“Do you own the place?” she asked when I entered the room.
“Actually, I rent. I guess I always pictured living in a house one day. It’s just that right now, when it’s just me, it’s easier to live here, in an apartment in the city.”
She snorted. “Apartment is a loose term.”
I flung my backpack with my clean clothes over my shoulder and took her hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
When we got to her place, she opened the door and took a deep breath. She was happy to be home.
I never felt that way about my apartment.
“Come in,” Tessa said. “The cats try to get outside if the door is open too long.”
Her house was small, but it was homey. It reminded me of my home, growing up, and I already knew I was going to like spending time here.
“Go ahead and sit down. I’m going to take my suitcase upstairs. If you see two furballs, they won’t hurt you, but they might yell at you some.”
Tessa went upstairs, and I took my cell out of my pocket as I lay back on her sofa. I kept waiting to hear something from Paragon, but so far, they’d been silent. And I never hadn’t heard from Spark Advertising.
I was scanning my emails when something hard landed on my balls.
I grunted and moved my phone to see what had happened.
“Meow.”
“Holy crap, you are heavy.”
The black-and-white cat began to knead my crotch.
“Oh, so now, you’re trying to make up for hurting me, huh?” I scratched him or her behind one ear.
Tessa came back down a few minutes later. “Oh, I see you found Persephone.”
“More like Persephone found me. She jumped on my junk.”
Tessa laughed and came over to pet the cat. “Persephone, how dare you! I have plans for that junk later.”
Persephone lay down on my lap, and I snorted. “I think I made a friend.”
“Don’t get too cocky. She likes everyone.” She looked at her cat. “Persephone, where’s Hades?”
“Meow,” Persephone said, and a second later, another meow sounded behind her. She turned, and there was a big, fluffy orange cat.
“Hades,” Tessa said and scooped up the furball. “Are you hungry? Did you miss me?”
Hades turned his head away, looking unimpressed.
Tessa shrugged and put the cat down. “That’s about all the love I get from Hades.”
“He’s the ruler of the underworld. What did you expect?”
“You’re right. I need to adjust my expectations. Obviously, it’s my fault,” she said dryly.
I picked Persephone up and set her next to me, and then I pulled Tessa down to my lap. “Don’t worry. I will give you plenty of love later.”
Tessa cocked her eyebrows, and I chuckled.
Yeah, I had used the word love, and I wasn’t going to take it back.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tessa
Paisley clutched her hands to her chest. “So, he just gave up the whole deal for you?”
I blushed. “I don’t think he gave it all up for me per se. I mean, as Seth said to Ainsworth’s daughter, the guy is a liability.”
Paisley waved me away. “Let me have my romantic thoughts.”
The rest of us—Alexis, Bree, Pru, Isabelle, Elizabeth, and me—laughed.
“You are a hopeless romantic, girl,” Pru said.
“I know,” Paisley admitted with a sigh.
Not only had Seth given up the deal, but he’d also spent all weekend at my house. He cooked dinner on Saturday and helped me clean up after we finished eating. I’d expected someone like him to not be used to doing housework, but he didn’t act like it was a big deal at all.
He went home on Sunday night because we both decided it would be better for us not to show up to work at the same time on Monday morning. It was the first night I’d slept alone in almost a week, and I hated how much I’d missed him.
Which was why I told him I wanted to keep seeing him. I didn’t care if we had to keep it a secret at work. I wasn’t going to be there forever, and it would be worth it if I got to see him every day.
Monday, Seth had been so busy, meeting with the team who had worked on the Paragon proposal and then making an announcement to the whole office, that I hardly saw him.
Tuesday and Wednesday were busy too. We snuck a few kisses here and there, but it wasn’t the same as working out of the hotel room. It was a good thing we’d still spent the night together on Monday and Tuesday.
It was Wednesday night, and since it was my monthly dinner with my friends, I told him I’d see him tomorrow.
Bree poked me in the arm. “You remember how much crap you gave me for dating your brother and breaking the ‘rule’ of our club? I think I should give you the same amount of shit back now that you’re in a relationship.”
I held up my hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Seth and I are not in a relationship. I don’t think I’d even classify it as seeing each other. We’re just having fun.”
“Yeah, in the bedroom,” Alexis said.
Everyone laughed, including me.
“Exactly,” I said. “Seth asked me if I wanted to continue this thing we had going when we got back home. He offered me a choice, which I appreciated instead of him just assuming it would be ongoing. But it’s not like he’s confessed his undying love for me or anything.”
“I guess we’ll see,” Bree said.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know if it can last after I quit. We’re having fun right now, and we’re in the honeymoon phase, but once that wears off, it’s going to be apparent that he makes so much more money than me. I can’t do everything he does and go everywhere he goes. And I refuse to let him pay for me to go places with him. It will get old for both of us.”
Paisley frowned, and her lower lip protruded. “That’s so depressing.”
“No, it’s life. Pais, we started this club for a reason. I’m simply having a little fun right now, but I am still as single as ever.” I agreed it was sad, but I wanted to go into this with my eyes wide open. I was already preparing myself for the end.
“Well, get him to take you on another trip for work before it’s too late,” Elizabeth said.
I laughed. “I’ll get right on that.”
Alexis’s phone beeped next to her, and mine went off a second later.
“Is that Seth?” Isabelle asked me.
I picked up my cell. “No, it’s from our realtor.”
“Uh-oh, I got a text too,” Alexis said.
Jana: Sorry for the late text, but I just found out the strip mall is going up for sale early. There is a buyer interested in several of the stores, including the one that you both have your eye on. Let’s talk tomorrow and discuss our next steps.
My good mood shattered, and Alexis looked like she wanted to cry.
“What happened?” Pru asked.
I gently set my phone facedown, so I wouldn’t have to look at the awful message. “The building we want is going up for sale early because they have an interested buyer.”
“And we are nowhere near having enough money for the down payment,” Alexis said in an almost-monotone voice, as if she was in shock.
“I don’t understand,” Bree said. “It wasn’t supposed to be up for sale for another month or so.”
“Money,” I said. “Some rich person wants it, so that rich person is going to get it.” I clenched my fists in frustration.
We were still somewhere between five to ten thousand dollars short, and there was no way we were going to be able to scrape that much together within a couple of days.
I swallowed my sadness and tried to look at the bright side. “It sucks. It really does, but Alexis and I will find a new place. It might not be as good as this one, but we will find a space for our dream.”
“There are several stores in the strip mall. Can’t you pick another one?” Bree asked.
Alexis shook her head. “They’re all spoken for, so the
chance of one of them being on the market by the time we have our money together is very slim.”
The table was full of sad ladies now, and no one seemed to know what to say to make things better.
“I know we’re going to lose our first pick for location, but I got an idea for something for our place when I was in San Francisco.”
Alexis looked hopeful even though she had to know that I wasn’t going to magically come up with money. “What’s that?”
“What if our place was not just a bakery and a café, but also a cat café?”
I held my breath as I waited for Alexis to say no.
“Oh my God, I love that idea.”
I squealed as I opened my arms, and she hugged me.
“I was so afraid you’d shoot it down.”
She pulled back. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. Because you don’t have any cats.”
“That’s because my ex never wanted them, and now, I live in an apartment that doesn’t allow pets. I think it’s an awesome idea.”
“We’re going to have to think of a whole new name,” I warned.
Alexis chuckled. “We haven’t even come up with one in the first place.”
“This is true,” I said with a grin.
Bree lifted her glass. “Even though we had some bad news tonight, I think we should still cheers to the cat café.”
“I agree,” Elizabeth said.
“I was already planning to be there constantly,” Paisley said. “But now, I might just move in.”
“Thanks, ladies, for making us feel better,” I said.
“That’s what friends are for,” Bree said.
Now, if we could come up with a miracle for a new location soon, life would be pretty darn good.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Seth
Thursday morning, I got to work before most of my employees, including Tessa, and I was concentrating, so I didn’t hear her arrival until my office door opened and closed.
She came into the room, set my latte down, and turned around to go back without even meeting my eyes. She seemed to be in a daze.
“Hey,” I said.
She stopped and turned.
“No good-morning kiss?”
She smiled. “Sorry. I just have something on my mind.”
I pushed my chair back from my desk. “Come here.”
She came over, and I took her hand and pulled her in for a kiss. “I missed you last night.”
“I missed you too.”
“Liar. You barely gave me a single glance this morning,” I teased her.
“Hey, I got you coffee. So, you clearly must have been on my mind.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
She leaned back against my desk. “Last night, Alexis and I found out we might lose our location.”
I winced. “Oh, that’s rough. What happened?”
She explained the text she and Alexis had received last night. “We still don’t have enough funds, so we’re supposed to meet with our realtor after one p.m. to figure out our next steps. Do you mind if I leave to do that? I’ll be back later in the afternoon to finish work.”
“Not at all.” I tilted my head. “Do you mind if I ask how short you are?”
“No, it’s fine. Alexis and I did the math last night, and if we pool all our money, we’re short six thousand dollars. But then we won’t have anything left over if something comes up, like fees or other things.” She put her fingers to her temples and rubbed.
I hated to say it, but six thousand was easy money for me. When she had said they were short on funds, I’d pictured a much larger number in my head. “I can give you six thousand.”
Her head whipped up, her eyes wide.
“I can give you more than that, too, so you’re not left without anything extra, if you want.”
She stood. “Absolutely not.”
I held up my hands. “Okay, I understand. How about we consider it a loan? You can pay me back whenever you have the money, interest-free.”
“No.” She went to the other side of my desk. “I know you are offering out of the goodness of your heart, but the answer is no.”
I rose from my chair. “Why?”
“Because…”
“Because why?”
“Because it just wouldn’t be right, and it wouldn’t work out, and it would just make a mess of everything.”
“That is not a good explanation,” I pointed out.
“Please, just drop it.”
I hated for her to lose the place she wanted so badly, but I also didn’t want to upset her any further. “Consider it dropped.”
“Thank you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get some work done before I have to meet with the realtor.”
Tessa didn’t say much the rest of the morning and only stopped in for a second to tell me she was leaving. I couldn’t tell if she was preoccupied with her business problem or if she was upset with me for offering to give her the money. It was hard to tell because she’d been worried before she even spoke to me. But only time would tell.
She arrived back at the office a couple hours later and came straight to my door. Her purse fell off her shoulder, and she dragged it behind her as she walked to my couch and sat.
The meeting must not have gone well.
I left my desk, shut the door, and sat down next to her. “That bad, huh?”
She fell into my chest and nodded. “I keep telling myself we’ll find another place, but I can’t help but feel sad.”
I wrapped my arm around her. “You have every right to feel disappointed. It’s hard to find a good spot sometimes. But I’m sure another will come along,” I quickly added.
“Did anything like this happen to you?”
I smiled. “No, but we worked out of John’s house in the beginning. We’d rent conference rooms at hotels for cheap when we had to meet with clients.”
“Oh yeah,” she said. “The conference-room thing was smart.”
“We sure thought it was. Some of our clients questioned it though.”
Tessa lifted her head. “Whatever happened to John?”
My smile fell, and I looked away. “He died.”
“Oh my God, I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” So much that I didn’t want to talk about it. I looked at Tessa again. “Since you won’t let me give you money, how about I keep an ear out for new and upcoming locations that might work for you?”
She slumped back in against the couch. “For about five seconds after meeting with our realtor, I honestly thought about taking you up on your offer, so don’t think your generosity went unnoticed.”
“If you change your mind, the offer still stands.”
She put her hand in mine and squeezed. “Thank you, but I’ll pass. I will take you up on the second offer though, where you keep your ears peeled.”
“Done.”
“Well, I’d better get back to work, so my boss doesn’t get mad at me for slacking on the job.”
I laughed and helped her up.
As she walked toward the door, an idea came to me.
“You know, at the end of every quarter, the company gives out bonuses.”
She turned and looked at me like she wasn’t fooled. “Nice try. But if you pay me more than my agreed-upon amount, I will just give it back to you.”
I laughed. “Can’t blame a guy for wanting to help his girl.”
“Your girl, huh?”
“Yeah, my girl.”
“That is very sweet of you.” She opened the door. “Let me know if you need anything.”
As soon as Tessa was out the door, I went to my desk and pulled up the number for my own realtor, who had helped me find my current location.
“Seth Crawford. How can I help you? Have you already grown out of your office building?”
I laughed. “No. I need help with something else.”
I told him about the strip mall and asked him if he could find out all the
realtors who were working on deals there. “I’m specifically looking for someone who is helping a Tessa Archer and an Alexis. I’m sorry. I don’t have her last name. If you can’t find out the name of the real estate agent, can you give me a list, so I can call them myself?”
“Absolutely. Give me a couple of hours, and I’ll get back to you.”
“Call my cell, will you?”
“Sure will.”
“Thank you.”
I went back to what I had been working on before Tessa showed up, and I got a call about an hour later. Because it was less time than he had said, I was prepared to write down a list of names.
“What do you have for me?” I asked.
“Jana Symes is who you’re looking for.”
“This is who is helping Tessa and Alexis?”
“The one and only. And Alexis’s last name is Moore. I emailed you their realtor’s contact information.”
“You are awesome. Thank you.”
“Glad I could help.”
I hung up the phone and called Jana Symes.
“This is Jana.”
“Hi, Jana. My name is Seth Crawford, and I need the phone number of one of your clients. An Alexis Moore. Can you get me in touch with her, please?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Seth
I stood up from the small table in the back of the coffee shop when I saw Tessa’s friend Alexis walk through the door.
“Hello,” she said when she approached me.
“Please sit,” I said.
When I had asked her to meet with me and not tell Tessa, she’d been very skeptical, not that I blamed her. But when I’d told her that I wanted to help her with her business and that we’d be in public, she’d agreed to meet me.
Alexis eyed me up and down, and I could tell she was uneasy, so I leaned back to keep my distance, hopefully making her feel more at ease.
“What can I help you with?” she asked.
“Nothing. It’s me who wants to help you.”
“How so?”
“Tessa told me about the building you want to buy and what happened. I also know that you don’t have enough money for a down payment to secure your loan.”
Not Another Billionaire (Not Another Romance) Page 13