by Tasha Fawkes
I bet they don’t even know what I do here.
The door handle turns, startling me. I hold my breath and wait for it to open, a smile plastered on my face. I stand up, ready to greet her, when I’m suddenly face to face with the woman from the bar last night. The woman who has no idea how close I came to asking her back to my place. She smiles, her dark eyes shining as they lock on mine.
“Nate Harris,” she murmurs, extending her hand.
Flustered, I look down at my notes, my mind going blank. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Rex grinning, which just makes everything worse. She's obviously very attractive, with her long blonde curls that she has wrapped back into a loose bun. Her deep brown eyes stare at me in surprise. God, just looking at her has me feeling things I probably shouldn't be feeling. This is doing nothing to diffuse the concerns my brothers have over my ability to handle this.
“Nate?” Matt prompts, frowning at me.
I flush and pick up my notes.
“Right,” I mutter. “Ms. Reese—”
“Call me Angela,” she says, glancing at her still outstretched hand. Embarrassed, I take it, letting her soft fingers slide over mine.
“Angela.” I croak, trying to ignore the electricity pulsating between us.
She smiles and sits down. Somehow, I pull myself together for long enough to make it through our first meeting. We don’t discuss much in detail. This was more about meeting and me getting used to the idea of working with her.
After we’re done, she stands up, looking satisfied as she reaches out and shakes my hand again.
“Maybe we can meet again tomorrow to discuss this further?” She suggests. She glances at Matt and Rex, her lips poised. “And perhaps without your babysitters being present?”
I nod, wishing I’d fought Matt more on them both being here. She turns around and walks out, while the three of us watch. The second she leaves, I sit back down. I shake my head and sigh loudly. I can't believe what an idiot I just made myself out to be. Rex laughs gleefully.
“God, you're gone already, aren’t you?” He shakes his head sadly.
I groan. “It's not like that,” I mutter, annoyed at him.
“Then what’s it like?” Matt frowns. “Can you handle this, Nate?”
“Of course I fucking can.” I growl.
“Then what the hell was that?” Matt asks, looking perplexed.
I sigh and rub my temples, not sure how I can explain this without them giving the response I know they’re going to. Oh hell, I’ll just come out and say it.
“I saw her last night. I was sitting in the bar at the hotel just down from my apartment, and she was there. We were chatting…I was about to ask her back to my place when you sent me that text,” I mumble. Matt stares at me, an amused smile on his lips, while Rex openly laughs. “Seeing her walk in here kind of threw me off.”
“I bet it did,” Matt murmurs, his eyes sparkling. “It’s a good thing I sent you that message then, or this exchange would’ve been even more awkward.” He pauses and laughs. “Unless, of course, it’s been that long since your little guy got any action.”
“Really?” I say, frowning at him. “You’re sounding more and more like Rex every day.” I add in a sour tone. Rex voices his disapproval at that comment, but I ignore him. “And for the record, if I wanted her, I could’ve had her. The signals were all there, trust me.”
“Are you sure about that?” he asks with a smirk. “I saw the way she was looking at you, and yeah…” he chuckles and glances at Rex, who claps slowly. I shoot him a glare.
Matt’s phone buzzes. He glances at it and sighs.
“We’ll go over more of this later,” he mutters. “I have a meeting in five minutes.”
I sit in my office, my mind still on Angela. I can't believe that it was her and I didn't pick up on it. I mean, if I just asked her what her name was, it might've been enough to trigger something in my head. The fact that she's from New York and she just got here…
I shake my head. Come on, Nate. How many women are staying in hotels right now, across Boston, who just moved here for work? Probably hundreds. It was too much of a coincidence for me to put it together.
I flick through the financials, my stomach churning as I reach the community center. The losses next to it are impressive. Setting this place up was my father’s dream, and something he never got to realize because of his sudden death. I know exactly what she's going to say, but I refuse to negotiate on the center. If I lose that, then I may as well lose everything, because at that point, I won’t care anymore. But my family will.
It’s them who are losing out too, not just you.
I frown, remembering how worked up I’d gotten when it was Matt’s actions threatening to lose everything for us. The difference was back then, I had big plans for my inheritance.
Sighing, I put my files away and then head home, stopping for some dinner along the way. I go through the first drive-through I pass and order myself some food. I’d usually rather skip a meal than touch this kind of junk, but I haven't eaten much at all in days and it's starting to take its toll on me.
I need to be at my best if I'm going to be any match at all for Angela.
I spent the rest of the evening working out the plans for our next charity dinner. These dinners have been the sole source of funding for the foundation since we began. I made it a point not to rely on my grandfather’s empire to get this up and running, which he of course hated. He wanted me to need his money and it irritated him when I did it on my own.
I built this foundation from scratch for my father, so taking from the one person he hated most just felt wrong. This foundation means world to me. It’s my life. I’ve put everything into it, and just like that, my grandfather is going to bring it all crashing down and destroy my father’s legacy in the process.
I was ten years old when my he died. He had a heart attack, caused by a disease he had no idea he had. The doctors told us he would’ve had it since birth and that his death would have been instant and painless, but that didn’t help me. Losing him broke me. My grandfather’s reaction was simple. He told me to grow up. Be a man. People die, but you move on, because you’re still living. Those were his exact words to a fucking ten year old. Every tear I passed he ridiculed me. Even at the funeral, my sobbing embarrassed him. As time passed, the pain lessened, but the memory of him never faded. The one thing he instilled in me was the importance of giving back. That’s why I started all of this. To give back to the community in his honor and my grandfather was tainting that.
I push my chair back and stand up. I can’t focus on this right now. I’m tired, but not tired enough to sleep. I consider going back down to the bar in hopes of running into Angela again, but I decide not to. Not just because I made a fool of myself, but also because mixing work with pleasure wasn't going to end well for me.
Either way, I'm confident that I've got her figured out.
Despite how flustered I was with her today, I could tell right away that she’s all about the numbers. She's a pen pusher, someone who is used to making decisions from her high-rise office. None of that matters, though, because it doesn’t change the fact that I need to work with her. If I don't, the foundation will close. It’s that simple. In the end, what’s more important? Helping those in need or keeping your pride and dignity? I shake head, angry and upset. He knew this would tear me apart.
This is exactly how he wants me to feel.
Chapter 4
Angela
It’s been an intense two weeks. I’ve almost finished going over the reports and I’m putting together my recommendations, but I’m not looking forward to sharing them with Nate. Working so closely with him is proving to be harder than I anticipated, because he’s not the guy self-involved money focused person I thought he would be.
Nearly two weeks later, I’m still unpacking, thanks to my furniture taking over a week to get here. Every night, I tackle a new box, because it’s easier than facing doing it all at once
. This space is finally starting to feel like mine. Falling asleep in my own bed feels good, though I do miss that bath at the hotel. I glance around the living room and smile. I wonder how much the landlord would hate me if I knocked down that wall and put a bath right here?
Sighing, I get to my feet to take a well-earned break. No sooner than I pick up my glass of wine, my phone rings. I groan. If it’s Dad, I’m not answering it. Though I know I will, because it wouldn’t take much for him to fly over to check on me. I follow the ringing, finally finding it where I left it on the kitchen counter. I frown as I glance at the number, not recognizing it.
“Hello?” I say.
“Hey, Angela, it’s Charlene. Matts wife?”
“Hey,” I say, surprised and happy to hear from her.
Matt had asked me if I minded him passing my number onto Charlene. She wanted to arrange for me to meet her and Shana. I agreed, albeit very nervously, because girl’s nights out aren’t really my thing.
“I was just wondering,” she begins, while I brace myself for what I know is coming. “Shana and I were going out tonight for a few drinks, just to let off some steam. We were wondering if you’d like to join us?” she asks.
“Wow, thanks. That sounds like fun.” I hear myself saying.
“Great,” she says. I feel bad, because she sounds genuinely happy that I’m coming. “We were going to meet at the Sway Bar, which is just a few doors up from your apartment. Say, eight o’clock?” She adds.
“Great, I will see you then,” I say.
I end the call and stare at the phone, not sure how I feel about my impending plans. She was so nice that I just couldn’t say no. To be honest, I’ve never really had any female friends. Hell, I’ve never really had any friends at all. Dad taught me friendships created weakness. I remember him saying that to me when I was about twelve years old.
Besides, it will be a nice change from binge watching Netflix.
I head to the bar, which as promised, was literally a three minute walk from my apartment. I glance down at my outfit, feeling nervous. I have no idea if I’m overdressed, undressed, or just right. Someone calls out my name. I turn around and see two women waving madly at me. I smile and breathe a sigh of relief, because I got it just right with my skinny black faux leather leggings and silver top. The funny thing is, I only own this outfit after a friend I had back in New York insisted I take it after I had nothing to wear when she insisted we go out. Thank God for her shopping addiction and her unlimited credit card. I don’t even know why I packed it, but I’m silently glad that I did.
I smile as I reach them. Then a thought hits me.
“How did you know it was me?” I ask curiously.
The taller one giggles and glances at the other one.
“We were wondering the same thing on the way over, so I googled you,” she says, waving her phone at me. I relax, because they both seem really nice.
“I would never have even thought to do that,” I admit with a laugh. Then I flush. “Sorry, I’ve got no idea who is who.”
“I’m Charlene,” laughs the shorter one. She gives me a hug and then kisses me on the cheek.
“And I’m Shana.” She hugs me too, and then takes my hand and leads me inside. “So, how are you settling into life in Boston?” she asks as we sit down at a table.
“Pretty well,” I say forcing a smile. “It's different. It's also hard being in a place where I don't really know anyone.”
Charlene nods. “That's why I thought I'd get you to come out with us. It's hard, I know, meeting new people. If only it could be easy, like being in grade school.”
“Oh, I don't know about that.” I joke. “I think I struggled even worse back then.”
Shana laughs. “Oh god, me too. I was always picked last for dodge ball.”
A waitress comes around and takes our order. I ask for a wine, not wanting anything too strong, because I don’t want to make a fool of myself. It doesn't me take long to loosen up. Half an hour later and I'm really starting to enjoy myself. The girls are lovely, and we seem to get on really well.
“So, is there a boyfriend back in New York?” Charlene asks, her eyes twinkling.
I shake my head. “God, no. My father always told me I had to choose between a career and a relationship and I guess I choose to have a career.” I shrug.
“Well, that’s crap,” Shauna says, her eyes flashing. “You can have both. I'm a testament to that.” She adds. She holds up her shot and then drinks it back, giggling as she hiccups.
I shake my head sadly and laugh.
“It’s irrelevant anyway, considering my history when it comes to relationships.”
“Well, then, we need to change that,” Charlene says. She scans the room thoughtfully. “Hey, what about that guy over there?”
I turn around and my eyes widen. I giggle, because she has to be kidding. Unless she didn’t see what I saw.
“The guy standing near the bathrooms?” I say, narrowing my eyes at her. She nods. “Hell, no,” I say, shaking my head. I laugh as she looks confused “Look at him again,” I say. She turns around and stares at him. “Notice how his hand hasn’t left his pocket? Watch him for a moment.” One, two, three…
Charlene screams and I laugh, because I’m pretty sure she saw gets it now. Her eyes widen as she whips her head back around. Shana starts cranes her head to see what we’re talking about. She starts laughing, and pretty soon, we’re all laughing hysterically.
“Oh my god.” Shana gasps. “I think I’m scarred for life now. Who does that in the middle of a bar?” she adds.
Charlene refuses to give up, pointing out two more guys, before she eventually sighs and throws her hands up. Then she looks at me, a smile spreading across her lips.
“What about Nate?” she asks. Shana’s eyes widen as she nods excitedly.
“Nate?” I repeat, like the idea has never entered my head. “He’s a baby, compared to me. What is he, twenty-six or something?”
Charlene blushes. “Twenty-Four, I think. What?” she says when I roll my eyes. “You don’t have to marry him. Just have some fun.” I feel my cheeks heat up as I look down at my phone, anything to avoid eye contact with her. She stares at me accusingly. “Wait a minute. You’ve already considered this, haven’t you?”
“I met him my first night here, in the bar at the hotel I was staying at, but nothing happened.” I protest over the sounds of their gasping. I laugh and cover my face with my hands. “I was about to ask him back to my room when he left,” I admit.
“See?” Charlene declares. “Nate is perfect. And its fate,” she adds.
“How so?” I laugh.
“Because I ended up with Matt and she ended up with Rex,” she says, pointing at Shana. “Now you’re working with Nate…” She shrugs, her eyes sparkling.
“The key word there being work,” I mumble.
“I thought the same thing in the beginning.” Shana giggles. “You’ll see. They have this way of working their way into your heart. Amongst other things.” She jokes. I groan and shake my head, while Charlene tosses a napkin at her.
We have a few more drinks and I get to know them a little bit better. It feels good to finally be developing some real friendships. Eventually Charlene's sighs when she glances at her phone.
“One of the joys of being a mother.” I admit. “I better get home before my husband has a coronary.” Charlene mutters.
Shana giggles “Well, I'm glad that I don't have that problem yet.”
“Yet,” Charlene says. “I give you guys a month. “Hey, maybe that will be the next stipulation in the world,” she cracks.
I shake my head, listening to the two of them joke about it. If it were me, I'd be absolutely livid. The way their lives been turned upside down is ridiculous.
“We have to do this again,” Shauna says as we walk out.
Charlene turns to me. “Are you free next week? We can make this a regular thing.”
“That would be great,” I say with a
smile. And this time actually mean it. I'm already looking forward to going out with them again.
It’s after midnight when I stumble into my apartment. I'm feeling great, because tonight was exactly what I needed to take my mind off things. The only thing I regret is not asking them more about Nate. Then again, they’re already trying to push the two of us together. The last thing I want is to give them any more ammunition.
Why am I even thinking about him? I don’t do relationships and he’s shown no inclination at all that he’s interested in me like that at all. Even that first night, before he knew who I was he left without so much as asking my name. What does that tell me?
The next morning, I meet with Nate for brunch, to go over the financials for the foundation. He wasn't thrilled at the idea of sitting down with me, but I convinced him that I couldn't make a proper assessment or recommendation without going through the figures with him.
I arrive at the café, still feeling seedy from the night before, but I do my best not to show it. Nate smiles at me as I walk over to his table. He stands up to greet me, shaking my hand. My heart races as Charlene’s words flash through my head. She’s right. I don’t have to marry him. It can just be a little bit of harmless fun…
God, Angela. He’s six years younger than you.
“Thanks for meeting me,” I say with a smile as I sit down.
“You look like you had a big night.” He comments, smirking at me.
“You can thank your sister-in-law and Rex’ girlfriend for that.” I mutter.
He laughs and picks up a menu, handing it to me.
“That explains a lot, actually,” he says as he reaches down into his briefcase and pulls out a thick file, flipping it open. “I guess we should get down to business.” He adds.