“I had to finish a call with my father before I got on the elevator, and then I texted Rocco and Perry to make sure they knew he was doing okay. I swear, I don’t know how anyone got anything done before cell phones. Don’t worry. There’s no way I’m moving back to L.A. This is going to be great. And you look incredible.”
“Thanks. So do you. Is your dad okay?”
“Yes, much better. I need to try to get over and see him soon.” She’d been thinking about Dylan’s comment about seeing her father more often and had taken extra time on the phone with him. “The movers picked up my files about an hour ago, and they had another stop to make, so they should be here within the next hour. Did you arrange for a car to pick up Anika at the airport?” She hadn’t told Miranda about Dylan yet. She and Miranda were close, but since they worked remotely and were always slammed with work, the topic of men rarely came up. She wanted to tell her, but not when they were about to meet movers. Maybe she’d tell her when they were setting up the office and had time to themselves.
“Yes, and there will be a thank-you basket waiting for her in her hotel room.”
“Perfect. And now that we have a real office, you can run that ad to hire another agent.”
“Already on it, with résumés going to a new email address so your in-box doesn’t get bogged down. I’ll send you the log-in info when we’re done here.”
“You’re so on top of things. Thank you.” Tiffany unlocked the door to the office space and pushed the door open. They both gasped at the sight of stunning peace lilies in beautiful ceramic pots in the middle of the room, surrounded by several bouquets of paper flowers in glass vases. The leaves were made of what looked like pages from books and interspersed with flowers made from red paper. “Miranda, did you…?”
Miranda followed her inside. “No. I guess you didn’t either?”
“No.” She stooped to look more closely at the paper flowers. Each one had several petals blooming from a shiny white button in the center and wider petals on the outer edges. Each of the pages was outlined in red, making the black lettering on the cream paper look even more pronounced.
“It’s origami. My brother used to do it. This must have taken someone days to make. Oh! There’s a card.” Miranda snagged the card from one of the bouquets and her shoulders slumped. “Wrong office. Figures. It’s for someone named Summer Girl.”
“Um…” She plucked the card from Miranda’s hands.
Her eyes widened with disbelief. “You’re Summer Girl? What happened while I was gone? And this means there’s a Summer Boy! Who is he?”
Tiffany smiled as she read the card. Summer girl, I know you said you’re not a flower girl because they die, so I had these made for you. They’ll last forever. Just don’t water them. I wasn’t sure where you stood on plants. If you hate them, you can give them to your father. Congratulations on your office space. Another step toward becoming the best of the best (which you already are, IMHO). D.
“You have thirty seconds to spill your guts and tell me who sent these or I swear I will take your phone and call every single contact until someone fesses up.”
Tiffany laughed. “His name is Dylan. Dylan Bad.”
“You’re hooking up with Mick’s brother?” Miranda looked appalled.
“How do you know he’s Mick’s brother? I didn’t even know until…Well, that doesn’t matter. How do you know?”
“You didn’t know because you are so overbooked all the time that you have no time for fun. Remember last winter when we were invited to Mick’s holiday office party? You had a meeting at the same time. I went to the party and saw all his incredibly hot brothers.”
“Please tell me you and Dylan didn’t…” Her stomach lurched.
Miranda rolled her eyes and looked over the flowers and plants. “Of course not! I didn’t even meet Dylan. I only saw him. But now I wish I had.”
Tiffany glared at her, even though she knew she was only kidding. Miranda was very careful about the men she dated, and she wasn’t the type of woman who had no-strings-attached sex. Neither am I anymore.
“Wait. So are you actually dating him? As in going out more than once? He’s not just trying to win you over?”
Tiffany couldn’t suppress her grin.
“Tiffany!” Miranda bounced on her heels like she’d just been told she won the lottery. “I’ve worked for you for years. I’ve seen hot sports figures hit on you. General managers and sponsors send you all sorts of gifts. You never give any of them a second look. Suddenly you move to New York, I go away for one week, and you’re getting sent all these gorgeous gifts, dating, and not rolling your eyes? This must be serious.”
Serious wasn’t a word Tiffany had thought about. In fact, she realized, she hadn’t tried to determine what she and Dylan were. They’d been staying at each other’s apartments every night and seeing each other every day. They had become a given. She smiled with the realization that they’d become what she’d seen in Dylan’s eyes since early on.
“Yeah, I guess we are serious.” Her stomach didn’t cramp up when she said it. Fear didn’t consume her—happiness did.
“Wow. This is bigger news than when you won that seven-year Giants contract.”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it,” she said as if she didn’t completely agree—which she did. But she had a reputation to uphold.
“But it is a big deal. I love that he sent you paper flowers. He knows you so well already. But how did he get in here?”
He did know her well. So well that when she’d gotten into his shower the other morning she’d found new bottles of her favorite shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
“I’m sure Phoebe, the woman who owns the building, let him in. They’re friends.” She pulled out her phone and Miranda snagged it from her hands.
“Hold up a bouquet. I’ll take a picture of you with them. It’ll be more meaningful.” As she took pictures of Tiffany, she said, “I was wondering why you took a few hours to get back to me sometimes.”
Tiffany wasn’t surprised that Miranda had noticed, but it made her wonder if her clients had, too. She set down the flowers just as a heavy knock sounded at the door. The delivery truck had arrived with the furniture, and she was glad for the distraction.
BETHANY LOOKED THROUGH her new binoculars out her bedroom window. Her grandmother had made her a neon pink cap that she wore proudly and had given her the binoculars earlier in the day. She and Dylan were bird-watching out the window. Only the birds weren’t cooperating, so they turned to people-watching.
“Anything good?” Dylan asked, peering out the window beside her.
She pushed his head down beneath the sill. “Get lower. They’ll see you.” She was feeling much better than last week, and she was in full detective mode.
“Won’t they see you?”
“I’m hiding behind the binoculars.” She giggled. “They make me invisible.”
He loved her sense of humor. “Maybe I should have brought my own binoculars.”
“Duh.” She laughed. “When I’m better I’m going to spy on everyone in my neighborhood. Forget bird-watching. This is way more fun. There’s a fat lady coming in with a little boy.”
“That’s not very nice.”
“What? He is little.” She doubled over in hysterical laughter.
Dylan laughed with her, remembering how Lorelei had been just as quick to laugh at her own silly jokes. He missed her even more when he visited with Bethany and other children over the years. He continually reminded himself that no matter how hard it was for him, it was a thousand times harder to be the child going through treatments.
A woman walked by the door talking loudly. Bethany held a finger over her lips and pointed to the hallway. She walked on tiptoe, and Dylan made a big show of doing the same, lifting his knees high and placing his toes on the ground as slowly as possible with each step.
They crouched by the door and she crept out on all fours and peeked down the hall through the binoculars. �
�That’s nurse Big Butt.”
“Bethany, what do you call me?”
“Dylan,” she said with another giggle. Then she gasped. “Ohmygoshohmygosh. Dylan!” She scrambled back into her room, eyes wide, and squeezed his arm so hard her fingernails carved little moons in his flesh.
“What’s wrong?” He rose on his knees to look out the door and she yanked him back down.
“Don’t look. It’s…It’s…It can’t be.” She pressed her hands to her face and squealed.
“Now I’ve got to look.” He leaned forward on all fours, stuck his head out the door, and saw Tiffany and Anika Bouchert headed their way. Holy shit. You did it. Tiffany had called earlier to thank him for the gifts he had left at her office and never mentioned a word about this surprise visit. He scrambled back into the room beside Bethany. He couldn’t resist teasing her.
“Holy moly. That’s Tiffany Winters!”
“Who? It’s Anika Bouchert!” She climbed over him, and just as she landed on all fours, Tiffany and Anika arrived at the door. She craned her neck up with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. “Ohmygosh. You’re her. You’re here. DylanDylanDylan!”
Dylan scooped her off the floor and set her feet on the ground. She danced around in a circle squealing. “You’re here. I can’t believe you’re here. Oh my gosh!”
Everyone laughed, and Dylan’s heart nearly exploded for Bethany, and in gratitude to Tiffany.
He offered a hand to Anika. She was even taller in person than she looked in her pictures, with long blond hair and a friendly smile. “Hi. I’m Dylan Bad, a friend of Bethany’s.”
“Nice to meet you. I hear you’ve been trying to get in touch with me for quite some time. I’m sorry it took so long for us to connect.” Anika crouched beside Bethany, who was clinging to Dylan like a lifeline. “And you must be Bethany, my number-one fan.”
Tears streamed down Bethany’s cheeks. She swiped at them, nodding vehemently. With one arm around Bethany, Dylan locked eyes with his beautiful girlfriend, noticing her eyes were also suspiciously glassy, and mouthed, Thank you so much.
She smiled and blew him a kiss.
Once Bethany calmed down enough to let go of Dylan, he and Tiffany stood off to the side, giving Anika and Bethany privacy.
“Babe, you have no idea how much you’ve just given Bethany.”
“Oh, I think I do. Her reaction said it all.” She gazed into his eyes and said, “What you did for me today was just as big. It turns out I am a flower girl after all. Your flower girl.”
Conscious of being in the room with Bethany, he touched his forehead to hers instead of going in for the kiss he so desperately wanted.
“I told you we’d figure it out together.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but thank you for sticking with me.”
“You can thank me properly later.” He grabbed her ass to drive home the point, taking pleasure in the little squeak that slipped from her lips.
Bethany laughed, and they both looked across the room to where she and Anika were sitting at a table. Anika had brought a bag of gifts, and Bethany squealed with each one.
“She’s so young,” Tiffany said. “My heart breaks for her, and really for all kids who are sick. And then I think of my dad, and it’s not any easier. I worry for both of them, even though he’s had a full life and she’s only just beginning hers.”
“It’s hard at any age. That’s another reason I think you should visit your dad more often. Even if it’s not what your family is used to, it might make things easier for both of you.”
Tiffany’s brow wrinkled in concentration. “I’m glad we’re together,” she said quietly. “I never realized how much of my life I was letting slip away.”
Before he could respond, Bethany laughed again, and they both smiled.
“Her laughter is a balm for everything bad in the world, isn’t it?” He reached for Tiffany’s hand. “She laughed a lot today, and it reminded me of Lorelei and how happy she was before she got sick.”
“Is that a good thing or too hard sometimes?” Her eyes filled with compassion. “It has to be difficult, seeing kids who are going through what Lorelei did.”
He nodded, thinking of his sister. “It’s good and it can be painful. It unearths memories every time I visit, and then I go through a brief period of darkness, where it seems like I’m losing her all over again. But I’ve gotten good at moving past that pretty quickly.”
“It’s okay not to, you know.”
“Not to…?”
“Not to move past it quickly.” She was speaking softly, probably to keep Bethany and Anika from hearing, but the compassion in her voice came through loud and clear. “I would love to hear more about Lorelei if you ever want to talk about her. You had a special relationship with her, and it’s a shame to try to keep that locked up when it should be celebrated.”
Emotions thickened Dylan’s throat. How many years had he wished someone would feel the same way he did? It was even too hard for his mother to talk about when other people were around. He took a moment to breathe deeply and regain his composure before answering.
“I’d like that. You’ll notice when we get together for dinner with my family to plan the fundraiser that we talk around our sister. The twentieth anniversary of her death was a few weeks ago, and I visited with my mother, which was cathartic for both of us, but my brothers each went off on their own. The following week Mick and Amanda went away together, and he came back a changed man. I think he finally opened up about Lorelei.” He stepped closer, feeling a little overwhelmed. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Maybe someday you will be able to talk with your family about her, too. Everyone heals at their own pace.” She smiled and said, “But sometimes it takes a little well-meaning nudge.” She leaned closer and whispered, “Thanks for nudging me, Dylan.”
“Dylan!” Bethany called from across the room. “Come see what Anika brought me!”
“Now that she’s able to speak again, come meet Bethany. I know she’ll want to thank you.”
As they crossed the room, Bethany got up and wrapped her arms around Tiffany and hugged her tight. “Thank you for bringing Anika to meet me. I was so surprised! I’ve waited my whole life to see her.”
Dylan looked at his girlfriend’s radiant smile as she and Bethany walked away hand in hand. His heart was full and he felt lighter just knowing she was not only okay talking about Lorelei, but that Tiffany wanted to hear about her.
When she glanced back at him and said to Bethany, “The best things in life are worth waiting for and they always seem to appear at the most unexpected times,” he couldn’t agree more.
Chapter Twenty-One
TIFFANY BALANCED THE phone between her shoulder and ear as she put on her heels, listening to Mike Gutherson, her contact at Reebok, give her an update on the endorsements she’d been negotiating. Mike was long-winded and his words came as slow as molasses. It was Friday evening and Dylan would be there any minute. It was hard to believe eight days had passed since they’d introduced Bethany and Anika. They were meeting his brothers for dinner to begin planning the fundraiser. As Mike droned on, she checked her outfit in the mirror. She’d worn her favorite little black dress, with hopes of torturing Dylan as much as he’d tortured her throughout the day. They’d made love that morning, and every time she thought about lying beneath him, her body ignited. She had been starving for him all day, and his sexy text messages had only amped up her anticipation. Nix the panties tonight so I can tease you under the table. She wore a thong, because after her booty-call debacle she imagined all sorts of mishaps. He had texted again right before Mike called—Change in plans. We’re meeting them at Caruso’s Steak House. Maybe we should christen one of the private booths. That text had scrambled her brain just enough to make her fumble with the phone as she’d answered.
Mike was now talking about one of their previous contracts, and her mind turned to dinner and the fundraiser. She’d been thinking up ideas o
ver the last two weeks and she was excited to share them with the others, that was, if she could keep herself together during dinner. She was a nervous wreck about seeing his brothers again. It seemed like that embarrassing night had happened a lifetime ago, when in reality she and Dylan had only been seeing each other for three weeks. She felt like a whole different person than she was when they met. She’d been overworked, overly attached to her phone, and overly alone. Not lonely, necessarily. How could she have been lonely when she had no one to miss? Now she knew what loneliness was. It was the feeling that came over her in the hours she and Dylan were apart. But it wasn’t a negative feeling. Missing Dylan was a good feeling, and even those few hours apart made their nightly reunions that much sweeter.
“We’re having trouble coordinating our schedule with the contracts department, so it may be a last-minute call,” Mike said, breaking through her thoughts.
“That’s fine. You know I’ll make myself available.” She leaned closer to the mirror, checking her eyeliner as a knock sounded at the door, and her pulse quickened.
“Mike?” She hurried across the living room and pulled open the door. She waved Dylan in and held up a finger, indicating she’d be off in a second, as she spoke into the phone. “Let me know when and where and I’ll be there.”
Dylan eyed her lasciviously, earning a full-body shudder. His gaze turned volcanic, and his movements predatory, as he circled her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. When he nibbled on her neck, electric pulses exploded beneath her skin. Mike was rambling again about his scheduling troubles, and every second Dylan’s mouth was on her killed more brain cells.
“Mike,” she said a little too breathlessly. “I have to run to a meeting, but email me when you have the date and time confirmed. I’ll be there.” After ending the call, she turned in Dylan’s arms. Hot, bothered, and in desperate need of him, she crashed her mouth over his wicked grin and grabbed his perfectly firm ass.
Bad Boys After Dark: Dylan (Bad Billionaires After Dark Book 2) Page 20