I wipe the fake smile off my face. “If you’re my assistant, then you do what I say.”
Kelsey sighs sharply. “Whatever.” She gets up and struts to the door. “Do you need coffee, dear sir?”
I snort because she’s being facetious. “Black, no sugar, nor cream.”
She rolls her eyes and turns her back to me. “I’ll get it when I come back from HR.”
I watch her stroll out of my office. I rub my face, in disbelief. Within such a short period of time, I’ve lost my father, my sister’s husband tried ripping us off, my ex has lost her marbles, and I’ve lost control of my personal life.
“Fuck,” I say.
23
Nolan
One Day Ago…
The last four months have been a hell of a rollercoaster ride. Pete and Donald have been working overtime, trying to figure out how to put me in the best position to deal with Kelsey. I’ve been playing the good ex-husband who’s falling for the wiles of his ex-wife. I’ve been taking a detailed count of everything she’s made me do with her. I’ve gone to the theater with her three times and had dinner with her seventeen times. Eleven of those dinners were gatherings with friends we have in common; I let her hang on my shoulder, pet my hair, and rub my back to make it look as if we’re an item. It’s been killing me to lie and manipulate my friends. Thank God I was right about how long she was capable of playing my assistant. She didn’t last two days, but she made sure Vikki hired a guy to replace her. His name is Chip, and he’s awful at what he does. I plan to have Vikki fire him bright and early tomorrow morning.
I stand in front of the window looking out of my office, watching gusty wind whip snow across the parking lot under the lights. My eyes fall upon the spot where I originally helped Abby with her car. My thoughts go back to the time we spent at my cabin. I crack a smile. I wonder where she is and how she’s doing.
“Working late?” Kelsey’s voice jars me from my pleasant thoughts.
I don’t turn around to look at her. “Yep, burning the midnight oil.”
I can hear her walk over to my desk. I turn around. She’s carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“What are you doing here, Kelsey?”
“Looking for you.” She pours a drink and brings it to me. “So… how long are we going to keep this up?”
I want to wave off the drink, but I take it anyway. This is not the time to stop playing nice. “Keep what up?”
She tilts her head and gives me a look that says I should already know what she’s referring to.
“I’ve done everything you’ve asked. What else do you want from me?” I say.
“You haven’t made love to me,” she says.
The words hit me like a ton of bricks. She’s a sexy woman, but there’s no way in hell that I’m going to fuck her ever again.
I go to set my glass of wine on my desk. “I got to go.”
She grunts. “Really, Nolan? Is that all I’m going to get from you tonight?”
I walk to the coat tree near the back of my door. “Pretty much.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re going to come around someday soon.”
I take my coat off the hook. “Come around to exactly what?”
“To the fact that you’re just going to have to get used to me.”
“Haven’t I already done that?”
“I’m not just talking about getting rid of your little secretary. I’m talking about this attitude of yours.”
I stop myself from rolling my eyes. I don’t want to anger her even more. “Okay, what else do you want from me?”
She shakes her hands emphatically. “You, goddamn it! You!”
I calmly put on my coat. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do, haven’t I?”
Kelsey spreads her hand over my chest. “I want your heart, Nolan.”
I remove her hand. “You can make me go to Alice and Ben’s house for dinner while you bounce their new baby on your lap and make them think we’re back together. You can make me put on a suit and be your date for the Metropolitan Arts Benefit. I can keep jumping through your hoops until the cows come home. But what you can’t do is make me love you.”
She glares at me with that familiar look of vengeance in her eyes. “We’ll see about that,” she barks and storms out of my office, slamming the door behind her.
My legs grow weak, and I collapse onto the edge of my desk. I sit in silence for a while, fearing that I might’ve just set off a ticking time bomb.
As soon as I get home, I turn on the TV, grab a bottle of water from the fridge, and call Pete to set up some time to meet with him tomorrow. We settle on meeting at two thirty in the afternoon. I flop down on the sofa and stare blankly at the nightly news. All I can think about is how Kelsey made her moves on me tonight. She’s never going to change. It’s about time I take some aggressive steps to get her out of my life. For some reason, the thought of taking her down doesn’t sit well with me. It should, after everything she’s done, but I loved her once, and I don’t hate her. However, I have to stop her.
The next day, I make it back to my office and take the first part of the morning to study all the investments that my dad willed to Kelsey and me. After hours of combing through papers, I stop to rub my eyes. I look around my office. For the first time, the place feels entirely different. I get up out of my seat and walk out to the main work area where the rows of cubicles are set. I smell the coffee, listening to employees confer with each other over matters of work and the sound of fingers typing on keyboards. I smile, impressed by how well the staff has responded to my father’s passing. One day, he said, “This will all be yours.” Truth be told, I feel like it has been mine, at least in my heart, for a long time. I have to fight to keep it all intact. I look at my watch. It’s almost two o’clock.
I rush back to my office, grab my coat and hat, and race out. Vikki has already given Chip his walking papers, so I to tell Kristin, the receptionist, that I’ll be back as I pass her desk.
“Sure thing, Nolan,” she says right before the door closes behind me.
I get into my car and start it up. A call comes through the panel. It’s Pete. I answer it.
“I’m on my way,” I say as I back out of my parking space.
“Great deal. By the way, I’ve got some fantastic news for you.”
“Oh yeah? What is it?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here. It’s too good to share over the phone.”
Fifth Avenue is crowded, so I turn down Seventh Street, which is a smoother go.
“Then I’ll see you shortly,” I say and end the call.
I continue to drive a mile up the street before a red light brings my happy travels to a stop. I happen to look left at the country club parking lot. A navy-blue Mercedes catches my eye. There’s something familiar about it. The light turns green, and I have a fraction of a second to make a decision. I turn into the parking lot, pull up next to the car, and get out to inspect it. What in the world is Kelsey doing here?
This is not just any country club. This is where important businessmen come to eat steak and make deals. As a matter of fact, they know me very well around these parts. I walk into the club restaurant and stop at the hostess booth.
“Welcome, Mr. Patrick. Where would you like to sit today?” the host asks.
I glance across the largely empty dining room. A row of tables lines a large set of south-facing windows. One table is occupied by three people, including Kelsey. Two men are with her, and by the looks of their gray suits, they’re either bankers or attorneys.
“Is everything okay, Mr. Patrick?” the host asks.
It occurs to me that I know this kid. His name is Nate, and he’s seen me here before with Kelsey. I figure I have two choices. I can storm over there and try to figure out what in the hell is going on, or I can walk out and head to Pete’s office to hear his “good news.” I choose the first option.
I stroll across the floor. The three of them are engrossed in
conversation. When I’m about ten feet away, one of the gentlemen looks up. Kelsey follows suit.
She looks surprised. “Nolan?”
“Kelsey.” My tone is as cold as my expression. I turn to the guy on my left. “Who might you be?”
He looks at the other guy as if he needs permission to answer. “Dean Schimick, um, corporate lending.”
“That corporate loan must be pretty large to require a meeting here.”
Kelsey says, “Well, your lack of cooperation last night leaves me very few options.”
I glare at her. “That’s all I needed to know.”
I shake my head as I walk out. Kelsey has to know that we’re going to war now, and I no longer have any reservations about it. She better hope that her team is better than mine.
24
Nolan
I’m sitting in Pete’s office, trying to absorb what he just told me.
“Could you say that again?” I ask.
“Last week, I assembled a team to comb over every single document tied to the ownership and partnership of North Star Holdings. Desmond here…”
“Your ace legal researcher.” I flip a thumbs-up to the young guy in the room.
Pete winks at Desmond. “Why don’t you explain?”
Desmond grins in a self-satisfied way. “Sure… I found a clause that says if an owner was willed a portion of any shares or ownership in North Star Holdings, they can only sell their interest for five percent of the fair-market price to those persons who hold shares or ownership within the entity. This clause does not apply to the following: Nolan Declan Patrick and Liza Barbara Sharp-Patrick.”
“Wow,” I say with a sigh of relief. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to release the pent-up tension in my body. I was readying myself for a fight with Kelsey, but hell, Bill’s already won the war for me. I shake my head. “But did it have to take so long?”
“We had to get aggressive and pull every single document tied to North Star Holdings. I couldn’t believe Bill would leave everything he worked to build that vulnerable.”
“The strange thing was, it seemed like the important ownership documents were hidden,” Desmond said.
I grunt thoughtfully. “Is that so?”
“I had to file several release forms to get information that should’ve been in our files in the first place.”
Two thoughts come to mind. First, John could’ve been involved in hiding the documents; although, he’s slick but not that smart. Secondly, my father could’ve hidden the documents that he deemed valuable. Regardless, they have been found, and now I’m free.
Before leaving, I shake hands with Pete and Desmond. My feet are so light that I feel as though I’m skipping out of the building. There’s only one place to go from here, and that’s to Abby’s house. I get inside my SUV and start the engine—it hadn’t started this easy since before Bill died. I put the wheels to the road, and my car hasn’t driven this smoothly in a long time, either.
Driving through Abby’s neighborhood brings back memories. I look at the spot where the traffic officer halted us. I was forced to park my car at the barrier, and we walked the entire way to her house. The snow was thick and high on the ground. Each step was a struggle for her, and it made me uncomfortable to see her work that hard. I drive slowly past the spot where I asked her to let me carry her. When she took a moment to consider my offer, I knew she was the kind of woman I wanted to get to know better. My heart danced the waltz when she said yes. The scent of her hair and nearness of her face nearly drove me insane with lust. That same feeling washes over me right now as I park across the street from her house and stare at the front door. It’s been over four months since I’ve seen her. I never checked in on her because it would’ve been torture to know she had moved on without me. An attractive woman like Abby wouldn’t stay single for long.
A black Volkswagen pulls up into the driveway. A tall man gets out. He darts to the front door and uses a key to open it. Only for a second do I play with the idea that Abby no longer lives in the house. It belonged to her grandparents, and that meant a lot to her. I can’t see her selling the place. Could the guy be her new boyfriend? He’s back outside and shuffles to his car. He gets inside and continues up the driveway. I can only see the edge of the garage door once it’s fully lifted. I hop out of my car and run across the street. By the time I make it to the driveway, the garage door is inches away from closing, and the guy is inside.
“Damn it,” I curse under my breath.
I stutter-step as I contemplate going around to the front and knocking on the door.
“Hey,” a man says.
I jump. It’s the guy who just drove into the garage. “Hey!”
“Looking for something?” He’s on guard.
“Is Abby around?”
He frowns as if he has to think about my question. “Abby… oh, the house owner.”
I flinch, taken aback. “She doesn’t live here?”
“Not for a while. We’re renting the house. She lives in Chicago.”
I scratch my scalp anxiously. “Listen, I’m her former boss, and I…”
“You want her address?”
I sigh in relief. Today must be my lucky day. Everyone’s making things easy for me. “I would love her address.”
He thumbs over his shoulder. “I’ll go get it.”
I thank him profusely. As soon as I get the address in my hand, I make plans to fly to Chicago.
I’ve been sitting on a bench outside Abby’s apartment building for three hours. It’s tall and faces a park. I called Liza before I boarded my flight. She didn’t answer because she’s been traveling around Europe for the last few months, but I left a message, asking if she knew where Abby worked. It’s almost six o’clock in the afternoon when my phone rings. It’s Liza.
“Hey,” I say.
“Nolan. I got your message.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on a yacht in Sardinia.”
I calculate the time difference in my head. “It’s one o’clock in the morning.”
“I know, but I’m wide awake. Anyway, got your message, and I just spoke to Abby. She’s on a date.”
“A date? With who?”
“She didn’t say, but they’re going to the Tavern at the Park.”
I’m a little anxious about the fact that she’s out with another man. Maybe I’m too late. I should hop a flight back to Minneapolis and leave her to her new life. She seems to be doing well for herself. Lake Shore East is a real posh neighborhood.
“Nolan?” Liza says.
“Yep.”
“Get out of your head and go get her.”
I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give it the old college try. The Tavern at the Park isn’t that far away. “Okay,” I say.
Liza yawns. “Let me know what happens.”
“I will.”
I tell her to stay safe then end the call. I race through the park and up the hill to Randolph Street. As I’m walking toward Michigan, I’m lucky to catch a glimpse of Abby sitting on the patio. I can only see the back of the guy’s head, but his shoulders and hair look familiar. I walk back up to Columbus Avenue and cross. I find a spot on the outskirts of Millennium Park that has a better view of them. I feel awful for spying on her, but I can’t help it.
“And what the…” I whisper.
Her date is Lance Tobolowsky. I didn’t even know they knew each other. Abby’s drinking wine and laughing at something Lance said. It looks like she’s enjoying herself, and I’m sour about that. I want to go over there and interrupt them just see how she would react to my being here. I wonder how long they’ve been dating and if they’re an item.
Lance turns to take the check from the waiter. Abby looks off as if she’s distracted for a moment. Her gaze falls toward my direction, but she doesn’t see me.
A few minutes later, they leave the restaurant. I expect them to head toward the apartment building, but they don’t. Damn it. I want to follow them to
wherever they’re going, but I’m sick and tired of playing the role of a creepy stalker, so I head back to her building and sit on the same bench I sat on earlier.
I check my watch. I’ve been sitting here for almost an hour. I wonder where they went. My eyes are tired and burning from watching the lobby so intently, but I’ve come too far to give up. I’m preparing myself to wait another hour when, lo and behold, I see Abby and Lance. They walk right past me on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. I shoot to my feet and follow at a discreet distance. They go inside the building, and I wait on the steps because I’m not quite sure what to do.
I stand outside for a few minutes, wondering if he’ll spend the night. Maybe I should call Liza and ask her to call Abby to feel out the situation. I take some deep breaths. The anxiety streaking through my body is driving me insane. I’m about to take my phone out of my pocket when Lance walks out of the lobby with his hands shoved in his pockets. I’m flooded with relief. My streak of luck continues.
I walk inside and right past the doorman with the confidence of someone who lives here. Abby lives on the twenty-fifth floor in apartment 2507, and I’ll be seeing her very soon.
25
Abby
“Can I get you a drink?” I ask.
The air in my apartment has never felt so thick, trapping us in this moment of total shock and disbelief.
“No,” Nolan says. He looks so deflated sitting on the edge of my couch. He rubs the cushion. “Is this the same sofa you had in Minneapolis?”
“Yes.” I want to make light of the fact that I had my grandparents’ couch shipped to my new address because I have a thing for holding on to relics, but now is not the time to lighten the mood. “Why are you here, Nolan?”
“To see you.”
I’m distracted by the intense way he’s looking at me. “You said that already, but aren’t you and Kelsey—you know—together?”
The Sexy Series: The COMPLETE SERIES Box Set Page 30