by Sandi Lynn
“The other end of the floor is currently being renovated. Once it’s done, you’ll have your own office. For now, you’ll have to share mine,” he said as we stepped inside his oversized office space. “There’s a small desk by the window over there with a computer.”
“And how long until it’s complete?” I asked.
“About a month. Do you have a problem sharing an office?”
“No,” I said as I looked around.
“It’s really good having you here, Bella.”
“Yeah. We’ll see.” I gave him a small smile as I walked over to my desk and set my purse down.
Chapter 11
Myles
I stood in the lobby and looked at my watch. Just as I pulled my phone from my pocket, the elevator opened, and Grant stepped out.
“You’re ten minutes late,” I said as we walked out the lobby doors.
“Sorry. I got tied up on a bullshit call,” he sighed.
“Bad news?”
“An agent called with an offer on the SoHo penthouse. His client wants it for $1.5 million less and that’s their best and final offer. Back to the drawing board on that one.”
“Give it to Bella. She’ll sell it.” I smirked.
“Very funny.”
“She was a beautiful girl, and now, she’s an absolutely stunning woman.”
“I know. She also has a big attitude. She keeps bringing up about how I never called her.”
“Do you blame her?” I asked. “She was sixteen when you met, and you spent five days together. You know how women get, especially teenagers if you spend more than a day or two with them. Did you sleep with her?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
He looked away and took in a sharp breath.
“I take that as a yes.”
“It happened the night before she left.” He stared out the passenger window.
“Ah. Was she a virgin, Grant?”
“Yeah. She was.”
“How do you feel seeing her again?”
Before he could answer, Mitch pulled up to the building. Once we inspected it and discussed our options, we climbed back into the car.
“Mitch, take us over to that bakery by West 21st.”
“Why are we going all the way over there?” Grant asked.
“I want to try some of the other cookies Cassandra has.”
“Cassandra?” His brow arched.
“She owns the bakery.”
“And you know her on a first name basis how?”
“She introduced herself when I stopped in and got the cake for Tina.”
His eye continued to narrow as he stared at me.
“What the hell is your problem?” I asked. “People aren’t allowed to introduce themselves?”
“I don’t have a problem.” He smirked.
Mitch had to park down the block since there wasn’t any parking available by the bakery. Climbing out, Grant and I walked down the street. When we stepped inside the bakery, I was shocked at the number of people standing in line waiting to be helped.
“Really, Dad? Do we have time to stand here and wait? I don’t know about you, but I’m really busy.”
“Quiet. We’re standing in line.”
I looked over to where trays of cupcakes lined the case and saw Cassandra pulling some out for a customer. The moment she saw me, she smiled and gave a wave. I smiled and waved back.
“I take it that’s Cassandra?” Grant asked.
“Yeah. That’s her.”
“She’s very pretty.”
“I agree.”
When it was our turn, a young girl asked if she could help us.
“I can take care of them, Lucy. Will you grab these folks over here?”
“Sure.” Lucy smiled.
“Welcome back.” Cassandra grinned.
“You are extremely busy today,” I spoke.
“It’s dollar cupcake day. Nobody can resist a good deal.”
“No. No they can’t.” I smiled.
“And who is this handsome man with you?” She pointed to Grant.
“I’m Grant Roman. His son.” He extended his hand. “I have to say your oatmeal raisin cookies are to die for.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Grant. I’m Cassandra, and thank you. I’m happy you enjoyed them. I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” A beautiful smile crossed her lips. “What can I get for you?”
“Are your chocolate chip cookies just as good?” I asked.
“See for yourself.” She pulled out a chocolate chip cookie, broke it in half and handed it to us.
“Oh yeah,” Grant said. “These are amazing.”
“Very good indeed. I’ll take a dozen of these and a dozen of oatmeal raisin.”
“Coming right up. What did your wife think of them?” Cassandra asked.
“Uh, I’m not married.”
“You’re kidding. How is a handsome man like you single? I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe it, because it’s true.” Grant grinned and I slid my foot over and kicked his shoe.
“Is there anything else I can get you two?” she asked.
“Actually, I’ll take one of those chocolate cupcakes,” Grant spoke.
“I’ll get that boxed up for you and I’ll get your cookies from the back. They came out of the oven not too long ago and they’re still warm.”
“She’s really nice,” Grant said. “I think she has the hots for you.”
“Knock it off, son.”
“Here you go.” Cassandra smiled.
After she gave us the total, I pulled out some cash and handed it to her.
“Have a good day.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“I already am.” She gave me a wink.
Taking in a deep breath, we walked out of the bakery and headed to the car.
“Yep. She definitely wants you.” Grant patted my back.
When we climbed in the back of the car, I opened one of the bags with the cookies in it and lying on top was a small, folded piece of paper. “Call me.” It said with her phone number written down.
Grant snickered. “I told you. Are you going to call her?”
“Mind your business.” A smirk crossed my lips as I handed him a cookie.
Chapter 12
Bella
“Hi. Can I help you?” Lawrence Quill asked as he stood in the doorway of his apartment on the seventh floor.
“Hi. I’m Bella Marcus with The Roman Group.”
“You’re not Grant. I had an appointment with Grant.”
“I know. He asked me to come in his place because something came up. I can assure you Mr. Quill that I can do just as good a job as Grant can.”
“We’ll see. Come on in.”
I entered the foyer to his 2,028 square foot home that housed three bedrooms and four bathrooms.
“How long have you lived here?” I asked as I looked around.
“Five years.”
“And you’re selling, why?”
“My wife and I are moving to Los Angeles.”
“Oh!” I smiled. “I just moved here from L.A. Great city. You’ll love it.”
“If it’s so great, why did you move to New York?”
“My parents passed away and my boyfriend and I broke up. I just felt it was time for a change of scenery.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you.” I gave him a genuine smile.
I looked around the space and complimented him on all the work he’d done.
“How much are you thinking about asking for it?” I asked.
“$5.5 million.”
“That’s a good price, but you won’t get it. Especially with the way the market is right now. If I list it at that price, everyone who sees the listing will keep scrolling.”
“What are you suggesting then?” he asked.
“$4.995 million. It’s just under five and enough to make people think they’re getting a deal. It’s a numbers game, and I play numbers
really well. Listen, I know you wanted Grant here and I’m sorry that something came up he needed to attend to, but I am committed to bringing you the maximum value of your property. I’m sure you can find another broker or agent and they’ll list it for $5.5 and tell you it’s no problem. But I’m not in the business of lying. I tell it like it is. You will in no way get $5.5 million for this apartment. So, I’ll head back to my office and put everything together and get it listed for you ASAP.”
“I haven’t hired you yet.” His brow arched.
“You will.” I smiled. And you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because you trust me. Plus, if you want, I can help you find a place in L.A.”
Suddenly, his phone rang, and he answered it.
“Terry, thanks for calling me back. I’m going to hold off on looking right now. I want to get my apartment in New York sold first. I’ll call you another time,” he spoke as he stared at me and ended the call.
“That wasn’t by any chance Terry Cavalier, was it?”
“Yes. It was. You know him?”
“I do. He’s a great broker.”
“He may be, but I like you. We have a deal. While you’re finding buyers for this place, I want you to find me a house in Los Angeles. I’ll send over a list of what we’re looking for.”
“Really?” I grinned.
“Really.”
“Thank you, Mr. Quill.”
“Call me Lawrence, and tell Grant I said thank you.”
“For?”
“For having something else to do.” He gave me a wink.
When I got back to the office, I walked in and saw Grant sitting at his desk.
“Well. How did it go?”
“I got the listing.”
“I knew you would.” He grinned.
“And he wants me to find him a house in Los Angeles.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope.” I smiled.
“This calls for a celebration. I bought you something today.”
He picked up a small white box from his desk and handed it to me. Opening the lid, I saw a chocolate cupcake with white buttercream icing sitting inside.
“I hope they’re still your favorite,” he said.
“They are. Thanks. But why did—”
“Because I knew you’d get the listing and it’s kind of a little congratulations gift.”
“Thanks, Grant.” I stared into his eyes and all the memories came flooding back.
“You’re welcome. When I was at the bakery with my Dad, the owner, Cassandra, was flirting with him and stuck a piece of paper in the bag with the cookies with her phone number on it.”
I let out a laugh.
“No way.”
“She did. I swear.” He held up his hand.
“Your father never remarried?”
“God no.”
The way he said that was alarming.
“I figured a handsome man like him would be snatched up in a second.”
“There have been many women over the years who have tried, trust me.”
“Ah, so he’s another love em and leave em type.” I smirked.
“Something like that.”
Suddenly, my phone rang, and Ian’s name appeared. I instantly declined the call. A second later, it rang again, so I declined the call and caught Grant staring at me with a strange look on his face.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?”
“It’s no one important,” I said as I took my cupcake over to my desk.
I knew why Ian was calling me and I didn’t want to deal with it. I just wanted to put all of it behind me and move on. It’s what I did. It’s what I’ve always done since…
Grant
The look on her face when she stared at her phone told me it was someone she didn’t want to talk to. Perhaps it was her ex-boyfriend back in L.A. I’d found myself liking the fact that she was single. As I stared at her from my desk, the same feeling swept over me that I’d felt the first time I saw her sitting by the pool in Hawaii. And the same feeling I’d felt the moment I saw her at my open house.
“Hey,” I said. “Are you doing anything tonight?”
She turned her head and looked at me.
“I’m going to dinner with my best friend, Ami. Why?”
“I was going to ask if you wanted to go out for a drink.”
My phone rang before she could say anything.
“I have to take this.” I got up from my chair and walked out of my office.
When I stepped back inside, Bella wasn’t at her desk, but her phone that was sitting there began to ring. Walking over, I glanced at it and saw the name “Ian” appear on the screen. Quickly, I sat down behind my desk before she caught me. A few moments later, she walked back in.
“Your phone was ringing,” I spoke.
“Okay. Thanks.”
She sat down, picked up her phone, took one look and set it back on her desk. My gut told me it was her ex.
“About that drink,” I said.
“I already told you I’m having dinner with my friend tonight.”
“Then tomorrow night.”
“Listen, Grant.” She turned to me. “There will be no drinks, no dinners, no going out, nothing. The only reason I agreed to meet with you before was to hear what you had to say. This, right now, is strictly a professional working relationship. I want to make that very clear to you.”
“Okay. I just thought maybe we could catch up.”
“I think we’ve already done that,” she said.
“Yeah. You’re right. I guess we did.”
I got up from my seat and grabbed my suitcoat.
“I have a showing I have to get to,” I snapped as I walked out of my office.
Fuck. Maybe I’d made a grave mistake hiring her. No. No, I didn’t. She was an excellent broker and I just needed to focus my attention elsewhere. As I was on my way to the showing, my phone rang, and Lamar’s name popped up. With a smile, I answered it.
“Are you back in New York?” I asked.
“You bet. I just landed. Let’s hit the town tonight.”
“Definitely. I could use a few damn drinks.”
He let out a laugh.
“Bad day?”
“Yeah. Something like that. I’ll tell you all about it tonight. Where do you want to go?”
“Let’s start at Coco Pazzo for dinner and then we can hit up a couple bars after. Tasha is working tonight, and I need to have her sign some financial papers before she leaves for her trip tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. What time?”
“I’ll call Tasha and have her put us down for seven-thirty.”
“Alright. I’ll meet you there.”
Lamar Neil was my best friend. We’d been best friends since we were twelve years old when my dad sold his parents their apartment two floors down from ours. Lamar’s father had just gotten a new job in the city, and they’d just moved from Georgia. The move was hard for him because the last thing he wanted was to leave all his friends behind and move to a new city. So, my dad introduced us, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We’d been through a lot of shit together over the years. He was supposed to come to Hawaii with me back in the day, but instead, he ended up in the hospital with appendicitis two days before we left. Maybe if he’d came, I wouldn’t have met Bella and saved myself a whole lot of heartache.
Chapter 13
Myles
I sat behind my desk and stared at the piece of paper with Cassandra’s phone number on it. She was a beautiful woman and she seemed to have a great personality. The fact that she slipped her number in the bag of cookies indicated she wanted to get to know me better. After I saw her the first time, the attraction to her was undeniable, which was the reason I went back to the bakery. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and I wanted to see her again. I was treading carefully, and she dove right in. My thoughts were interrupted when I looked up and saw Bella standing in the doorway.
“B
ella, come in.”
“Sorry to interrupt you. You looked like you were in deep thought.”
“No. Not at all. What can I do for you?”
“Grant is out of the office with Tom, and he just texted me and asked me to bring you this contract to sign. So, I’m dropping it off.” She smiled as she handed me the folder.
“Thanks. How did the listing pitch go today that Grant pawned off on you?”
“It went great. Not only did I get the listing, but the client also wants me to find him a house in L.A.”
“Excellent job.” I smiled as I leaned back in my chair. I grabbed the bag of cookies on my desk and held it out to her. “Cookie? They’re the best.”
“Sure. Thank you. Um, Grant told me that the owner slipped her phone number in the bag.”
“Yeah. She did.”
“Are you going to call her?”
“I’m thinking about it.” I smirked. “Listen, I just want to clear the air about something.”
“Sure.”
“Are you okay working here considering the history you and my son have? I know how he didn’t keep in contact with you after—well, you know.”
“Of course. I’m totally fine with it. That was so long ago. My gosh, we were just kids.”
She tried to sound convincing, but she wasn’t pulling one over on me.
“Okay. Just so you know if you ever need to or want to talk, I’m here.”
“Thanks, Myles.” She smiled as she left my office.
Picking up my phone, I dialed Cassandra’s number. After five rings, it went to voicemail.
“Cassandra, it’s Myles Roman. Your number was a surprise to me. How did you know I like surprises? I want to take you out to dinner tomorrow night. Give me a call back and let me know if you’re available. You can reach me at this number.”
“Hey, Myles. Tina and I are going to head to the East 63rd property and check on the renovations.”
“Okay. Keep me updated. If you need me, let me know.”
“Will do.” Rodney tapped his knuckles on the door before walking away.
Just as I got up to grab some papers from the fax machine, my phone rang, and Cassandra’s name popped on the screen.
“Myles Roman,” I answered.