Exclusively Yours

by Nadine Gonzalez

  Absent a moral high ground, she was at a disadvantage.

  She showered, wrapped a towel around her chest and returned to the kitchen for the coffee she hadn’t had a chance to pour. After rummaging through the fridge for creamer and coming up empty, she called out to Brie. “Are we out of creamer? And don’t say I can’t afford it!”

  She reached for a container of Greek yogurt well past its expiration date and tossed it in the trash. She needed to get to the supermarket.

  Brie cried out to her, “Don’t know! And don’t come out here!”

  “Why not?” Did the UPS guy stay to install the toner?

  A third voice rose up, calm and sure. “Because she doesn’t want me to see you naked.”

  While Brie erupted in giggles, Leila broke out in goose bumps. She slammed the refrigerator door and, clutching the knot of her towel to her chest, raced down the hall to the front room. Nick was seated comfortably opposite Brie, Starbucks coffee cup in hand. Funny, he didn’t look broken to her.

  “Nick, what are you doing here?”

  This was a true surprise considering the way he’d stormed off last night. She hadn’t expected him to reach out to her again, or so soon.

  “He brought you coffee,” Brie answered sweetly on his behalf. “A latte. You won’t need creamer.”

  “Trust me, he can speak for himself.”

  Was he trying to make her nostalgic for mornings when he’d brought her coffee at her desk? Leila took a breath. Why was she even thinking about that?

  “I need to speak to you,” he said.

  She needed to speak with him, too. But not now and not like this. “I don’t have time. I’m getting ready to meet a client.”

  “I see that.”

  The look in his eyes caused her temperature to spike. Her fingers tightened around the knot of her towel. Maybe she should’ve gone through the trouble of putting on a robe before rushing out.

  Nick rose and handed her the lidded cup, their fingers brushing. She was upset, but not enough to turn down good coffee.

  “Get dressed,” he said. “I’ll wait.”

  “And I’ll keep him company,” Brie chimed.

  Feeling outnumbered in her own home/office, Leila locked herself in her bedroom. Hold it together.

  She flung open her closet, skipping over outfits she’d normally wear on an ordinary weekday, searching for something punchier. It took some effort, but she retrieved her red DVF wrap dress. It was a few years old but still a classic. It had always helped her feel confident. She slipped it on, pretending to have forgotten all about Nick’s expressed wish to unwrap the wrap.

  When she returned to the front room feeling in control, feeling like a boss, she found Brie was in confession mode. The young girl was sharing with Nick her concerns for her future.

  “If you’re looking for a job,” Nick said, “give me a call. I can help.”

  Leila lost it. The man was like a weed invading her garden. “Hello! She has a job. A job she apparently doesn’t even need.”

  “He meant after graduation,” Brie said hastily. “That’s a long time off.”

  “I told you, Brie. He can speak for himself.”

  Leila felt less like a boss and more like a grump. She couldn’t handle Nick, couldn’t function normally around him.

  Brie mumbled an apology and traded knowing glances with Nick. How was it possible they’d forged an alliance in so little time?

  Leila asked Nick into her office, mostly to get him away from her assistant. She couldn’t let him snag the one person on her team.

  Once the door was closed behind them she said, “Nick, listen, I don’t mean to be rude—”

  “So don’t.”

  “I have to be in the Gables by noon.”

  “I drove through construction traffic and left my new car out in an alley to see you today.”

  “You could’ve called.”

  “I wanted to speak to you in person.”

  Leila riffled through a pile of printouts on her desk for the day’s listing. Nick picked up a picture frame and asked, “Is this your aunt? The one you told me about?”

  She snatched the frame out of his hands. “We don’t have time for small talk. My client is a jerk. If I show up late or give him any other excuse to drop me, he will.”

  “Drop you?”

  She realized, with a pinch of envy, that the concept was foreign to him. “He’s made all kinds of threats.”

  Nick’s demeanor, even his posture, changed. “What’s his problem?”

  He was the brightest in the business. She’d be a fool to not pick his brain.

  “He wants the impossible. He’s holding out for an updated four-bedroom in Coral Gables proper and won’t shell out more than five hundred grand. Yesterday, I showed him a fixer with a ton of potential and he hated it. The one I’m showing him today is no better, but I’m running out of options.”

  “Who is he? What does he do?”

  “He’s a tax attorney, relocating from Atlanta.”

  How many times had Miller waxed poetic about the fabulous mini-mansions his money could buy in Atlanta? He’d described palatial homes on oversize lots with random extras like mudrooms, rec rooms and bonus rooms.

  Nick ran his fingers through his hair. “He’s got unrealistic expectations.”

  “Exactly!”

  “He needs a reality check.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “Show him the house you know he wants, but can’t afford.”

  “I can’t play games. He’ll just get pissed.”

  Nick faced her, his expression stern. “Leila, you run this deal. Not the other way around.”

  They were slipping into their old roles. Even after all this time, and the effort she’d put into starting her own business, she was still the protégée and he the mentor.

  “Okay. I show him his dream house, tell him what it costs, he blows up and then what?”

  “He calms the hell down.”

  “And if he doesn’t?”

  “You tell him the truth—he’s wasting your time.”

  “But I need—” She stopped herself from oversharing. Having forgotten how easy it was to confide in him, she was in no position to judge Brie.

  “I know,” he said. “But you can’t let him walk all over you.”

  It was too late to stop that; Miller’s footprints were all over her back. But she trusted Nick’s instincts. Since her methods had led nowhere, it was worth a shot.

  “Okay.” She powered up her computer. “Help me find something outrageous.”

  They worked quickly together. Within minutes, they’d found the perfect property and contacted the listing agent. Nick offered to accompany her and she happily accepted. It was only right that he be there to help clean up the mess when it all hit the fan.

  Out in the alley, both she and Nick reached for their keys. Next to her Mazda and Brie’s Ford was a gunmetal-gray Maserati, as muscular as a car can get.

  Nick said, “Let’s take my car.”

  “From Mercedes to Maserati? That’s a jump.”

  He held open the passenger door, revealing indulgent chocolate-brown leather seats. “I did okay in New York.”

  “I’m sure you did.”

  Leila slid on her sunglasses to hide the twinkle in her eyes. The sexy interior was making her very, very happy. The bonus was watching Nick drive it. She loved how he handled Miami’s chaotic roads; focused, one hand on the wheel. Once again she felt the dangerous pull of nostalgia taking her back to a time when watching Nick was all she’d wanted to do. She cleared her throat and tried to move the conversation forward.

  “Aren’t I taking you away from your own work? What do you do for Reyes, anyway?”

  The second question was the important one. If he’d done so well i
n New York, why leave? How could Miami compete?

  “I’m here to sell out the Ten Twenty building, and fast. Otherwise, Reyes’s reputation takes a hit. And he knows it.”

  “We all have our problems, I guess.” It sounded like big business. “Still chasing the money, huh?”

  “You used to like that about me,” he said.

  “Did I?”

  “I talked to Paige. She says you’re looking for work.”

  Leila did her best to look cool. “I gave her my card. No big deal.”

  “Do you need work?”

  “I’m fine. Thanks.”

  She looked out the window. They’d veered onto the Julia Tuttle Causeway and, as always, the multimillion-dollar homes on Star Island made her heart soar.

  “I’ll put in a good word for you with the old man, maybe for some future project.”

  “Is that what you call him? The old man?”

  Nick grinned. “He loves me like a son.”

  “Does everyone love you?”

  “You tell me.”

  They carried on like this, teasing and taunting. Before she knew it, they were cruising down US-1 and nearing Miller’s law firm on Ponce de Leon. She called to let him know she was five minutes away. Still, she expected him to keep them waiting for about fifteen minutes more.

  Nick parked curbside and Leila unfastened her seat belt. “I’ll give him the front seat. His ego won’t fit in the back.”

  “I’ll get in the back,” Nick said. “You drive.”

  “What?” The offer left her flustered and more than a little excited. “You’re trusting me with your new toy?”

  He stepped out of the car, giving up the prized driver’s seat. “You need to look like you’re in charge. That won’t happen if you’re stuck in the back.”

  She wasted no time getting behind the wheel. He helped her adjust the seat then settled in the back. Grabbing hold of the leather-wrapped transmission gear, she said, “This feels good!”

  “You look good.”

  Leila pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and she and Nick locked eyes in the rearview mirror. Even relegated to the back seat, there was no mistaking that he was in charge.

  “I need you to be on your best behavior,” she said.

  “You’ll hardly know I’m here.”

  Impossible, she thought. He looked beyond handsome in a light blue shirt, dark gray pants and the leather belt she’d so adeptly unfastened that night in the cave.

  “I’m sorry I walked away last night,” he said.

  This was the talk, then. The lunch hour crowd started to pour onto the sidewalks. The car with its tinted windows offered a private, quiet space.

  “It wasn’t completely unjustified,” she said.

  “I still can’t figure why you froze me out.”

  “Nick, if I hurt you—”

  “Let’s clear that up. There’s no if.”

  Startled by the force of his reaction, Leila went quiet.

  “Last night you said you barely knew me.” He drilled on. “What the hell is that?”

  “Nick, I’m—”

  “You’re sorry?”

  The word sounded hollow. “You don’t know what I was going through.”

  “I came looking for you, Leila. I came back precisely because I wanted to know what you were going through.”

  “Nick, I am sorry.”

  Her voice cracked and, to her horror, her eyes began to well with tears. Having spent months hating him, now she hated herself. He lunged forward and reached for a pack of tissues in the glove compartment.

  “Dry your eyes,” he said. “Your client will think I’m being mean to you.”

  “Aren’t you?” She pulled a compact from her purse and carefully dabbed at her smudged mascara.

  “Look, maybe we both messed up. I know I gave up on you way too soon.” He proposed a neat solution. “Forgive and forget?”

  Leila looked up and found that his gaze had never left her face. What was he thinking? Did he expect them to skip over the past like a shallow puddle? How realistic was that?

  Just then Miller charged out of the office building, looking frumpy in his boxy business suit. For the first time, Leila wasn’t afraid of him.

  Pointing out the window, she said, “There’s my client.”

  Nick’s thick brows drew close as he sized Miller up. “You’ve been running around with this guy for how long now?”

  “Correction. I’ve been catering to my client’s needs for about five months. His contract is almost up.”

  Leila stepped out to greet Miller. He eyed the car. “Had to call for backup?”

  “Not at all. But if you don’t mind, my friend Nicolas Adrian will be joining us today.”

  With both men in the car, Miller in the passenger seat and Nick a shadowy presence in the back, Leila worried she’d choke on an excess of testosterone.

  Miller fastened his seat belt, frowning even as he nodded his approval. “This is a far cry from your little Mazda, huh?”

  “Hey,” Leila said, “I love my car.”

  “As you should,” Nick said.

  Miller glanced at him for the first time. “You two know each other long?”

  “I barely know her,” Nick said.

  “Don’t listen to him,” Leila said with a short laugh. “We go way back. I used to work—”

  Nick cut her off. “We worked at the same agency. We were a team.”

  Miller waited for her to corroborate Nick’s version of the facts.

  Leila nodded slowly. Sometimes she missed working with him more than anything.

  * * *

  The two-story Colonial occupied a double lot surrounded by a precisely trimmed hedge. A glossy red front door opened to a light-filled space with beige walls and a tawny pine floor. The listing agent allowed them access and pointed out the updated kitchen with traditional touches: a swan-neck faucet dipping into a copper sink and an oversize hood hovering over the gas stove. The second floor offered a spacious master bedroom, en suite bath and endless closets, which was unheard of in similar homes. The current owners were a pair of savvy developers who’d pulled off the impossible: increasing the square footage by tacking on an addition, all without destroying the home’s authentic charm.

  “The last house on this street sold for one million flat,” she told Miller. “This one is listed at one point three. The price reflects the double lot and master suite. It’s even got a three-car garage. Detached, but still. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Miller said. “It’s a great house.”

  Leila was shocked that the price alone hadn’t fired him up. Was he showing off for Nick?

  “Give me a minute to call my wife, will you?”

  “We’ll be out in the yard.”

  The listing agent stayed behind in the kitchen. Nick followed Leila down a brick path toward a hidden orchard.

  “Calling the wife is a good sign,” she said.

  “Or he’s looking for an out,” Nick said. “What do you think about the house?”

  “I think it’s lovely. How about you?”

  “Not my style.”

  “Let me guess. It’s missing a sea wall, a dock and a boat lift.”

  In the calm of the orchard he said, “See how well you know me?”

  Sunlight streamed in from all sides of the orchard, highlighting the rust tones of Nick’s hair. Her first impression still held: the man was trouble.

  Miller saved her. “Hey!” he called out. “Where are you two?”

  Nick’s jaw tightened. “Do me a favor. Find that man a house and get rid of him.”

  She gestured for him to shut up, and darted off. For the moment, Miller was her only actual client.

  She found him waiting by the pool. He’d
stripped off his heavy suit jacket, revealing a white shirt stained with sweat.

  “So what do you think?” Leila asked Miller.

  “I talked to my wife, even sent her some photos. It’s a solid house.”

  “Positive feedback! From you, that’s big.”

  “Not so fast. Love the look, don’t love the price.”

  “The two go hand in hand.”

  “I’d go for it, but my wife isn’t sold. She says it’s too much house.”

  Blaming the wife... Nick had called it. “Did you show her the closet? And the kitchen? It’s everything she asked for.”

  “She sort of liked the old house we saw yesterday.”

  What’s happening? “You can’t mean ‘Grandma’s house’?”

  “She says she can make that old place look just as good as this one.”

  Leila nearly fainted. “Of course she can. What did I tell you?”

  This sudden turnaround validated her efforts. Grandma’s house was the right fit, and she’d called it. Leila looked around for Nick. He’d stayed behind, giving her space, but she’d have liked to share this miracle with him.

  “You women think alike. What can I say?”

  “I’d have to call the agent to see if it’s even available. It was priced right.”

  “You’ve got work to do,” Miller said. “Get your boyfriend back here.”

  Chapter 22

  They dropped off her client and Nick had Leila to himself again. She was flush with excitement, and so pretty he wanted to kiss her at every traffic stop. But she wanted to talk business. Miller was prepared to pay the full asking price. However, Nick suggested she start low and shave off fifty grand. Miller was cheap, and if she could save him even a dime, he’d be loyal to her forever. She called the listing agent just as they pulled up to her office. With a steady voice, she said, “My client is prepared to offer four hundred and fifty thousand contingent on inspection.” If Nick remembered correctly, Miller’s exact words were, “I want to inspect the shit out of that house.”

  Brie had left for the day and it was just the two of them when the agent called with a counter offer. Leila sat at her desk, looking nervous.