“For everything. For being a damn nightmare to deal with this last month.”
“You are the only person I know who can go to an island to relax, extend your vacation, and somehow come back even more wound up than when you first left,” she pointed out. Again, he didn’t blame her.
“Lindsey.” He hoped his tone gave enough of a warning, though she wasn’t wrong. He was wound up tight, and it was his own stupid fault.
“I’m not saying anything untrue, boss.” She sat swiping at her skirt and then looked at him. Nathan could feel her gray eyes assessing him. “So?”
“So, what?” He scowled.
“Who is she?” she asked him, her face set like stone, but he could see the way her eyes glittered with amusement. He knew she was dying to break into a smile.
“I don’t…” he started to lie but then changed his mind. “The most beautiful, amazing woman on this earth,” he laid out honestly.
“Wow.” Genuine surprise washed over his assistant and longtime friend. “Wait. If she’s amazing, what’s with the Grumpy Gus act?”
“I fucked up,” he mumbled, running his fingers through his hair.
“Shit. Please tell me you didn’t mess around on her.” He raised a brow at her.
“I am not a manwhore, and you know it,” he reminded her. He had never been the type of man who jumped from one woman’s bed to another’s. Not that he didn’t have opportunity. He did. It was just nothing that called his attention. At least not since a year or two after college. He was older now. He was a man.
“How, pray tell, did you fuck up?” He looked out toward the ocean view his executive office offered.
“I lost her number,” he confessed.
“What?” she asked, and without turning back, he continued sharing with his closest friend and employee—without the sexual details—about his trip and the amazingness that was Angie Lopez.
“Wait a second. You’re telling me you met the one and she gave you her contact info and you lost it?”
“Yeah.”
“But, how? You are the most organized person I know.” Lindsay asked. He scratched the beard he was now sporting. He hadn’t felt like shaving since the island.
“It must have slipped out of my pocket. I got back, went to luggage claim, and reached for her number to text her and…” His voice cracked. The emotion he had felt when he’d realized he had lost the slip of paper that held so many possibilities and the key to contact her, washed over him once again. Raw despair. There was no other way to describe it.
“It wasn’t there.” Lindsey’s eyes were wide and slightly glassy. He couldn’t say he blamed her. He had been more than misty eyed since returning from his own island paradise. “Have you tried to search for her?” she asked. Nate almost wanted to laugh.
“Of course, I have. I looked for her in every social media outlet possible. All I have is a couple of pictures.”
“Pictures?”
“Yeah.” He shifted slightly in his office chair and slipped his cell phone from the pocket of his dark slacks. Pressing a couple of buttons, he brought up the images of them he knew from memory and handed it to his assistant.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered. He looked at her as she took in the couple of snapshots they had taken.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” he asked knowing she was. Angie was more than her outer beauty; she shined from within.
“Gorgeous,” Lindsey mumbled as she looked at the pictures. Nate surprised himself as he kept sharing.
“Do you know how many Angie Lopezes live in California? How many variations there are of what her real name could be if her nickname is Angie? A crap ton.” He sighed as he ran his fingers through his dark, disheveled hair.
His appearance was usually faultless, but it had been less than normal this last month. He was a walking, breathing mess. Scratching his scruff-covered jaw, he broke the silence. “I’m going to hire an investigator,” he said out loud. He had been chewing on the idea from the moment he’d realized he’d lost her information but had stopped himself. What would Angie think about him hiring someone? Was he teetering on stalker status?
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I do.” He nodded his head as determination at finding her hit hard. “I need to find her, Linds.”
“No, you don’t.”
“What?” He looked at her, confused.
“I mean, you don’t have to hire an investigator because I know her.” His head popped back and met her stare as he tried to figure out if she was screwing with him.
“Are you fucking around?” he asked, his body tense. The idea of finding his girl at his fingertips felt like a damn Christmas wish come true.
“I’m not.” She grinned at him. “Angela Lopez. She lives in Hope Falls, California,” she said confidently. His hands clenched his desk chair’s armrest.
“You’re kidding. Wait. Please tell me you’re not pulling my chain, Linds.”
“I’m not.” She giggled, pointing at his cell. “We grew up together!” He watched as she stood and walked out of his office then quickly came back with her own cell phone in hand. “See!” She handed him her iPhone, and sure enough, there she was. A younger version of his girl standing next to his friend.
“How?” he asked, feeling puzzled. He’d known Lindsey for years and didn’t know she had any ties to anyone in California.
“I used to visit my grandmother before she passed. Every summer, I would be there and we would hang out. She and her friend Cat would spend time with me. We even kept in touch after my grandma passed.” She took the phone from him. Her fingers moved quickly over the screen, then his phone pinged.
He looked down and his heart flipped. Right there was everything he needed.
Her number.
Her email.
Her address.
At the tips of his fingers he had the key to the girl of his dreams.
Chapter Three
Angie - December 1st
“Tell me you are not going to be late today,” Cat whispered on the other end of the line.
“I won’t be. I promise.” My lips twitched.
“You better not. I need a new book boyfriend like nobody’s business.”
“I won’t be late. How about some ice cream? Two scoops, my treat?” I suggested. The idea of two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream smothered in hot fudge and topped with whipped cream made my mouth water.
“Sounds good. Shit. Boss is coming. See you then.” And just like that, my frantic bestie ended the call and I shook my head at her. Cat was a hoot and a half. I couldn’t love her more.
My stomach rumbled. I headed toward the kitchen, glad my appetite had finally returned. As I walked through my living room, I took a moment to take in the sight of my beautifully decorated space. The sight of the area I had cleared the night before for my Christmas tree made me smile, even if it reminded me of the man I had decided to cherish as a memory but try and put behind me. It was more than obvious he wasn’t going to call. With a shake to my head, I went into my kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing a loaf of sandwich bread. Closing it and turning toward the white granite countertop, I started to pull out my toaster when the doorbell rang. I frowned wondering who it could be. Then I remembered there was an Amazon order I was waiting for. Early Christmas shopping for my sister’s kiddos.
I left the bread on the counter and walked through my small house to the front door. Without looking through the peephole, I opened the door, the smile on my face fading away at the sight of the man who stood before me.
“Hey,” his deep voice timbered. I frowned.
“Hey?” I repeated, wondering who he thought he was.
“Angie—“ he started, but I didn’t wait for him to say another word. I couldn’t. Hurt and anger swirled within me, and before I knew it, like having an out-of-body reaction, I slammed the door in his face.
Nathan.
My Nate was standing outside of my home. What did he want?
&n
bsp; “Angie,” his deep voice called out from the other side of the door. Everything in me was yelling at me to open the door, but I couldn’t. I touched the wood with my fingertips. My heart had ached for a month.
Over a month. Thirty-four days, to be exact. All without one word from him. Not one simple text or email.
He knocked on the door and the bell rang, but I couldn’t get myself to move. I simply stared at the door. Opening my mouth, I found the courage to speak, the shock of him being this close finally wearing off. “What do you want, Nathan?”
“Open the door, baby,” he pleaded. I bit my lip. I was being childish. Had I really slammed the door in his face?
Turning the knob, I swung it open, figuring this situation would be best if treated like a Band-Aid: yanking it off.
“What do you want?” I asked him, trying to keep my face emotionless.
“You,” he simply stated without hesitation, and even though my heart flipped itself on its side in my chest, I frowned.
“It’s been over—“
“A month. Thirty-four days, actually.” He had been counting? My eyes filled with unshed tears and my nose stung. “I lost your note. I put it in my pocket before boarding and didn’t realize it until I was standing at baggage claim waiting for my suitcase,” he confessed. I searched his face. He wasn’t lying.
He lost it.
He had lost my number. The idea had never, not once, crossed my mind.
“By accident?” I blurted out. He nodded. The honesty shining from his warm eyes made me believe him. A wave of dizziness hit me, and he frowned and stepped closer, pulling me into his arms. I just went with him. Probably too easily, but I couldn’t help myself. He felt good. Steady for my suddenly wobbly knees.
When I looked up at him, a wave of something else hit me suddenly, like a one-two punch.
“What’s wrong, Ang?” he asked, but I couldn’t respond.
The recognition of who he was and everything it could be left me speechless. My heart and mind agreed on what he was to me. He was more than a sexy vacation fling. He was more than the man who had stolen my heart.
Standing there, in his arms, he felt like home.
Nathan
When all the color in Angie’s face drained completely, he couldn’t help himself. He went to her, closing the space, not taking for granted the way she felt in his arms. The light apple-cinnamon scent of her body spray hit his nose. He wanted to hold her closer.
“Talk to me, baby,” he urged her as she batted her eyes open and closed then looked right at him with wonder. Almost like she was seeing him for the first time. “Angie?”
“You were going to call me from baggage claim?” she asked in a hushed whisper. He nodded.
“Yes,” his voice cracked. Fuck. He had it bad for the woman in his arms. He wasn’t usually the type to wear his heart on his sleeve, but with her he didn’t want there to be any mistakes.
“What were you going to say?” she asked. He felt the sides of his lips tip upward.
“If I could see you Friday night,” he immediately answered.
“What?” she laughed and straightened up in his arms, obviously the shock of seeing him now gone. “How?”
“I had it all planned out. I was going to fly out to you, to Tahoe, and somehow find you, rent a car or charter a plane.” The sound of her laughter made it easier for him to breathe. “Anything to get where I am right now.”
“And where is that?”
“With you in my arms.” He leaned his head down, his face right in front of hers. He could feel her warm, minty breath against his lips. His hands gripped her beautiful body tighter.
“Nathan,” she whispered a second before closing her eyes and leaning upward toward him. He closed his own eyes and as well as the miniscule space that separated them.
Her lips were warm and soft and so damn satiny beneath his, he felt like he was going to self-combust. He was like a starving man, and she was a five-course steak dinner he wanted to devour. His hand glided from her lower back upwards to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her dark hair, tipping her head slightly and as gently as he could. When he deepened the kiss, their tongues dueled and collided. Lips were nipped and bitten and soothed. Time rushed by and froze all at once.
All too quickly, her hands moved to his pecs and slightly pushed him back as she broke their kiss.
“I’m late,” she murmured as she licked her upper lip. The slight peek of her pink tongue made him even harder than a second ago.
“What?”
“I have to meet Cat, and I’m late.”
“Oh.”
“That’s probably who is calling now,” she mumbled, her eyes on his lips. He liked the way she was looking at him. Her eyes were soft, her lips bee-stung, and her lip gloss slightly smeared. Something about Angie made him revert to some type of primitive caveman.
“Calling?” he repeated, trying to focus, and that’s when he heard her phone. Even his hearing was affected by her.
“I should answer.”
“Okay,” he muttered, but neither of them moved from their spot. His hand cupped the side of her face, stroking her hairline.
“I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I am.”
“You promise?”. He kissed her forehead and leaned back so his eyes could meet hers.
“Promise. I’m here.”
“For how long?” she asked, but her phone kept ringing.
“You should get that.”
“Okay.” She went on the tips of her toes and gave him a peck before moving out of his arms and to the couch in her living room. Looking around, he smiled. The place suited her. It was open and airy and homey. The oatmeal couches were oversized and looked inviting.
“Hey, babe. Sorry, yeah, I know I’m late…” He watched her. She put a finger up at him and mouthed she would be right back. He smiled and nodded, watching her walk further into the house while he stayed where he was.
Looking around, he took in the framed pictures. A few with her family and some with what looked to be a group of friends. When he turned, a picture caught his attention and he walked over to it. It sat on an end table next to an oversized chair. His sister had something similar. Her reading chair, she called it. He picked up the frame and smiled. In front of him, the sun was setting over the ocean, palm trees lined the sand, and there was nothing but beautiful white sands before the shore. Not only was the moment a beautifully captured moment on an island paradise, one that could sell postcards, but it was one of his favorite memories of their week together.
A week.
They had only been in one another’s lives for seven days, yet he couldn’t remember what life without having known of her was like.
“That’s the picture from—“
“Our first night,” he cut her off before looking behind him. “I have this framed in my office,” he easily admitted, once again showing how much he cared without thinking.
“You do?” Her dark eyes widened. He smiled.
“Yeah. It’s the first thing I see every morning and the last thing I look at before I leave my work day.”
“Oh.”
“Your friend okay?” She nodded.
“Yeah, she’s fine. I cancelled our lunch,” she shared. He winced. He had been so occupied with finding a flight and getting his ass here as soon as humanly possible, he hadn’t thought twice whether she would have plans. Or if she was dating someone. Shit. What if she was seeing someone now?
“I should have called.” He straightened his back and ran his fingers through his hair.
“How did you find me, Nate?”
“Luck,” he answered on a sigh. The idea of her dating someone sat like lead in his belly.
“Luck? What does that mean?”
“Do you know Lindsey McAvoy?”
“Linds?” Her eyes lit up and she tilted her head. “Yeah. We’ve known one another since we were kids.”
“She’s my friend and assistant.”
“Really?” Surprise looks great on Angie’s face, he thought to himself as he nodded.
“Though, I would have found you anyway.”
“Really?” She stepped closer, mere inches from him. He took her hand.
“In all honesty, I was about to hire someone to find you.”
“You were?” she giggled, her hand slipping into his. He glanced down to the way their fingers were intertwined. He loved the sight of it.
“I was. I needed to find you.”
“That’s a little stalker-ish of you,” she teased him, coaxing a shy smile from him.
“I missed you.” He pulled her in close. “Angie, I know I showed up here out of the blue after you didn’t hear from me for a month.”
“Thirty-four days,” she corrected softly. Her eyes on his made his heart beat double time.
“Please tell me you aren’t seeing anyone,” he pleaded. Her hands moved up his chest and wrapped around his neck.
“Why?” she asked. Her eyes were flirtatious as she played with the hair on the back of his head.
“Because…” He swallowed hard. Bullshit games had never been his thing. It was time to lay it all on the line and hope to God he wasn’t too late. “Breathing hasn’t been the same since we walked away from one another in the airport.”
“That’s not good,“ she answered so softly and sweetly he had to keep talking.
“It’s not. And sleep? Sleep has been fucking elusive,” he added.
“I know the feeling.”
“I can’t focus at work. All I have thought about is you and what could have been if I hadn’t lost your contact information. If only I had slipped the paper into my wallet instead of my pocket.”
“There is no way I could have started seeing anyone else, Nate,” she admitted. His heart began to soar. “I’ve been mooning over you. Daydreaming and slightly grouchy.”
“Grouchy?”
“I was mad. You didn’t call,” she confessed.
“I lost—”
“I know that now. But up until a couple of minutes ago, I’d convinced myself the man I had met didn’t exist. I thought… maybe what I remembered about Hawaii had somehow been one-sided.”
Hope Falls: Cookies & Kismet (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 2