Hard Love

by Joanne Schwehm

  “No, he has a date tonight.” Okay, that came out a bit snarkier than I expected, and my tone even surprised myself, not to mention Haley.

  “What? Okay, then it’s settled. We’re having girls’ weekend. You can either come back to my place or I’ll come to yours. Let’s go to The White Orchid. They have a killer happy hour.”

  I loved that bar; it was upscale without being stuffy. Plus, Tyler was one of my favorite bartenders. He made the best martinis, and I could really go for one or four tonight. “Okay, I’ll meet you there around six, does that work? And our place is fine.” I would always consider the apartment I lived in mine and Haley’s.

  “Sure does. Love you, and I can’t wait to see you.”

  “I can’t wait to see you, too.”

  The rest of the day dragged. I had a bland salad for lunch, rather than the burger I really wanted. Which meant I’d be starving in about thirty minutes.

  “Knock, knock.” Rochelle stood at my door holding a white square box with a pink bow on the top. She sniffed it. “It must not be cookies this time.”

  I shook my head. “How do you even know it’s from him?”

  Her cheeks turned the same color as the bow that adorned the box. She set it down on my desk. “I may have glanced at the card. But in my defense, it wasn’t in an envelope.”

  I stood and read the card. “For our next date night. My place or yours—ladies’ choice.”

  I pulled the ribbon, allowing the pink satin to fall around the box, slid the cover off, and smiled. I removed the contents and laid them on my desk while Rochelle looked on.

  Popcorn, a box of chocolate-covered raisins, Junior Mints, a bag of Skittles, and a DVD of The Devil Wears Prada.

  “Wow, how cute is he?” Rochelle let out a sigh. “A billionaire with a romantic side . . . who would have thought?”

  Yeah, who would have? Without commenting, I put everything back in the box and covered it. “Why don’t you take off and start your weekend early? I’m going to head home myself.”

  “Really? Great! I’ll see you on Monday.” Before she was completely out of my office, she looked at me with a goofy grin on her face. “You’re a pretty lucky lady; Noah Winston is quite the catch. You might need to hire security to keep his fans away from him.” She laughed, but I didn’t.

  “Fans?”

  Rochelle waved her hand back and forth. “You know what I mean. All the women who want him.” Her eyes narrowed. “You still don’t get it, do you?” When I remained silent, she continued. “He’s like a rock star. Women want him for his looks, money, and where he can take them–in and out of the bedroom. He’s a goal guy–what other men are measured against.” She snorted. “Like any other man has a chance, being compared to him.”

  “I don’t want him for those things. When I first met Noah, he was just a normal guy, just as he is now.”

  “And I’m sure that pleases him.” She shrugged. “For what it’s worth, I’ve never seen you this happy, so please don’t overanalyze it. Just enjoy it.”

  “Weren’t you leaving?”

  Rochelle laughed. “Yes, okay, I can take the hint. Bye, boss lady.”

  When I heard the door close, I called the “rockstar that every woman wanted,” but it went to voicemail. Disappointment settled in my chest, which I hated. When the beep sounded, I left a message in the perkiest voice I could muster. “Thank you for the fun gift. The Devil Wears Prada is one of my favorite movies. I’m going out with Haley tonight, and she’s spending the weekend at my place, so I’ll see you next week.” I paused and then said what I needed to. “Have a great time at the gala. Bye.”

  I pushed the red circle to end the call, tossed my phone in my purse, grabbed my gift, and headed home to get ready to see Haley.

  As always, The White Orchid was bustling with business people and those looking for their Friday night hook-up. I spotted Haley laughing with Tyler at the bar.

  “There she is!” Haley opened her arms up to me and gave me a hug.

  “Hi, you look great!” And she did. Even with her hair pulled up in a knot on top of her head, her glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose, plain jeans and a lavender sweater, Haley looked beautiful. It didn’t even look like she put a lot of effort into her appearance, but she really didn’t need to.

  “You look hot yourself. Is that a new top? I don’t remember borrowing that one.” God, I missed her as my roommate.

  Tyler wiped down the bar in front of me, tossed a burgundy drink napkin down, and gave me his killer smile. He was tall, blond, and had model-worthy looks. One night when I was here, I told him he should be walking runways, but he just laughed and said he made enough money. “Martini?”

  “Yes, please.” He moved away to make my drink. “So, what’s your news?”

  “Let’s wait to get your drink first so we can toast.” Just as she said that, Tyler placed my drink down.

  Haley shimmied on her stool before holding up her left hand. A big, round, sparkling diamond glistened like a star. “Holy shit! You’re engaged?”

  She clapped her hands together. “Yes! Can you believe it?”

  No, actually, I couldn’t. “Of course I can!” I pulled her in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you. When did this happen?”

  “Last night at dinner. He was so romantic, he did all the cliché things, you know, roses, champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, soft music, but it didn’t matter that it was cliché because he did it for me.”

  Her happiness was what counted. I just didn’t want her heart broken again. Pushing that thought aside, I raised my glass. “To you and Seth, may you have a lifetime of love and laughs.” We tapped our glasses together.

  “Will you be my maid of honor?”

  “Yes, I’d be honored. Did you already set a date?” Why did I sound more nervous than she did?

  “No, of course not. He actually wanted to go to Vegas to elope, but I squashed that idea. I want the entire enchilada–gorgeous gown, him in a tux, my friends surrounding me wearing matching dresses, an enormous wedding cake and a romantic honeymoon.” Now that I completely understood. It’s what I had dreamed of since I got a wedding dress for my Barbie doll when I was nine. Haley grabbed my hands, “I know what you’re thinking, but he’s changed, and we’re really happy.”

  “That’s all I want for you.”

  Who was I to judge anyone’s relationship when my own messed with my head?

  “So, tell me about Noah.”

  Noah. What was he doing now? Were they having drinks, dinner? Would they dance together? Why couldn’t Adam have been home to take her himself? I shook my head, trying to rid my brain of the jealousy that started to weave its way in. I’d waited so long for him to want me—so long, in fact, that I never in my wildest dreams considered it would actually happen. But now he was mine, and I needed to figure out how to deal with it. Being the girlfriend of a known playboy wasn’t going to be easy.

  Chapter 14

  My girlfriend’s name is Sally.

  Flashbulbs, reporters, and hobnobbers lined the red carpet. Louisa, my “date” for the evening, gripped the inside of my elbow as we made our way into the event, pausing to pose every few feet. Reporters stopped us to ask how long we’d been dating. Sweat gathered around my collar. Thankfully, Louisa told them we were just friends before I did, or I would have looked like a dick, especially since she was loved by everyone. Yes, her family was extremely wealthy, but even though she had model looks, she was like the girl next door.

  Reporters started shouting questions about the label on our clothes. I felt out of my element and thought of Margo. Rather than answer, I stepped aside and let Louisa take the spotlight. Most women looked the same, but her gorgeous maroon dress stood out in a sea of black.

  A rambunctious young woman screamed my name. Before I could focus on where the shrill voice came from, she was through the ropes, past security, and coming right toward me. Louisa must have seen it, because she laced her fingers with mine, grinned swe
etly at the stranger before posing for a picture with me for her.

  “Thank you.” We walked into the ballroom and released each other’s hand. “You’d think we were famous, the way they were acting.”

  Louisa’s dimples appeared. “I hate to tell you, handsome, but you are. Didn’t you hear people calling your name?”

  “I’m not famous, just rich. There’s a difference.” Yes, I sounded arrogant, but it was the truth. If I was gorgeous and poor, no one would give a damn what I did with my spare time or who I did it with. Life changes when you’re continually listed as the “Hottest Billionaire” in Manhattan.

  I excused myself from the table and called Margo.

  “Hello?” Just the sweet sound of her voice made my tux feel less constricting.

  “Hey there, beautiful.” I reached into my pocket and palmed the handkerchief she had given me. It felt like a security blanket and I was a little kid.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be schmoozing and writing checks?”

  “Yes, but I missed you. How’s your day been?”

  I could hear a very off-key female voice singing “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s. Margo burst out laughing, another sound I loved to hear. “Sorry about that. Haley has had one too many martinis tonight. We came home early and need to order dinner as soon as I can get her to commit to a menu. She keeps going between Chinese, Greek, Italian, and a few others.”

  Margo let out another laugh as Haley shouted, “Sing it with me!”

  “I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you and wish you were here with me.”

  “Thank you.” She paused. “Haley’s on the coffee table singing into a hairbrush; I should go before she hurts herself. Thanks again for calling. I’ll talk to you on Monday.”

  “Monday? What about tomorrow or Sunday?” Another pang of disappointment punched me in the chest.

  “Remember, it’s girls’ weekend. Tomorrow Haley and I are going shopping . . . that is, after she gets over her hangover. Then relaxing the rest of the weekend.”

  “Okay . . . have fun.”

  “You, too. Bye.”

  I stared at my phone for a minute, and then made a couple quick calls before heading back to the table.

  “Did you get everything taken care of?” Louisa winked. “Who is she?”

  For some reason, I wanted to tell her, but then I remembered her connection to Adam. “Just my girlfriend, Sally.”

  “Holy shit! You have a girlfriend?” At her outburst, heads snapped so fast, I wouldn’t be surprised if they got whiplash. About a dozen eyes stared at me. When Louisa noticed, she laughed and smacked me on the chest. “That was a great punchline!” she said louder than needed, followed by exaggerated laughter, the curious eyes went back about their business, so I just grinned and mouthed, “Thank you.”

  Louisa leaned toward me and whispered, “Sorry about that; you just caught me off guard.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it won’t be a secret for long.” Truth was, I didn’t even want it to be a secret. It was too new, and I was sure once word got out that I was taken, some dipshit reporter would announce it.

  The rest of the night was boring, just as I knew it would be. We ordered drinks, ate dinner, I donated an obscene amount of money, and we left. The high point was talking to Margo and then receiving a text on my way home.

  Margo: Thank you for dinner. You didn’t need to send so much. It’s like the kitchen at the League of Nations descended in my apartment.

  Yes, I sent them dinner, and since they couldn’t decide on what to get, they got a bit of everything. My life goal turned into making sure my girl was happy and satisfied. Since I wasn’t there to fulfill that goal, food would need to do the trick.

  Generally, I despised Mondays, but since Margo was busy all weekend, I welcomed the start of the workweek.

  “So, you told Adam about Sally?” Cade laughed as he ran on the treadmill next to mine.

  I wiped my face with the small gym towel. “He called; she was there. Wait, you talked to him about Sally? Dude, please tell me you didn’t tell him.”

  Cade’s machine beeped as he pushed a button to increase the incline of the belt. Through rushed huffs he asked, “Tell him that you’re screwing his baby sister? No, but he grilled me hard.”

  Rather than increase anything on my machine, I did just the opposite and turned it off. “Grilled you about what?” I walked until the belt stopped moving.

  “You know—who she was, if I’d met her, what she looked like . . .” He took a swig out of his water bottle. “The usual stuff. Then he told me he felt guilty he hadn’t seen Margo since she moved back to the city.”

  I was off the treadmill in an instant and stood in front of Cade’s. “What did you say?” My heart dropped. Cade was a lot of things, but not a liar. I hated that I had put him in this predicament.

  “I diverted the conversation to a business deal I was working on.”

  “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. So, how was the gala? Louisa is hot as fuck. Did you guys have fun?”

  “We did, but I have a girlfriend, remember?”

  Cade’s lips twisted into a snarky grin. “Oh, she’s your girlfriend now? Wow, are you saying Noah Winston is off the market?”

  We walked over toward the locker room to change. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “I’m happy for you. Just remember when you tell Adam, I want to be there.”

  I nodded in agreement, because I had a feeling I’d need someone to stop Adam from trying to beat the hell out of me.

  “I’m going to the office. I scheduled a board meeting for this morning, and I have a business to acquire.” Even though this was a social dinner, Louisa let a few things slip about her father’s company that I couldn’t let go. Yes, I was an asshole for acting on them, but I didn’t prod her in any way, shape, or form. After a few glasses of Chardonnay, her lips got a bit too loose, but that didn’t mean I was going to ignore what she told me.

  Cade chuckled. “Sounds good. Go make yourself more millions.” It would actually be about two billion once I was done with it, but I didn’t bother correcting him.

  First quarter reports were ready, and although I knew Carris had exceeded our goals, it was still important to push forward, and that meant buying MDM Enterprises. When the board convened, my CFO, Victor, rattled off numbers and projections. Everyone was pleased with what we’d accomplished the last fiscal year, and this one was off to an even better start. Jan coordinated the agenda, and as always, kept the meeting to just an hour.

  Back in my office, I grabbed my phone and sent a text to Margo.

  Me: Hope you’re having a great Monday.

  I couldn’t wait to celebrate my new acquisition. Jan had lunch brought in, and included were gingersnap cookies. I took a long whiff of a cookie, which I refused to eat it because it reminded me of a green-eyed beauty who had a penchant for ginger. Time passed, and she didn’t reply. Then my phone rang. Disappointment hit me when I saw it was Adam and not Margo.

  “Hey, Adam.”

  “Hi. I only have a few minutes, but I wanted to thank you for taking Louisa to the event. You saved my ass and sanity. How many men tried to hit on her?”

  I laughed and decided to have a bit of fun.

  “What do you care? I thought you weren’t serious.”

  He let out a frustrated breath. “I’d like to change that. She’s smart, beautiful, loves business, and even with her looks, she isn’t shallow.”

  “I’m sorry, did I hear you correctly?”

  “I know, I know . . . but no one really holds a candle to her. It really hit me when I saw you holding hands. Did you need to touch her?” He let out a laugh. “I wonder if Sally saw it? Do you think she reads The Post?”

  Fuck me! The Post, again? He rendered me silent. Dammit. Was that why she wasn’t replying to me? No, it couldn’t have been. Then again, seeing me in the paper with another woman wasn’t a great start to our relationship. I
knew this would blow up in my face. “She has mentioned it a couple of times. It looks like I might have some explaining to do. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Sorry, man. I really am. If you want, I can talk to her for you when I come to town.”

  “It’s fine; I can handle it. I’ll catch you later.” I ended the call and thought about Adam. Little did he know it was his sister he’d be smoothing over for me.

  When I typed my name in the search bar, I didn’t even need to add the name of the event for pictures to populate on the screen. Shit. It wasn’t just one site, it was several. One rag mag had a red circle around our hands. Even to my eyes we looked like a couple, and I knew better.

  I wanted to head over to Margo’s office, but meetings prevented me from doing so. She still hadn’t replied to my text. Maybe she was busy, so instead I sent over a bouquet of flowers. I had plans for us next weekend. My plane was gassed up and ready, as was my home in Naples, Florida.

  Adam was coming home soon, so I needed to figure out how to break it to him that I was falling for his sister. Granted, things could have been worse; he could have found out on his own, but I didn’t want that to happen. Hopefully, Margo was on the same page as I was. Getting away would be the perfect escape for us. All I needed to do was convince her of the same.

  Chapter 15

  Dating Mr. Most Eligible wasn’t easy.

  When I walked into the office, the phone was ringing off the hook. As soon as Rochelle disconnected one call, another would come in. Rochelle put a call on hold and lurched forward from her desk, practically strangling herself with the cord from her headset. “Margo, I can’t keep up!” She held a notebook in the air with lines and lines of names and numbers written on it. “These are potential clients!”