by Layla Hagen
We’d run the numbers, and they had looked encouraging. It was a risk, but a calculated one. She’d then talked to Skye about it, and they’d both quit their jobs.
I tried now to guess what this was about, how I could be of use.
Tess sat on the chair in front of my desk, looking straight at me.
“Brother dearest, everything is fine with the store. I’m fine. I think you aren’t.”
I stared at her. “What? Why would you say that?”
“Hmm... let’s see, you were awfully quiet during the working lunch yesterday when you usually fight everyone else for airtime.”
“Maybe I was just tired, jet lagged, you know.”
She held up a finger as if saying, that’s not all.
“And I’ve been hearing worrying reports from several of your colleagues that you’ve been a bit of an... ass this week.”
I groaned, dropping my head. “If I’d known you were going to befriend every single coworker we sent to your shop, I wouldn’t have done it.”
“Yes, you would, because you’re an amazing brother.”
It had been a clever idea to send business their way. When they’d opened the store, we’d told our employees about it in a general meeting. We’d made it clear there were no expectations, obviously, but I’d wanted to use any opportunity to pimp the girls’ business. They’d also offered a “friend and family discount” for the occasion. More than half of our employees checked it out, and Tess had become friends with quite a few of them. It was just who she was. I didn’t think anyone could meet Tess and not instantly like her. However, that also meant she found out about stuff like this.
“What did you do, interview everyone?” I joked.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t actually ask anyone about you. They just up and told me.”
I actually did believe it.
“So, let’s take it step by step so we can get to the bottom of this,” she said.
I laughed, dropping the pen, putting my own hands on the table too, mimicking my sister’s pose.
“I’m listening.”
Tess nodded, holding up a finger. “First, how long have you been like this?”
“Like you don’t know already. I’m sure your spies told you everything.”
Tess grinned. “They did... but I want to hear it from you.”
“The whole week,” I admitted. “I’ve been in a shitty mood for a week.”
Tess beamed, as if that was somehow something to be proud of.
“Yeah, you weren’t really yourself on Sunday when we saw you. So it started after you came back? Or were you grumpy in Rome too?”
“It started after I came back.”
“Is there something about the deal that is bothering you?”
“No.”
“Do you think you could have done something better?”
I shook my head, opening my mouth to tell her that this wasn’t going anywhere, but Tess held up a hand, probably guessing from my expression that I was losing my patience.
“Bear with me. We’re eliminating causes.”
“Oh, okay. I’m glad to know there is a method to this madness and you’re not just torturing me.”
Tess gasped, clutching at her chest. “I never do things just to torture you. I always want to help. Now, if some things feel like torture... growing pains, you know?”
I had no clue what she meant, but experience had taught me that listening to my sister was a good idea, even if sometimes her method was dubious.
“Yes, well, I think I have it. All signs point to you missing Laney.”
I stared at Tess, waiting for her to continue. She didn’t say anything else.
“That’s it?”
She nodded. I groaned. “I know I’m missing her, genius. I was hoping you were gonna have a solution to snap me out of it.”
“I do.”
That caught my attention. I straightened up again.
“Shoot.”
“You should contact her,” Tess said on a grin.
“That wasn’t our deal.”
“But you miss her.”
“Yes.”
“Maybe she misses you too, and you’ll never know if you don’t call. I have a golden rule: I never ignore my heart.”
I barely bit down a reply, because it wasn’t a nice one. Tess had followed her heart more times than I could count, and she’d gotten it broken just as often. That didn’t keep her from putting herself out there and going after what she wanted every time. I had no idea how she did it.
“I don’t follow that rule, Tess.”
“Maybe you should. What’s the worst thing that can happen?” She leaned back, tilting her head. “Oh, brother, you really, really like her. You’re afraid she’s going to turn you down.”
“I don’t get afraid.” That had always been my motto. I want something, I go after it. So why was I now not going after Laney?
Tess grinned. “This right here is proof that you do. Maybe she misses you too. Is she back now?”
“Her return flight was this morning. She landed at nine forty-five.” She’d told me when she was flying back right before I left.
“You memorized the flight number too?” she teased. “Brother, just call her. Even if you just had a one-night stand—”
“We didn’t.”
“Wait a second. You’re all grumpy, and you didn’t even sleep with her?” She clapped her hands, grinning from ear to ear. “Holy shit, I think you’re ready to forsake your bachelor ways.”
I laughed, drumming my fingers on the table.
“Just putting it out there, but since she and Isabelle are best friends, we can probably invite her to some family events, accidentally bring the two of you together.” Tess was practically jittery with excitement. She’d been bursting to say this for a few minutes.
I cocked a brow. “I don’t need outside intervention.”
“Ha! You hesitated for a millisecond. That means you wouldn’t mind... too much.”
“Tess, was there anything else you needed?” I wasn’t just trying to shift the focus from me. I genuinely wanted to know. Tess was usually forthcoming, so if she’d had something to share, she would have already done so, but it never hurt to insist. Some things she did keep quiet about, only voicing them when she was vulnerable.
“You mean that counseling my brother isn’t reason enough for me to stop by?” she batted her eyelashes.
“I guess it is.” I laughed, raising my hands in the air, but something in her expression clued me in that something was weighing on her. I wasn’t just being paranoid.
“Remember Gabriel Lyons?”
“Yeah.” He was one of the donors for the gala. I’d gone to college with him, and he’d always been a bit of a pompous prick, but when he’d shown interest in donating, I wasn’t going to say no.
“Well... he’s being a pain in the ass. Insists we have to put him as sponsor on any materials related to the event.”
“What the fuck? We don’t do that for anyone. Donations are donations. Not sponsorships.”
“I know. He knows that too and is just trying to pressure us.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“Cole, dealing with existing donors is my responsibility. Yours is bringing new ones.”
I felt responsible anyway. I’d brought him on, and I wasn’t going to let Tess pick up the pieces on her own. Especially because she was shouldering a larger chunk of work at the store right now, with Skye taking it easy during her last months of pregnancy.
“Tell me if you need anything. I mean it. Whatever you need, call me. Or just stop by.”
She smiled again. “Are you sure? You were close to kicking me out earlier.”
“That’s because I thought you’d just come here to give me shit.”
My sister rose from her chair, coming over to me. She patted my cheek. “Looking out for you. That was me looking out for you, little brother.”
I rose from my chair too.
�
�Well, I’m off to the store. Good luck with you know what.” She clasped her hands in excitement, winking.
“Thanks.”
After she left, I actually managed to focus on work. We always had multiple projects going on, but for the upcoming months, I was going to prioritize two.
The first was the shopping center in Rome. Delimano was in charge of securing all the permits from the local administration. We were the ones raising the building.
The second project was the Centenarian. It was a project commissioned by the mayor of New York, a building smack dab in the middle of Manhattan. They were yet to choose a real estate company to whom to hand over the project, and several competitors were interested. There was a deadline coming up, and we had to submit a cost proposal for the mayor to review.
Hunter and I knew this one wasn’t going to be profitable, but it would bring a lot of prestige. Still, we didn’t want to take a loss on it, so I was crunching numbers to see just how much it would cost to build it.
In the afternoon, I went to Hunter’s office so we could decide on the next step for the Centenarian. “The numbers look good. As expected,” Hunter said, looking over the piece of paper I’d printed out. It contained the key figures for the project.
“I think so too. We should go for it. I think we have an excellent chance of winning it. I’ll get everyone to work on this until the deadline, and we can swing it by.”
Hunter looked up at me, then focused on the paper again.
“How was your meeting with Tess?” he asked.
I frowned. “How do you know she was here?”
Hunter shrugged, flashing me his best poker face. It didn’t fool me.
“You called Tess?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I’ve had half the team storm into my office, complaining that you’re riding their ass. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but I thought Tess might.”
He looked at me questioningly, but I just stared at him. When Tess had said she’d talked to several of my colleagues, I hadn’t realized she’d meant Hunter too.
“You’re frowning. That means I was right.”
“How do you figure that?”
He leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers on the top of his head. “Otherwise, you would’ve bragged about me being wrong.”
Damn, they knew me too well.
“Fine, Tess had a point.”
Hunter burst out laughing. “So that woman you met in Rome made quite an impression. Damn, I love this. You gave me so much shit about breaking out of the bachelor pack that I’m just happy to have the privilege of returning it.”
“Still... calling my sister?”
“Remember when you thought I was sick and called a family council so you could figure out what was happening? I just about did that too.”
The best thing about family? We were very tight-knit. The downside? Nothing slipped by them, and no one forgot anything. When you least expected it, they held it over your head.
Yeah, I’d done exactly what Hunter said. I’d actually called the council, but I hadn’t been able to figure out what had gotten into Hunter. I should have known that what goes around, comes around. That was how things always worked in my family.
“We’re moving on with the Centenarian?” I asked.
Instead of getting back to business, Hunter gave me a shit-eating grin.
“Yes. A word of advice: ignoring a problem won’t solve it. Take action.”
And didn’t I know it? Taking action was my middle name. I’d even been called hotheaded because of it. I usually didn’t weigh all the pros and cons. I followed my instincts and went after what I wanted. So that was exactly what I was going to do.
Chapter Seven
Laney
I so wasn’t ready to be back in New York. I’d landed six hours ago, but part of my brain was still in Italy. My first shift at the hospital was tomorrow, so today was my last day of freedom. I planned to spend it with my best friend. I was excited to finally see her place. I’d bought her a huge-ass present and couldn’t wait to see her expression when she saw it. It was a professional espresso maker by a famous Italian brand. My friend was even more addicted to coffee than I was.
I swear that in the time I’d been in Rome, I’d forgotten how tiny my apartment was. It had a small bedroom and a slightly larger room that doubled as foyer and living room. My kitchen was in a closet. I’d been so grateful to just move in this little cubicle of an apartment when I’d first arrived. A fellow doctor had just vacated it, and it had been fully furnished, so all I had to do was move in with my luggage. The best thing about the apartment was that it was two blocks away from the hospital. The Liberty was in the East Village, and I was happy that I didn’t have to commute at all, given how early I had to be at the hospital.
Before leaving, I called my parents, checking in on them. I’d also bought them an espresso machine and had mailed it from Rome a few days ago. It still hadn’t arrived.
“Darling, the photos you sent us are amazing,” Mom said.
“You would love the city. The whole of Italy, honestly.”
“So... I couldn’t help but notice a hunk of a man in one of your pictures.”
Instantly, I felt my lips stretch into a grin. I’d sent the pic we took after our lunch in the Colosseum. I’d known Mom would quiz me about it but sent the pic anyway.
“He’s a friend of Isabelle’s. I just showed him around the city.”
“He’s a hunk,” Mom said.
“Gloria,” Dad admonished.
“What? I’m just calling it like I see it.”
“Darling, we love you. When you’re ready to move on, you will do so on your own. Without pressure. From anyone.”
I could practically feel Dad glaring at Mom. I laughed, running a hand through my hair. About a year after I lost Ryan, Mom started campaigning for me to go out and meet people... move on. They’d loved Ryan, taken a liking to him from the get-go. They’d like Cole too. Actually, I was sure that Ryan would even have liked Cole.
Deep in my heart, I knew she was right. But deep in my heart, I also didn’t know how to move on. How did people do that? I still had that dull ache in my chest. For a long time, I didn’t even really notice men in that way... until Cole.
“Dad, it’s okay. I know you both just want what’s best.”
“That we do.”
We chatted about Isabelle for a while, and after hanging up, I looked at the picture of me and Cole. It brought back our crazy climb on the stairs and our run-in with the guard, and well, I couldn’t tone down my smile. And now that I was on a slippery slope, why not also reminisce about the kiss?
I licked my lips. My entire body was warm all of a sudden. I touched two fingers to my lower lip, breathing in deeply. Holy shit, how could the memory of a kiss feel so real?
As I was about to open my front door, I felt my phone buzz in my purse and decided to check it, just in case it was Isabelle, asking me to pick up something for her.
Cole: Hey, doc. How was your first day back at work?
I blinked twice. Wow! If I thought I was giddy before, it was nothing compared to now. My fingers were actually a bit shaky as I replied. My heart was beating insanely fast.
Laney: I only start tomorrow. I wanted to rest today.
Cole: Do you have time to talk now? I want to hear your voice.
I didn’t think my heartbeat could accelerate even more, but it just did. I drew in a deep breath, still grinning. Cole wanted to talk! I was still swooning as I thought about his message.
I want to hear your voice.
I was powerless against this. I couldn’t wait to hear his voice too.
Laney: Yes.
I couldn’t believe I was so giddy just because I was going to talk to him, but giddy I was. Cole, Cole, Cole. How could he affect me so much? I called him right away.
“Hi, Laney!”
I’d always thought the saying “You had me at hello”
was silly, but now I was rethinking that.
“Hi!”
“How was the rest of your week in Rome?”
“Great. I had another gelato at that place at the Trevi Fountain just before leaving. How... how are you? How have things been since you’ve been back?”
“Busy, and the jet lag didn’t help, but I’m back on track.”
“Did your family like the gifts?”
“Oh, yeah. They did.”
I laughed, loving the affection in his voice.
“I wasn’t expecting you to call.” I bit my lip, staring at the doorknob.
“Well, technically you did.” His tone was teasing, but I sensed he wanted to add something more, so I didn’t reply. “I’ve thought about you a lot, Laney. Plain and simple.”
Oh, God. I hadn’t expected this, not in a million years.
“Didn’t you think about me?” he asked.
“A bit,” I teased. “Just very, very little.”
“I see. So you didn’t miss me photobombing your pics or carrying you on stairs when your muscles cramped?”
“Hmm... now that you mention it...” Heat coiled through me just at the memory of it.
“The thing is, Laney, I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re on my mind when I’m supposed to focus on calculations, working out at the gym, or just crossing the street.”
My face exploded in a smile again.
“Sounds like I’m very, very dangerous for you.” I was fighting to keep my voice serious, but I was on the verge of laughter.
“You definitely are. But your absence is even more dangerous.”
Melting. Yep. I was utterly and completely melting.
“Cole...”
“I know we said what happens in Rome, stays in Rome, but I want to see you again.”
My breath caught. I hadn’t been prepared for this conversation. I fiddled with my fingers, pulling at my lower lip. We’d both had good reasons for not making plans after we returned to New York. Cole was a free spirit, and I was practically living at the hospital. My trepidation wasn’t just because of my schedule, but Cole didn’t know that. If I agreed to see him again, I’d have to tell him everything eventually. I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t ready.
“Cole,” I said gently. “I have some baggage...”
