by Lisa Evans
The doorbell rings at 9 AM sharp. So she’s right on time. Peeking out the window, I notice a red sports car parked outside. So she likes fast cars? Maybe I’d better talk to her about her carbon footprint then, I think to myself while slowly making my way towards the entrance.
Clearing my throat, I go over some of the ways I can put this person off the easiest way, and then open the door. When I do, my jaw drops.
This is not happening.
A young, beautiful woman, with long blonde curls pinned back behind her right ear, is standing before me. With her black shades on her head, I get a clear view of her perfect baby blue eyes, and beneath them I notice that her mouth is cherry red.
“Hi, I’m Nina Brooks,” she says, holding out her hand to greet me. Even her voice is beautiful. Who is this person? I’ve never seen someone so beautiful in my whole life. “Your new assistant. Grace Sanders hired me.”
“Hi, nice meeting you,” I say, my voice brusque. Shaking her hand quickly, her palm is cool and smooth against mine. “Please, come inside.”
“Sure,” she says, sounding perky as a cheerleader, and retracts her hand.
Wondering how my plan is going to pan out now that Nina Brooks has turned out to be a very cute and incredibly beautiful person instead of the boring, frumpy lady I had envisioned in my mind, I lead Nina into my house. She’s the first woman to enter it since I moved here, and I feel like I want to impress her.
Forgetting all about my previous plan, I decide to give Grace what she wants. I’ll give Nina Brooks a chance. But just the one.
Chapter 1
NINA
CHECKING MY MESSAGES in the evening after I get back from Quinn’s place, I feel oddly sad that none of my parents have said a single word to me in weeks.
Taking off my heels, I cool my soles on the cold marble floors of my one-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood, and go to the kitchen. Not that I’m hungry or anything, because I’ve got too much stuff on my mind. The whole mess with my parents is one thing, but another thing is that Justin still hasn’t come around to pick up the last of his stuff, which he promised he was doing last week. But that isn’t all there is to it either, there’s another thing that I’ve got occupying my mind.
It’s Quinn.
I don’t know how it happened, but somehow I’m starting to think that I’m developing feelings for him. Sure, I thought he was cute and totally gorgeous when I first met him, but I had no idea I was going to fall for his personality as well.
Opening the fridge, I peek inside and grab some yoghurt. I should eat something I guess, although I don’t exactly feel like it. All these mixed emotions I’m having are driving me crazy. On the one hand I’m angry at my parents for acting so stupid just because I decided to quit my job at the family company, but at the same time I’m really glad I’ve got this new job and that I’ve met Quinn.
Still, I wish my parents could be happy for me as well. And I wish Justin would stop being so lazy and come get his stuff before I throw it in the trash.
Leaning against the wall, I think about Quinn instead. The sound of his smooth voice always melts my heart. Part of me wishes I could get to hear it every single day, but I only see him once a week and the rest of the time I spend doing research for him and other things. I was kind of prepared to do menial things like get him coffee and stuff like that when I signed up for the job, but it turns out he isn’t one of those guys. He’s actually really sweet. Although he didn’t say much the first time we met, I kind of think he’s starting to open up to me.
Finishing my strawberry yoghurt (my favorite), I throw the container in the trash and head to the couch. Sitting down, I grab Quinn’s first novel and pick up where I left it this morning. It’s about six hundred pages long, and it has a pretty basic storyline about a woman who’s committed a crime and falls in love with the wrong guy, but apart from that it reads well. It’s beautifully written and I like it. I’ve already purchased his second novel too, but I guess it’ll be a while until I get the chance to dig my teeth into that one.
Lying down on the couch, I start reading. And as I drift off into the imaginary world of Quinn’s, I forget all about my worries.
The phone buzzes about a chapter and a half later. Picking it up, I notice to my surprise that it’s Quinn calling. Clearing my throat, I answer the phone.
“Nina here.”
“Hi Nina, it’s me. Quinn.”
“Hi Quinn, what’s up?” Hearing his deep voice excites me, and I get nervous all of a sudden. Usually, I’m never nervous around him, but it’s like it’s different when we speak on the phone for some odd reason.
“I’m good, you?”
“I’m fine, just reading.” The instant I’ve said it, I regret it. What if he doesn’t want me to read his books?
“Really? What are you reading?”
“Oh, well actually I wasn’t reading a book. I was just… Uh, flipping through a magazine,” I lie, and stash his book underneath one of the cushions. Somehow, it feels easier to lie without having his name spelled out right next to me.
“Okay, too bad, I was kind of curious to hear what kind of books you like to read. But that wasn’t why I called you.”
Elated he seems to drop the topic of my choice of reading material, I breathe out a sigh of relief.
“What’s going on?” I ask, and get up to get myself a drink of water.
“I was just…” he says, and turns quiet.
“What?”
“Are you hungry? Cuz I was gonna go out for dinner, but I kind of wanted company.”
“What like tonight?” I ask, and look at the time. It’s only eight and I probably should eat something more than that yoghurt.
“Yeah, unless you’re busy I mean?”
Not for you I’m not.
“Why not?” I say, and instantly start going through my closet in my head, trying to figure out what to wear if I’m going out to dinner with Quinn. “What kind of food do you want?”
“Anything’s fine by me. You?”
“I’m not sure, let me think about it for a sec,” I say, and stop thinking about clothes for a moment. “Oh, there’s this great restaurant just around the corner from my place, called Olivetta. Maybe we could go there?”
“Sounds great. Meet you there in an hour?”
“An hour is perfect,” I say, and smile to myself. After we’ve hung up, I jump up and down a couple of times.
I can’t believe this. Quinn’s just asked me out for dinner.
Quinn.
The hottest guy on earth.
By the time I arrive on Melrose Avenue, Quinn’s already there. Walking over to the table where he’s waiting for me in the Sunroom, I feel beautiful. I decided to wear my hair down, and I’ve got a plain blue and white polka-dot dress on.
“Hey there,” Quinn says, and stands up when he notices me. Greeting me with a friendly kiss on the cheek, I tremble when his face brushes against mine.
“Hey,” I say, and have a seat. My heart is beating hard, and my face feels hot. I hope I’m not blushing too much, because I don’t want things to become awkward between us. We’ve got a good thing going working together, and I really love this job compared to the last one.
“So, this place is pretty nice,” Quinn says when the waiter’s given us the menus.
“Yeah, it’s great.”
“Come here a lot?” he says, peeking at me over his menu.
“Every once in a while I guess, not too often.” It’s true. Ever since I switched jobs I’ve had to stop splurging money around me. Still, I’m glad I can make rent and pay for my own upkeep instead of having to run back to mom and dad and beg them to help me out. I want to show them that I can make it on my own.
I order some shaved fennel served with lemon and parmesan for starters, and Quinn gets the toasted sourdough. We decide to split a very expensive bottle of white wine, and Quinn makes a promise to me that once he’s finished his new book, we’ll split a bottle of champagne instead.
“Is that so?” I ask, while thanking the waiter for my wine.
“Yes. Champagne is the only way to celebrate, don’t you think?”
“Sure, I love champagne. But there are other ways of celebrating as well.”
“Like what?” he asks, and stares straight into my eyes. God he’s gorgeous. He’s got these amazing brown eyes which just make my knees weak whenever I look into them.
“Like… Cake for instance,” I say, and laugh a little. “I love cake. Don’t you?”
“Absolutely. Then that’s what we’ll have. Cake and champagne.”
“Chocolate cake and champagne. With strawberries.”
“Whatever you want,” he says, and winks at me. When he does, I flush. And for the first time in a very long time I feel good being around a man. Justin never made me feel comfortable, and I was never really completely relaxed around him. Quinn’s the total opposite of him, really. He’s attentive and caring, and he’s always asking me how I’m doing.
The more closely I think about it, the more convinced I become that Quinn’s perfect. Still, there’s one thing bugging me.
I have no idea if he’s single or not.
And all of this just might be one friend hanging out with another.
Watching the bougainvillea vines crawling up the white walls, I take a sip of the white wine. The food was delicious, as always at Olivetta, and the company was even better.
Whenever Quinn gazes into my eyes, it sends shivers down my spine. I don’t know why, but it’s like I’m completely mesmerized by his persona. There’s something so utterly charming about him, that whatever he says or does it makes my heart go pitter-patter.
I’ve never felt like this before.
Never.
When I first met Justin I kind of thought he was cute, but I was so much younger back then, before college and all, and I didn’t really know what I wanted from a guy or life even. But Quinn is nothing like him. Quinn is so sweet and attentive, and never makes me feel bad about something I’ve said.
“So,” Quinn says, leaning back in his seat. “Are you full? Or do you want some dessert?
“I don’t know, it depends on what you had in mind,” I say, hoping he doesn’t take my remark too literally. Though I would prefer to have him for dessert, I’m not so sure he’s as into me as I am him.
“Let’s ask the waiter,” he says, and instantly gets the guy’s attention.
Sitting here in silence, I watch Quinn speak to the waiter. Every now and then Quinn shoots a look at me, and it makes my heart go faster. Recalling a memory from earlier today when we were discussing some of the material I’d pulled for him, I think about how his hand brushed against mine and how he didn’t pull back or flinch. Thinking about it, I figure it could mean two things: either he’s interested in me, or he’s just really comfortable around me. Either way is fine with me, although I would prefer it if he were interested. Because I kind of think I’d like to explore what our relationship could develop into…
“Nina?” I hear a voice say behind me. Turning around I see about the last person I want to see right now.
“Justin? What are you doing here?” Noticing the girl beside him, I kind of feel like I recognize her for some reason. But then again, she just looks like most girls around here do, so I might be fooling myself.
“We’re just here to have dinner. And you?” he asks, and gives Quinn a nasty look. The waiter walks away from out table, nodding his head at Justin and the girl on his arm when passing them by.
“Dinner with a friend, is all.”
“A friend?” Justin says, raising an eyebrow. He’s scanning Quinn with his eyes, probably wondering what I’m doing with a man at least ten years my senior.
“Yeah, we’re friends. Quinn,” I say, turning my attention to him. “Meet Justin, remember I told you about him the other day?” I say, hoping Quinn will get my hint. I’ve never even mentioned Justin to Quinn, but if Quinn’s the kind of man I’m guessing he is, he’ll get it.
“Justin, huh? Nice to meet you,” he says, and gets up from his seat. “On second thought, sweetie,” he says, and strokes my cheek. “How about we bring dessert with us and finish our course back at my place?”
Startled by both his words and his touch, I flush. “That sounds good.”
“Be right back,” Quinn says, and pats Justin on the back. “Really nice meeting you,” he tells him, before vanishing out of our sight.
“I thought you were gonna come by yesterday to pick up the rest of your stuff. What happened with that?” I say to Justin, and have some more wine.
“I uh,” he mumbles, obviously distressed by the situation. “Something came up. But I’ll call you tomorrow, alright?”
“Sure.”
“Nina, sweetie?” Quinn’s voice says from the other side of the room. “The guy says we can pick up dessert now if you wanna get outta here.”
More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my whole life.
“Nice meeting you,” I tell the girl on Justin’s arm who introduces herself as Ana.
Quinn walks over to us and grabs me by the hand. “Let’s go,” he says, and walks me out of the Sunroom.
Holding his hand, I feel safe. Safer than I have in a long time.
I can’t believe Quinn did this tonight.
I’m so happy.
He’s my knight in shining armor.
Chapter 2
QUINN
THE PALM TREES are black against the sky, and as we walk into my house, I know that I’m going to kiss Nina before the night is over.
I just have to have her.
Have to make her mine.
Plating the Brown Sugar Budino the waiter recommended, I ignore the situation back at the restaurant for a while. I can tell Nina’s a bit embarrassed about it, but I figure that guy’s gotta be someone she used to date or something. Not that I’m bothered by it, not one bit. He’s nothing to me, and there’s no way she’d ever even consider getting back with him once I get my hands on her. If that’s the kind of boys she’s been with up until now, I’ll have no trouble pleasing her.
“Thanks, by the way,” she says, while we get seated on the living room couch. I’ve opened the glass doors leading into the garden, and a slight cool breeze is flowing into the house. I love the scent of the night air here in L.A. There’s nothing like it. “Thank you for helping me out back there.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, winking at her. Her cheeks redden, and when I stroke the side of her face with the back of my hand, I sense her trembling. “I got your back.”
Digging into the budino, Nina turns quiet. Studying her, I know I should say something more. Something to make her relax. Because I can tell she likes me, and I bet she’s a bit embarrassed about the whole thing.
“Ex-boyfriend?” I try, and have a taste of the budino myself. It’s delicious, just like the rest of the food at Olivetta. I’ve been there a bunch of times before, but it’s never been as good as tonight. All thanks to Nina.
“Very ex-boyfriend, yes,” she says, staring at her plate.
“Recent?”
“Yeah, about a month ago or so, but I was done with it way before that.”
“Just didn’t get around to ending it, huh?” I ask, and put my budino on the table. Leaning back, I lay my arm on the backrest of the couch, behind Nina.
“Something like that, yeah,” she says, shaking her head. “I’m sorry,” she says, her cheeks redder than before.
“Don’t be.”
Lifting her eyes from the ground, she finally looks at me.
Finally.
Those damn blue eyes of hers.
They’re like a pair of diamonds.
Glowing and glistening.
Luring me in.
Sweet Nina. You could never do anything wrong.
“Well, I still wanted to thank you for helping me get out of there. Not that it hurts seeing him with someone else, but I think it’s too soon to be dating someone already. Es
pecially since I’m the one who broke up with him. Not the other way around.”
“Do you really? Think it’s too soon, I mean?”
“Yeah. For him at least.”
“And you? How about you? What if you met someone and wanted to date them right now, would you do that?”
Again, she blushes, and her eyes shy away from mine. I hope I’m not pushing her too far, but I need to know. I have to know if my suspicions are right.
Because my gut is telling me that she likes me.
And the way she shudders each time I touch her makes me believe that I’m right.
She wants me.
She’s just got to.
Because I want her like I’ve never wanted anyone before.
“I guess,” she finally says. “If it’s the right guy I suppose it’s alright for me to start dating again.” She smiles and briefly looks at me for a moment. It’s only a quick look, but it tells me everything I need to know.
Good.
Then she’s giving me the green light. And I’m not about to step down from this. No way.
Once Nina and I start talking about her ex-boyfriend and her life before she became my assistant, it’s like I’ve opened up the floodgates. Nina goes on to talk about her past, describing how she’s always felt like the odd one out in her family, and how her parents always put her older brothers first, that she wasn’t allowed to go to the college she wanted to, and that her father was upset with her for quitting her job at the family business to do something she actually wanted. The more she talks, the worse I feel for her, and when I see tears welling up in her eyes, all I want to do is wrap my arms around her tiny body and hold her.
“Forgive me for saying this, but your dad sounds like an ass,” I say and put my hand on her shoulder.
“I know, right?” she says, and wipes the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have drunk so much wine tonight…”