerful. I’m surprised your disposition isn’t better. Not only did you seal the deal with MacMillan Enterprises today, but the woman who gave me your umbrella was quite lovely.”
She set the box on my desk and beamed. “Did the lovely woman also happen to drop this off?” I stared at the small box.
“Mhmm.” That’s when she handed me the card. “New love interest?”
“You read too many romance novels.” Even though I knew she was curious, for some reason, I didn’t want an audience. “Was there anything else?”
Jan sighed. “You’re no fun. I’ll be at my desk.” She paused before exiting. “Let me know if you need anything.”
When the door clicked closed, I opened the envelope and pulled out the small card.
Noah,
It was wonderful seeing you yesterday. Thank you very much for the ride and the umbrella. Here’s a little token of my appreciation. May it help you the next time you decide to be a chivalrous hero.
Best,
Margo
If she only knew how great it was to see her and the fact that I hadn’t stopped thinking of her since. Of course, those thoughts consisted of her bent over my desk, but I’d save that for a different day. With deft fingers, I unwrapped the package and pulled the lid off the box, finding a small cloth inside. Unfolding it, I saw my initials embroidered in the top left corner. A white linen handkerchief. I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me. Yes, getting to know her again was now high on my priority list.
I called Jan back into my office and she appeared immediately. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume she was standing outside my door, waiting for me to call her in.
“Yes, sir?”
“Please stop calling me sir. You picked me up from kindergarten when my parents were busy.” She nodded, but I knew she would ignore my request. “Can you please contact the company who delivered this package and get me the sender’s information?”
“Here you go.” She handed me a sticky note. “Since I know you better than you know yourself, I took care of it.”
I had to admit I was impressed. “And how exactly did you do that?”
“I told her that visitors needed to leave a contact name and number.” My eyes stared at the little matchmaker. That wasn’t normal practice. Jan shrugged, and then glanced at the gift. “That’s lovely. Not many men use them anymore.” Her head tilted as though she recalled a memory. “Those were the days when a lady knew where she stood with a man.”
Did she just sigh?
Leaning back in my chair anxious to hear her story, I laced my fingers in my lap. “Where you stood with a man? Because of a handkerchief to blow your nose in?” Now it was my turn to look dumbfounded.
She made herself comfortable in the chair across from me. “Noah, a man loaning a woman his handkerchief is more than that. It’s a symbol that he cares. It doesn’t matter if it gets dirty, and in most cases, he doesn’t want or expect it back. Nowadays, no offense to your generation, but men don’t carry them. They’d rather carry condoms.” Her hand smoothed her gray hair, which was pulled back in some sort of tight twist.
I stared at her in shock, feeling my face heat as the blood rose to my cheeks. “Did you just say condoms?”
“I did.”
Why the hell did I ask that?
She pointed to the handkerchief on my desk. “Care to tell me why she sent it to you?”
“Because I didn’t have one when she needed it.”
“But the same can’t be said for condoms, right?” More staring. I wasn’t taking the bait. “You don’t need to answer that. The look on your face confirms I’m correct.” With a prideful smile, she stood and tapped the paper with Margo’s information on it. “How did you meet her?”
“I met her a long time ago, but haven’t seen her in years. We were at the same restaurant yesterday.”
“Well, you should call to thank her.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jan flipped a yellow page in her notebook. “Now, about the list of events I left on your desk.”
“Can’t I just send a check?”
She slowly shook her head. “Noah, you need to get out more. All you do is work. When’s the last time you went on a date? Do you need me to contact that woman for you?”
I scoffed. “You’re funny, and no. I’m busy, that’s all. Hell, you keep my calendar. Wasn’t it just the other day you scolded me for wearing the same tie three days in a row? You may as well be my mother.” I shot her a wink, and her eyes softened. She knew full well that she was more of a mother than the woman I shared DNA with. “So, again, can’t I send a check?”
“Noah, your grandfather was known for his philanthropy.” She rolled her shoulders back, and I knew the hit was coming. “But he also knew that generosity went beyond dollar signs. Don’t you think you can spare a night or two?”
“Yes, of course, you’re right.” I almost tossed in as always, but the satisfied look she sported told me she didn’t need me to confirm that.
“That’s what I thought you’d say, so I took the liberty of RSVPing to some of them for you. Your calendar has been updated. All you need to do is handle who your guest will be. My offer still stands, if you’d like my assistance . . .”
I slipped my finger in the knot of my tie and tugged it loose. Exasperated, I replied, “No, you’ve done more than enough today. Thank you.”
Once I was alone I tucked the sticky note into my pocket, along with the handkerchief, finished removing the silk noose from around my neck, and thought about a pretty redhead.
The buildings outside my apartment window started to illuminate as the sky darkened. I poured myself a drink, sat on my couch, and stared at Margo’s phone number. Without further thought, I called her . . . and waited.
“Hello?” The sweetest voice, with a hint of uncertainty, graced my ear.
“Hey, it’s Noah.”
She cleared her throat, and I swore I heard her gulp. “Hi?” Her voice sounded a bit off. Was she with someone? “Um . . . how did you get my number?”
“You left it with my assistant.” I’ll blame Jan. After all, it was the truth.
“Oh, right. She could double as a CIA Agent.” Thankfully, her voice was light, and I relaxed.
“Yeah, she’s pretty thorough.” I chuckled. “I’m calling to thank you for the gift. It was very thoughtful.”
“You’re welcome. It’s not much, but maybe the next damsel in distress you rescue will apprec
iate it.”
“I’m sure she will.” An awkward silence stretched between us. “Well, I’ll let you go, but let’s catch up soon.”
“Sure, maybe we can do that. I’ll call you.”
Margo seemed to like to take the reins, but little did she know, I already held them. We ended the call, but my mind raced with the possibilities with this woman.
Chapter 3
Play hard to get . . . Yeah, that’ll work.
This week hadn’t been all bad. Exquisitely Yours had started to take root. I landed new clients, secured my office space for the remainder of the year, and saw an old friend. Though technically, we weren’t friends. Noah and my brother were; I was just the nerdy little sister who stared at him every chance I got.
When I first realized it was Noah, I thought I was hallucinating since I had just been reminiscing about him. Then, like I was in a time machine, memories of the first time I laid eyes on him flooded my brain.
He walked in with Adam and Cade right after they finished playing a lacrosse game. They were freshly showered, and Noah’s dark hair was damp, causing it to curl at the ends. The tight T-shirt that clung to his muscular frame was tucked into a pair of sweats that hung low on his hips.
Even back then I knew he was the one I’d never be able to forget. Everything about him was magnetic, and I knew it would be hard to stay away. I tried my best to camouflage my feelings. After all, he was legendary in high school. He hadn’t been in that school for years, yet people still talked about him. All-State athlete, Dean’s List, and of course, Homecoming King. Yup, he was the Homecoming King . . . and I was on the yearbook staff. I wasn’t a complete dork or anything, but more of a behind-the-scenes person when he had been front and center.
Then one day during his junior year in college, he was at my house and witnessed my meltdown over Trigonometry. Rather than ignore me, Noah sat down and offered his help. I knew he was smart, but didn’t realize how smart.
“Given the lengths of two sides of a right-angled triangle, find the length of the third side . . .” I stared at him in confusion. Then he said something about the sine, cosine, and tangent followed up with some bizarre-named theory. All I did was nod. Noah let out a chuckle that made my insides melt. “Think about it this way, you’re finding the measurements and angles of a triangle.”
I dropped my head in my hands. “I’m never going to remember this.”
“Margo, the word trigonometry is Greek. Trigon means triangle, and metry means to measure. If you remember that, at least you’ll know the objective.”
Trying to be clever, I quipped, “Well, it’s all Greek to me.” I snorted, Noah grinned, and I was completely mortified. I almost crawled under the table, but that just put other images in my head.
I shivered at the memory. The problem was after he took it upon himself to explain the worst math on the planet so it made sense, the crush I had on him turned into full-blown adolescent desire.
After our tutoring session, things between us changed. Wait, let me rephrase that. My impression of how I thought he considered me changed. In my wild teenage imagination, I interpreted every smile he gave me, every wave of his hand, and every word he spoke as some sort of foreplay—for what, I had no idea. I was not experienced with boys. But, I ran with my thoughts.
It was the time of year that stressed out the not-so-popular girls—prom time. Lunchroom chatter was filled with talk of what color dresses they were wearing and who asked who. A group of my friends were going together, meaning they didn’t have dates. They asked me to go with them, but I really wanted to go with a guy. And not just any guy. Noah.
Adam had mentioned they were all getting together at our place. That was my chance . . . the day I would ask Noah Winston to escort me to my prom. Excitement laced with a ton of nerves coursed through me as I gathered up the courage to ask.
I stood in front of my full-length mirror and practiced.
“Will you go to the prom with me?”
I flipped my hair off my shoulder. “Hi there, Noah. I’d love if you’d be my prom date.”
“Noah.” This time my voice was lower—you know, seductive? “How would you like to escort me to my prom?”
It was going to be the happiest day of my life, and it would have been if he hadn’t said no. But he did . . . I was crushed. I begged him not to tell anyone, and he assured me he wouldn’t. It was then I vowed to never pin my hopes and dreams on a man. The ache in my heart was real that day, and I could still feel the pain and humiliation all these years later.
So, when he rescued me in the rain, his steel blue eyes paired with his dark hair and matching scruff wasn’t easy to cast aside. Falling back under his spell would be easy. Too easy. Clutching a throw pillow close to my chest, I thought of how crazed I must have looked to him. A wet, foul-mouthed disaster in need of a ride.
I flopped back, my head sinking into my plush sofa. I stared at the phone and thought about the conversation we had. Even then, I wasn’t as friendly as I could and should have been. It wasn’t like he thought about me over the years or was even aware that he once broke my heart.
With a shake of my head and a self-declaration that I needed to get out of my funk, I grabbed my laptop and continued building the website for my business.
“What’s up?” Haley burst through the door, scaring the shit out of me. My ass flew about two feet off the cushion. “Jeez, jumpy much?”
“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you home tonight. I thought you had a date? Didn’t you swipe right or was it left?” My roommate was beautiful in the nerdy librarian way. Men seemed to be drawn to that look, but truth be told, she could attract a man with a bag over her head.
She tossed her purse on the table and sat next to me, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “The loser was a no show. Can you believe that? I went all the way uptown for nothing. What a waste of cab fare.” I gave her a sympathetic look. “Online dating sucks.” She pouted.
“I’m sorry. Want to order take-out? We can try that new Mediterranean place that just opened up.”
Haley grinned. “That sounds great. Sappy movie and PJ night, or do you have work to do?”
“Nope, I’m all done.” I really wasn’t but trying to concentrate was futile. I closed my laptop and set it aside. “You go change, I’ll order.”
“Okay, you know what I like.”
Twenty minutes later, we were sitting on our couch, eating falafel, hummus, and tabbouleh. Haley decided on The Longest Ride for our “chick flick”—one of our favorites. How could you go wrong with Scott Eastwood?
“God, do they even make men like that in real life?” Haley sighed as she stared at Scott in the shower with his co-star.
Noah Winston came to mind. The man was mouthwatering. “They do.”
Haley paused the movie and turned to face me. “Okay, dish. Give me deets and don’t hold back.” Before I could start, she bounced up. “Hold that thought, we need ice cream for this conversation.”
My happy roomie was back with a pint of Cherry Garcia, our “serious girl talk” flavor and two spoons. “Are you ready now?”
She slid a heaping teaspoon into her mouth and moaned while nodding. I proceeded to tell her about the graceful way Noah and I reconnected and about the gift I sent him.
“Let me get this straight—you’ve crushed on this guy for years, he never gave you the time of day, now he’s calling you, and you’re playing hard to get? That’s brilliant.” She beamed. “So, are you going to see him again?”
The icy cherry confection melted on my tongue as I thought about her question. I shrugged. “It’s complicated . . .”
“What’s his name?” She interrupted.
“Noah. Noah Winston.” Haley began to choke and cough. “Oh my God! Are you okay?” She set the container down and looked at me with pie-sized eyes. “What?”
She snagged my laptop off the side table, powered it on, and typed frantically. Before I could ask her what she was doing, she flipped it a
round so the screen faced me. There he was, on The Post’s website. Not just one picture, but several. My eyes scanned the screen, looking at all the various sides of Noah Winston. Wow, he had really made a name for himself.
“Sweetie, he’s one of New York City’s most eligible hot guys you want to fuck.”
“What?” My eyes narrowed to read the headline. “Does it really say that?”
Haley shook her head and sighed. “Of course it doesn’t, but the man oozes sex. I mean . . . look at him.” I did look, and she was right. “I’m wet just thinking about what that man is like in bed.”
With a dropped jaw, I stared at her before snapping my laptop closed. She was spot on, the man dripped sex appeal. But, he always had. Confidence was not his downfall. More thoughts of the past started to fill my brain, but this time they were good ones. God, how I loved when he came over to hang out. There were times I’d pretend he was there to see me. One day he arrived with flowers, and I swear on all that was holy, my heart did a triple flip inside of my rib cage.
I walked downstairs to help with dinner when I saw him . . . standing in our foyer with a bouquet of pink lilies in his hand. They were wrapped in yellow tissue paper with a piece of raffia tied around the center. On trembling legs, I descended the steps to go to my hero, who brought me flowers. Before I made it to the last step, my mother walked in.
“Happy Birthday, Mrs. Perry.” He handed her the bouquet and hugged her. Disappointment set in, but in true Margo fashion, I plastered on a toothy grin and waved at Noah before heading into the dining room where we were celebrating my mother’s birthday.
“Earth to Margo.” Haley snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere, I was just thinking is all. Maybe you should go for him.”
“Nope. I like big, burly blonds. Plus, he’s too straight-laced for my liking.”
Hard Love Page 2
