After class, Kate walked across the campus to the conference room for new students to meet their alumni mentors. She signed in with the short guy holding the clipboard, who then directed her to find her seat. She noticed her nametag at a table for two across from the alumnus’s nametag, ‘Neil Statton.’ That’s a strong, solid-sounding name. She wondered whether he was as good as his name sounded. For a brief moment, she dreamed of finding a good, solid man for herself, but she quickly put the thought aside as guilt sprang up, flooding her with unwanted emotion. She wanted to suppress those emotions within the deep recesses of her mind, but they had a way of leaking out and she knew she had to deal with them. She rubbed her forehead for a moment. Other students and mentors began sitting down, but she realized Neil Statton was nowhere to be found. After waiting for ten minutes, she checked in with the guy holding the clipboard again. Her mentor had not called to cancel, so she sat back down, figuring he must be having trouble finding parking. The man at the table adjacent to hers, a striking man with wavy brown hair, pale blue eyes, and a spattering of freckles along his strong cheekbones, leaned over with a smile.
“Hi, I’m Mac Carter,” he said, his smile widening as she met his gaze. He scooted his chair closer. “I see you’re waiting for Neil. He’s a good buddy of mine.” He glanced around the room. “He isn’t here yet?”
Kate shook her head. “I’m Kate Simmons. It’s nice to meet you,” she said, reaching out her hand to shake his. “But no. He hasn’t shown up yet.”
“Wow, he’s going to be sorry he missed you,” Mac said with a chuckle, his gaze skimming her body discreetly. But for some reason his appreciation didn’t feel sleazy.
“Well, I can’t wait much longer,” she grumbled, ignoring Mac’s flirtatious statement. “I need to leave soon for work. I see your mentee has already come and gone.”
“Yeah, she didn’t have very many questions. She seemed a little flaky.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure why she signed up.” He drummed his fingers on the table and gazed at her thoughtfully. “So, you said you had to leave for work soon,” he murmured, his eyebrows lifting. “Where do you work?”
Kate smiled. “I work at Nordstrom.”
“Really, which one?” One eyebrow went up a little higher.
“Fashion Valley.”
“Oh, what department do you work in?”
“The children’s department,” she said, her smile fading. Why is he asking so many questions?
He nodded. “Sounds like a great place to work,” he said. “I love to shop at Nordstrom. They have great stuff.”
“Yeah,” she said, watching him closely. He had a secretive smile on his face now, and it made her a bit suspicious. “They do.”
“Neil’s usually so punctual, so I’d guess he’s not going to make it, Kate,” Mac said, his head cocked to one side.
“Well, that’s okay. I’ll figure things out on my own.” She pushed her chair back from the table and stood up, slinging her purse over her shoulder. “I better get going. Tell your friend Neil thanks a lot for standing me up. It’s a real ego boost,” she said sarcastically.
Mac laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to tell him.”
Shaking her head, she walked out.
***
Mac
Mac grinned as he watched Kate walk away, pulling out his cell phone as he did. The moment she’d sat down at Neil’s table, he’d known this would be an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. He typed out a text to Neil and attached the picture of her he’d covertly snapped before he introduced himself.
Mac Carter: You blew it. This hot, sexy woman was waiting for u. If I were u, I’d track her down. I got the 411. She works at nordies fashion valley in kids dept. Her name’s Kate Simmons.
With a chuckle, he hit the send button.
***
Kate
When Kate arrived at work, Maria asked how her meeting went at school. “My mentor was a no-show. I guess something came up. What can you do?” she said with a shrug. “I met his very cute friend, Mac, who was polite and took up some of the time.”
“It’s not like it was an actual date. Maybe he got caught at work and couldn’t leave to meet with you,” Maria said.
Maria answered the ringing phone and then handed it to Kate, saying, “It’s for you. It’s a man.” A sly smile stretched across her face.
Kate figured it was her brother. Only one other man besides her brother had ever called her at work, and she knew she wouldn’t be hearing his voice again.
“Thanks for holding. This is Kate.”
“Hi Kate, this is Neil Statton,” a deep, sexy voice said. “I’m your alumni mentor. I tried to get word to the alumni coordinator that I got held up at work and couldn’t get away, but I couldn’t get through. I’m a lawyer and we had a break in the case I’m working on. I’d really like to make up for my rudeness for standing you up. Do you think I could take you out for dinner one night this week?” he said smoothly, without skipping a beat. She could tell he was accustomed to women being putty in his hands.
“Thank you for the offer, but it won’t be necessary, Mr. Statton,” she snapped. “Your friend kept me company. He answered a few questions for me when he was done with his mentee. Besides, I’m very busy, and as you know, I’m working right now, so I really need to go. But thanks for the call, Mr. Statton.” Then she hung up the phone.
“Was that the guy who was supposed to meet you?” Maria asked. Nothing got past her.
“Yes.”
“What did he want?”
“He wants to take me to dinner to make up for standing me up.”
“And you said no? You haven’t been on a date in such a long time. Don’t you think it’s time to get back out there? You’re young and beautiful and life’s meant to be lived.” She shook her head. “I don’t think what you’re doing is living. You should go out with him.”
Kate folded her arms. “I already said no. Besides, he sounds like he’s busy as it is. Between the two of us, I doubt there’d be any time. Although, he did seem rather nice on the phone,” she said, her cheeks growing warm.
Customers walked into the department and Kate and Maria each had someone to help find a baby present. It took Kate’s mind off of her conversation with Neil to put together a basket of baby supplies for a shower. She always loved selling baby clothes. About an hour later, a delivery guy walked up to the counter with a beautiful arrangement of flowers.
“Is a Kate Simmons here?” he asked.
“I’m Kate Simmons,” she said, wondering who the flowers were from.
“Please sign here,” he said, handing her his clipboard.
She signed for the flowers and thanked him. By now, Maria, Brenda, and Natalie had congregated at the counter to find out who sent the striking bouquet.
“Maybe you have a secret admirer,” Natalie said with a giggle.
“I don’t know,” Kate said as she slid the card out of its envelope. She read it to herself first while her co-workers waited impatiently.
“Well, are you going to read the card to us?” Maria asked, throwing up her hands.
“Absolutely,” Kate responded.
Dear Kate,
Please forgive me for standing you up today. I can assure you this has never happened before. I’d like to make it up to you by taking you out for dinner.
Yours Truly,
Neil
Needless to say, she was flabbergasted. Who did this guy think he was? She’d already refused his invitation over the phone. Looks like he had a hard time hearing “no.”
“This is so romantic,” Brenda said with her hand on her chest.
“It’s kind of like having a secret admirer. You haven’t met him before?” Maria asked, her eyebrows raised. She couldn’t hide her “I told you to go out with him” smile.
“No, I haven’t,” Kate said, shaking her head.
“When we go to lunch, we can Google him. I can hardly wait to see this guy,” Natalie piped in. They only had
to wait an hour to learn more about this Neil Statton, aka “Mr. Pushy.”
Time went by quickly as the department became busy. It seemed like four o’clock arrived instantaneously. She decided she’d find out more about Mr. Neil Statton before calling him to thank him for the flowers. Fortunately, this was a case where the benefits of modern technology knew no bounds.
Kate and Natalie entered the employee lounge. There were tables and chairs in the middle of the room with cushy sofas along the walls. The first thing Natalie did was sit at one of the tables, whip out her cell phone, and Google Neil Statton. Kate sat at the table while her frozen dinner was heating up in the microwave. A whole list of sites came up with Neil’s name on them. Natalie clicked on the first one. It contained a picture of Neil. Both of their jaws dropped. He was one of the most mouthwateringly handsome men Kate—and probably Natalie too—had ever laid eyes on. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He was a ringer for Jake Gyllenhaal. Like Jake, Neil had dark hair, light eyes, and a Hollywood smile. His cheekbones were high and his jaw was firm and chiseled. Kate was speechless.
“Wow, look at his face. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen,” Natalie exclaimed.
“Can’t argue with you there, Nat.”
Natalie began to read the article.
“Neil Statton attends charity fundraiser with his parents, Sophia and Magnus Statton. The black tie gala raised three million dollars for the San Diego Children’s Fund.”
Words still failed Kate. Natalie frowned at her.
“Are you okay? I’ve never seen you at such a loss for words,” Natalie said, grinning at her friend as she rested her head in her hand.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, scrunching up her nose. Neil Statton seemed too good to be true. He was gorgeous and a philanthropist. He helped raise money for children. And he was a lawyer.
Kate asked Natalie to click on another page. They ate their lunch and read more about the impressive Neil Statton, corporate attorney, humanitarian, and Greek god. He was from a wealthy family of lawyers and he was a junior partner in his dad’s firm.
She realized this man was going to be persistent. He was most likely used to getting his way. She wasn’t quite sure what to do.
“It’d be rude of me to not call him and thank him for the lovely flowers,” she mumbled to herself. “Nat, I’m going to call him right now to thank him…for the flowers,” she said firmly.
“Are you going to go out with him?” she asked eagerly. “He is one sexy man.”
“I’m not sure. I’ll see how the conversation goes.”
She dialed the number on the card. His phone rang, but the call went straight to voice mail. A busy lawyer probably didn’t answer calls from numbers he didn’t recognize. She left a brief message thanking him for the flowers and assuring him he was forgiven and off the hook. No need to go to dinner. Part of her hoped that would be the end of it, but the other part longed to be pursued by him. Kate took in some deep breaths. Leaving him a message had accelerated her heart rate. She didn’t want Natalie to notice.
“I hope he calls you back tonight,” Natalie said with a gleam in her eye.
“He’s not going to call me back. I think I made it clear in my message there was no need for him to take me to dinner.”
“Somehow, he doesn’t seem like the type to give up easily. He sent you a huge bouquet of flowers to get your attention. Do you really think your message is going to be the end of it?” Natalie asked. “After all, Kate, this delicious man doesn’t even know what you look like. I imagine once he actually sees you, there’d be no way he’d back off.”
Kate smiled at her dear friend. “Nat, you’re always so sweet to me. I guess we’ll see what happens. But, honestly, I’m not sure I want him to call me back. He seems very intense. I don’t know if I can handle someone like him.”
“Kate, it’s been a long time since things fell apart in your life. I know it’s hard, but you need to move on. It’s time. Give him a chance,” Natalie said, great kindness showing in her eyes.
“I know you’re right, but it’s so hard to let go. If I move on, I feel like I am betraying my past. I should be ready, but sometimes I feel stuck.”
“No, Kate, it’s not a betrayal. He’d want you to…well, we all want you to move on and be happy. Try to be a little open and see where this leads. You never know what’s going to happen. Life’s full of mysteries and things we can’t understand. You have to stop beating yourself up,” she added encouragingly.
“Thanks, Nat. I appreciate your advice. I know you’re right. I’ll try to be more open.”
“Good,” Nat said, glancing at her watch. “Looks like our time’s up. We need to get back to work.”
They returned to the department. Maria and Brenda went home for the day, leaving Kate and Natalie in charge for the evening.
***
Neil
Neil stepped off the escalator and watched Kate from afar. He’d listened to her message, but decided this required his personal touch. She could hang up on him if he called again, but she couldn’t get away from him while she was working. For some reason he couldn’t explain, he needed to meet her. She’d gotten under his skin when she refused his dinner invitation. She was a challenge, and he was captivated by that. He hadn’t been challenged in a long time.
Kate was helping an elderly couple and she looked like she was enjoying herself. He was without a doubt enjoying himself as he studied her every movement. She was even more beautiful than the picture Mac had sent him. He was hoping to persuade her to accept a date with him. Seeing her in person only heightened his interest. He could feel his blood coursing through his veins, yet it was more than wanting her. Somehow he felt a need for her, as though he was inexplicably drawn to her. A small tinge of jealously swept through him hearing her laughing with her customers. He wanted to be the one laughing with her. He’d convince her to give him a chance. After all, being a pro, he convinced people to see his point of view for a living and made a lot of money doing it. Hoping she would give him a chance, he made his way toward the children’s department.
***
Kate
Kate had finished with the first couple and began helping another couple find a birthday gift for their niece. Neil strolled into the department with his chest out and chin high, dripping sex appeal with each step. Kate recognized him right away since she and Natalie had gawked at just about every picture of him posted on the internet.
Kate overheard Natalie speaking to Neil. “Hi, do you need help finding a gift this evening?”
“No,” Neil said, looking at Kate. “I’d just like to browse for a few minutes.”
“Okay. Well, let us know if you need anything.”
Kate noticed him rummaging through the baby section, but decided not to let on she knew who he was even though her heart was pounding at the sight of him. He must really think he’s clever. Well, two can play that game. She handed the package to the couple and thanked them for shopping at Nordstrom. When they walked away, Neil suddenly needed help. As he approached her, she felt a surge of electricity run through her body, something she hadn’t felt in eons. He was intoxicatingly handsome and standing very close. Close enough to touch. His gaze was intense and she swallowed hard, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. Wow, he’s sexy as hell.
“Excuse me, miss. My sister’s having a baby and I want to buy her some baby clothes,” he said nonchalantly.
So, he’s going to play it that way. “How wonderful. Do you know if the baby’s going to be a boy or a girl?”
“Yes, she’s having a daughter. It’s her first child, so she needs everything,” he said. Kate started showing him the layette items and then moved to the three-months clothing. He took one of everything she displayed in front of him. Anything she suggested he was inclined to accept. Pretty soon, a huge pile of baby clothes, blankets, accessories, and stuffed animals swamped the counter like his sex appeal had overwhelmed her and probably every wom
an he’d ever come into contact with. She felt like they were playing a game of chicken. Who was going to blink first?
“Did someone send you those lovely flowers?” he asked with a sexy grin.
“Yes, they’re from a very pushy man who can’t seem to take ‘no’ for an answer,” she responded, playfully tilting her head to one side.
“Well, maybe he’s very interested in getting to know you,” he offered, his eyes blazing.
“How do you know he doesn’t already know me? Maybe these are from my boyfriend who’s trying to make up with me after a fight. After he didn’t get his way,” she countered, wearing her own intense stare with one of her eyebrows cocked.
Neil smiled. “Touché, Miss Simmons,” he said. “I think we both know who these flowers are from. You researched me earlier today, didn’t you?”
“Guilty as charged, Mr. Statton,” she countered with confidence. “So, will this be cash, check, or charge?” If he thought he was going to waste her time, he had another thing coming. “Do you really have a pregnant sister?”
“Yes, I do,” he said. “I’ll put it on my card.”
“Would you like me to put these in gift boxes?” she asked, maintaining her professionalism. She was enjoying their exchange, but she didn’t want him to know it. Keeping him guessing gave her the upper hand.
“That would be so helpful. Wrapping up gifts is not my forte,” he said, his sexy smile hitting her right between her thighs and making her want to gift-wrap her body around his. He sure wasn’t lacking in charm or sex appeal. He’d purchased so many items for his sister that she used the largest gift boxes she had. The only problem was he had too many boxes for one person to carry.
Fallen For You (Killer Next Door #1) Page 3