by E. L. Todd
I couldn’t figure out why he was there. “What are you doing here?”
He had the grace to smile. “I work here. Or do you not remember?”
“Sorry, I remember,” I said. “I thought you worked in Boston?”
“I moved to the city a few months ago. We have a few banks throughout the state so I float around. One of our workers called in sick today so I’m covering for her.”
I didn’t know what to say so I nodded. “Cool…”
“Yeah.” He stepped back and extended his hand toward his office. “Shall we?”
“Sure…” I fidgeted with my purse because I didn’t know what else to do.
He opened the door for me then moved to the chair behind his desk.
When I looked at him, I realized nothing had changed. His eyes were still hypnotically blue, his jaw was still strong, and a light amount of facial hair covered his chin.
“So, how have you been?” He spoke to me like seeing me wasn’t awkward. The last time we saw each other, he bowed out because I admitted I loved Slade. I wasted his time, and I’m sure I hurt his feelings.
“Great. You?”
“Good.” He typed on his computer then printed out a few papers. “Where are you working?”
“Vogue.”
“Nice,” he said with a smile. “I’m glad you’re doing what you’ve always wanted.”
“Thank you. I’m very excited.”
“And you’re getting paid,” he said with a laugh. “That’s always good.”
“Yeah.” I felt the check in my hands. “I’m excited to get my own place.”
“It’s exciting but I do miss living at home sometimes. My mom cooked and cleaned up after me.” He sighed deeply. “Boy, I miss those days.”
I chuckled. “Living at home isn’t bad. But I do want some privacy.”
“I get ya.” He passed the papers to me. “I just need you to sign this and I’ll get everything started.”
I grabbed the pen and signed all the lines.
He leaned back in his chair and watched me.
“Who’s running Boston in your absence?”
“A district manager,” he answered. “I stop by every once in awhile.”
“It sounds like business is good.”
“No complaints,” he said.
“Do you live in the city?”
“I do,” he said.
“That’s nice.”
He handed me another paper to fill out. “Just your personal information.”
I filled half of it out then stopped and looked at him. “I’m sorry about everything…”
He met my gaze and a slight smile formed on his lips. “Trinity, it’s okay. I understand, better than most people, that sometimes things just happen.”
I still felt terrible. He was such a nice guy. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“I was for a while. It was actually another reason I moved to the city. But, it didn’t work out…”
“I’m sorry.” I really was.
“It’s quite alright,” he said. “How’s it going with Slade?”
I flinched at the question.
“He was bound to come up, right?”
“Well,” I answered.
“Good. You’ve been together for a long time.”
“Yeah.” It didn’t feel long enough to me.
“I’m glad you’re getting everything you wanted. A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t settle for less.”
I thought Slade wouldn’t be able to give me everything I wanted, but he did. He wanted to move in together, and hopefully he would propose soon after that. Our relationship was unique in a lot of ways, but there was no denying how much we loved each other. “Yeah, he took me by surprise.”
“Sometimes it takes men longer to realize what they want. Slade probably figured it out a little quicker with you.”
Reid always tried to make me feel comfortable even when I didn’t deserve it. How he wasn’t married with three kids was beyond me. Were all the women he dated blind and deaf? “What happened with your girlfriend?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t see it going anywhere. I didn’t want to waste her time.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sure you’ll find someone.”
“Yeah…” Doubt was heavy in his voice. “And if not, there’s always a mail order bride.” He laughed.
I laughed too. “I don’t think you’ll have to resort to that.”
He took back the papers and checked them. “You’re good. Just hand over that check and I’ll deposit it for you.”
“Thank you.”
He stood up and adjusted his tie. “It was nice seeing you, Trinity. Take care.”
“You too.” I shook his hand.
“And make sure you do something fun with that money.” He winked at me.
“I will.”
***
“You ran into Reid?” Skye asked. “What are the odds of that?”
“Slim,” I said. “I knew it was his bank but I didn’t expect him to be there.” We were having a drink at a restaurant. I took her out to cheer her up. She’d been down lately. I tried not to mention Cayson so she wouldn’t think about him. But I had a feeling she was thinking about him anyway.
“How’d he look?”
I shrugged. I felt bad for even thinking it.
“Good?” she pressed.
I nodded. “Really good.”
She smiled then dropped it. “I’ll keep your secret. Are you going to tell Slade?”
I laughed because it was so absurd. “God, no. Are you kidding?”
“You really think he’d be jealous by a five minute conversation?”
“His head would explode,” I blurted. “Whenever it comes to Reid, he acts like a monkey that doesn’t want to share his hoard of bananas.”
“I always knew he reminded me of something…”
“Forget it. There’s this guy at work that’s always really nice to me, and Slade immediately assumed he was trying to get in my pants.”
“Isn’t he gay?”
“Definitely. Slade only backed off when I told him that.”
She finished her martini then left the glass on the table. “Who would have thought Slade would be the romantic and monogamous type?”
“Yeah…” I tried not to flaunt my happiness with Slade in front of her. Every day was a struggle for her. She had the greatest relationship anyone had ever known, but now it was over. If Slade and I broke up, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I decided to change the subject. “How’s work?”
She shrugged. “About the same. It’s a lot of stuff to remember but I’m getting the hang of it.”
“You’ll be fine,” I said. “You have your own office?”
“Yeah. It’s on the other side of the building, away from my dad. So that’s nice. I have my privacy.”
“And necessary. I couldn’t imagine working with my dad all day.”
“He won’t be there forever,” she said. “He’ll leave eventually. Then I’ll have total dominion.”
“I’m sure you’ll keep that place in tip-top shape.”
“I’ll try,” she said. She stared at her empty glass then turned to me. “Did Slade mention…Cayson and I?”
I nodded. “He told me what Cayson said to you.”
She nodded and looked away.
“For what it’s worth, it sounded like Cayson didn’t mean it. He’s just in pain and doesn’t know what to do. Maybe he thinks pushing you away will make it easier on him.”
She shook her head. “I really don’t think so. He and I are over.”
I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but I didn’t want to hurt her more by giving her false hope. It was a tough situation. I felt like I was failing as a best friend for not fixing the situation.
“You look parched.” A man pulled up a chair then sat at our table. He wore a black suit with a matching tie, had dark brown hair, and stunning blue eyes that rivaled Slade’s. He placed an apple ma
rtini close to Skye. “And being dehydrated is a serious issue.” His words were amplified by his soft British accent.
His arrival was so sudden that neither Skye nor I knew how to react.
I stared at Skye and she stared back at me.
He watched us. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. Are you…on a date?”
“No,” I blurted. “We’re not lesbians.”
“Hey.” He raised both hands. “I wouldn’t judge you if you were. Just wanted to make sure.” He added a light chuckle. “I’ve been wrong before.”
“I have a boyfriend,” I said. “And I like men.”
“Good to know.” He turned to Skye and watched her. Judging the way he watched her, she was the one he wanted from the beginning. “I didn’t mean to barge into your conversation. Honestly, I don’t do this a lot…I just thought you were really pretty.”
Her cheeks blushed and she smiled without looking at him. “Thank you for the compliment.”
“My pleasure,” he said. “I was actually having dinner with a few friends, but I had to ditch them. They understood.”
“Where are your friends?” I asked.
He looked over his shoulder and waved.
They held up their glasses and nodded to him.
“They seem nice,” I said.
“They are pretty cool mates,” he said. “So, how long have you guys known each other?”
I liked that he spoke to both of us even though he was clearly hitting on Skye. And he wasn’t being creepy about it. “Since we were born. Well, since she was born, technically.”
“Related?” he asked.
“Cousins,” Skye said. “Our fathers are brothers.”
“Very cool,” he said. “But I admit you don’t look much alike.”
“We take after our moms,” I said. “Thankfully.”
“Well, your mothers must be beautiful women.” He crossed one ankle at the knee and turned to Skye. “I didn’t get your name, darling?”
“Skye,” she answered.
He whistled. “That’s a beautiful name.”
“Thanks.” She blushed again.
He extended his hand to shake hers. “I’m Ward. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You too,” she said quietly.
Then he extended his hand to me. “And yours?”
“Trinity,” I said.
“Another beautiful name.” He dropped his hand.
“Thanks,” I said. “My dad picked it out.”
“He has good taste,” he said. He turned back to Skye. “Tell me about yourself, lovely.”
“There’s not much to say. You’re foreigner, so you sound more interesting,” Skye said.
Ward smiled in an endearing way. “No, I’m quite a snooze. I commute from London regularly. I spend half my time here and the other half in Great Britain.”
“Why?” Skye asked.
“For work,” he answered.
“That’s a big commute,” I said.
“Well, I work for a company that’s all over the world. The CEO lives here in New York, where the original company began. There’s a lot of things I need to do face-to-face with him. And I don’t mind at all. New York is one of the greatest cities on this earth. And, it has beautiful women.” His comment was directed toward Skye.
“There are beautiful women everywhere,” I said.
“They don’t make him here like they do everywhere else. A New York woman is strong and hard. You really have to work for her attention, and when you get it, it makes it worthwhile. They’re independent, smart, and fierce. And that’s how I prefer them.”
“Lucky for you,” Skye said. “You met two of the sassiest women in this city.”
He rubbed his hands together greedily. “It looks like I won the lotto.”
His charm was even working on me. I had to remind myself that I had a man I loved more than anything. It was easy to think you were single when a charming British man was making you feel beautiful.
“What do you do?” Ward asked me. He seemed to be interested in having a conversation with both of us, not just going in for the kill.
“I work for Vogue. Actually, I’m an intern.”
“That’s impressive,” he said. “Fashion magazine, right?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod.
“That must have been tough to get into,” he said. “Good for you.”
“Thanks,” I said. “It’s been a dream.”
He turned to Skye next. “And what about you, darling?”
“I work at a software company, something boring,” Skye replied, keeping her answer short.
“Boring?” he asked curiously. “Why is that boring?”
“Well, it’s not as cool as working in fashion,” she said.
“Anything can be cool as long as you love it,” he said. “I used to deliver newspapers as a boy. In the wintertime it was freezing cold, and the other boys used to tease me. The snow was difficult to get through on my bike. But, I pretended I was carrying secret correspondence from military invaders. That made the job a lot more interesting.”
She chuckled. “That does sound interesting.”
“And it made the time go by fast.”
“I guess I could give that a try,” Skye said with a chuckle.
I watched their interaction, realizing they were hitting it off. Ward was charming, sweet, and extremely handsome. I knew she loved Cayson, but that seemed to be a dead-end. Maybe something would happen with this guy. I stayed quiet and tried to disappear.
His phone beeped a few times in his pocket. “I apologize. Give me one moment.” He dug it out and looked at the screen. After he typed a message, he returned it to his pocket. “My apologies. I know that was rude.”
Actually, I hadn’t met someone so polite in a long time.
“That was my friend asking if you were available,” he said. “He was bummed when I said you weren’t a free bird.”
“Oh,” I said. “Sometimes the timing just isn’t right.”
“if the timing was right, we’d all be in relationships,” Ward said.
“How old are you?” I blurted.
Skye shot me a glare. “Don’t be rude.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “You just…seem mature.”
He had the grace to smile. “I’m not offended. I’ve been told before that my age is difficult to guess. I’m twenty-six, so I would assume I’m just a few years older than you.”
“Yeah,” I answered.
He indicated the drink on the table. “If you don’t like that, I can bring you something else.”
“No, it’s great,” Skye said. “I’ve just had too much as it is.”
“Oh, I see,” he said. “Can I get you a water?”
“No, thank you,” she said. “But I appreciate it.”
He was like a British version of Cayson.
“Where did you grow up?” I asked, wanting to keep the conversation going. Once he asked out Skye, she would say no. Maybe if she got to know him better, she would consider it. He was definitely a catch.
“Glasgow,” he answered.
“Isn’t that in Scotland?” Skye asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “My father is Scottish and my mother is British. We moved to London when I was five.”
“Then why do you have a British accent?” I asked.
He changed into a Scottish one. “I can do both.”
“So cool,” Skye said.
His cheeks blushed lightly. His facial hair covered most of it, but it was noticeable. He had features that were easy on the eyes, and his eyes stood out against his fair face. He had a built body that suggested he worked out often but didn’t overdo it. “It doesn’t hurt to be different.”
“Do you have any siblings?” I asked.
“One sister,” he said. “She lives in London with her husband and two children.”
“So, you’re an uncle?” Skye asked.
“The best uncle in the world, actually,” he said with pride.
“Would you like to see them?”
“Of course,” Skye said.
He pulled out his phone and showed us pictures.
“So cute,” I said.
“Adorable,” Skye said.
He smiled then put his phone away. “I spoil them rotten…my sister hates it.”
“But that’s your job,” Sky said.
“I gave her the same argument,” he said with a shrug. “But she’s never taken my advice.”
We spent the next hour asking him about his life in London and what he did for fun. He was an accomplished piano player and enjoyed polo. In college he used to play rugby. The conversation among the three of us was easy. He quickly fit inside our atmosphere and acted like a friend we’d known forever. We were there for so long, the restaurant started to close.
“Well, I think we’ve taken advantage of their hospitality long enough.” He stood up and straightened his tie.
I shot Skye a look while he wasn’t watching. It clearly said, “I really like him.”
She caught the look but didn’t react.
He eyed his table. “My friends are long gone. Can I walk you ladies to your car?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said.
We left the restaurant then reached my Toyota.
“It was lovely spending the evening with you. Good company is hard to find.” He stood with his hands in his pockets. When he stood next to us, I realized how tall he was. He was over six feet and he really filled out his suit. I nudged Skye again, telling her to go for it.
“I know you have a boyfriend,” Ward said to me. Then he turned his gaze on Skye. “But I sincerely hope you don’t have one. You’re a delight and I hope we can get coffee sometime. I would love to learn more about you.” He stared at her while he waited for a response.
Skye fidgeted with her hair. “Uh…”
I kicked her discreetly.
She acted like I didn’t just attack her. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
I beamed with excitement.
“But…I’m not interested.”
His eyes fell in disappointment. “May I ask why? Did I make you uncomfortable?” His curiosity seemed sincere.
“No, of course not,” she said.
“Don’t be stupid, Skye,” I hissed. “Go out with him.”
Ward didn’t look at me. “Your friend has given her approval.”
Skye shifted her weight uncomfortably. “I’m just…no.”