Sleepless in Manhattan (From Manhattan with Love 1)

She was aware of Jake in the center of it all, talking to each of the guests as they arrived.

He didn’t need to move, she thought. They all came to him.

But he did move; he circulated and networked, and every so often he brought someone across to Paige. His introductions were always amusing and complimentary.

It was fairly clear that after tonight, Urban Genie was going to be busy. She’d been asked to pitch for everything from product launches to birthdays, bar mitzvahs and baby showers.

“Urban Genie.” A tall man with a severe expression studied the lettering on her chest and nodded. “Jake tells me you’re the most sought-after events company in Manhattan. Do you have a business card?”

Paige handed it over.

“Paige,” Eva whispered in her ear, “take a look over there. By the fountain. It’s Matilda. She looks amazing.”

Paige looked and saw Matilda, tall and leggy, holding the hand of a tall, broad-shouldered man.

“He loves her.” Paige’s heart lurched. “You can tell by the way he looks at her.”

Eva sighed. “I want that one day. I won’t accept anything less.”

“Then you’d better prepare to be single,” Frankie said, waving at Matilda and melting into the crowd.

Eva stared after her in exasperation. “What is wrong with her? She can’t see a happy ending even when her nose is pressed against it.”

Paige thought about Frankie’s mother. “I guess if you’ve never seen it up close, it’s hard to believe in it.”

“Well, she’s seeing it now. Oh no! I see a food crisis. I’ll catch up with Matilda later.” Eva bounced away and Paige walked across the terrace to greet Matilda.

She thought about how much their lives had changed since the last time they’d met.

Chase Adams was cool and a little intimidating initially, but relaxed as Matilda introduced them.

“Matilda speaks highly of you.” He shook hands with Paige. “She loved working with you.”

Paige felt color flood her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“It’s so good to see you.” Matilda hugged her tightly, knocking her champagne glass into the fountain in the process.

Chase rescued it without comment. “I gather I’m responsible for the fact that you lost your jobs.” He set the glass down out of range of Matilda. “I won’t apologize for pulling my business because the way they treated Matilda was unacceptable, but I am sorry you were collateral damage.” His gaze was direct and Paige shook her head, appreciating his honesty.

“You did us a favor. It’s because of you that we’re doing this. And you’re right about what happened to Matilda. It was unacceptable.” The thought of it mortified her even though she hadn’t had the ability to change what had happened. “I tried to find her that night and—”

“I know.” He smiled, and the smile made him infinitely more approachable. “She’s told me all about it. And about Urban Genie. How’s it going? The market is pretty tough.”

She decided honesty deserved honesty. “It’s been a slow start, but we’re hoping that after tonight things will pick up.”

Matilda tugged at his hand. “Chase—”

He turned to her, instantly attentive. “Sweetheart—?”

“Will you do something for me?”

“You know I will.” His voice was soft. Intimate. “Name it.”

“Will you tell all your friends to use Urban Genie? Paige is brilliant.”

Paige wondered how a man like Chase would react to being told how to run his business, but if anything he seemed amused.

“Of course. I was going to do that anyway.” He turned back to Paige, his gaze sharp and assessing. “Can you handle the business if it comes your way?”