New York, Actually (From Manhattan with Love 4)

The dinner they’d enjoyed with Eva and Lucas had been the first of many evenings they spent with the couple. The four of them got on well together, and one day when Eva called her, not to speak to Daniel but to ask her advice on something, she realized that his friends were becoming her friends. She’d slotted into his circle. Trusted who he trusted. Her group of friends was smaller of course, but she’d introduced him to Gabe and Mark, and even Mrs. Winchester had declared him very handsome when she’d met him on the stairs.

She still went to her spin class, but she dropped salsa because she enjoyed getting up close and personal with Daniel more than she enjoyed doing it with a stranger.

As spring tipped over into summer, the borders grew lush with color, the air was thickened with scent and the evenings grew longer. When Daniel worked late, they walked in darkness, breathing in the scents and sounds of New York.

They talked about everything, from politics to people. They discussed books, wine, art, dogs.

“It’s so much more than incredible sex,” she told Gabe one night over dinner when Daniel was working late. “I look forward to seeing him. When I’m not with him, I think about him. I find myself sending him emails when something funny happens and I really need to share it. And he listens. I’ve never met a man who listens the way he does. Sometimes I think he knows what I want before I do. I’ve never had a relationship like this before. It’s so uncomplicated. I don’t even know what that’s called. There’s no name for it.”

Gabe raised his eyebrows. “I think it’s called l—”

“Life,” Mark said quickly. “It’s life. Sometimes relationships just work. Why do we have to label it?”

Gabe opened his mouth and closed it again. “Sure. Life. And you’re right. We don’t have to label it. If it works, it works. It can take any shape or form that works for you.”

“Do you know the best part? That he knows who I am. He knows it all. With him, I’m not hiding.”

“That’s great.” Mark stood up and grabbed dessert. “So this party he’s taking you to—”

“It’s a summer party that his law firm has every year. Fancy. What should I wear? I’m thinking a short dress. Maybe black?”

“Not black. Wear color. Red looks great with your hair.”

They debated the options for a while and she decided she probably needed something new. “How’s the champagne ad campaign going, Gabe?”

“Fizzing away. The client loves what we’ve proposed.” Gabe stood up and started clearing the table. “Which is a relief, because I’m enjoying the spoils. This is one account I don’t ever intend to lose.”

Mark grinned. “It’s champagne for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Molly helped clear the rest of the plates. “Don’t even talk to me about champagne. I’m never drinking again after that night at the Met.”

Mark made coffee while she and Gabe finished clearing. Then she called Valentine and said good-night to them both.

Gabe closed the door behind her and looked at Mark. “What’s going to happen when she realizes what she’s feeling is love?”

“I don’t know. But I have a feeling it’s not going to be pretty.”

“Maybe you should see if you can switch classes from Italian cooking to Serious Comfort Food.”

Nineteen

It was the first time Daniel had ever taken a date to the annual summer party, so their arrival immediately attracted attention.

“Is my skirt too short?” Molly paused, aware that everyone had turned to look at them. “Do I have spinach stuck in my teeth? Why is everyone staring?”

“They’re staring because this is the first time I’ve brought a date to this event. It was bound to attract some curiosity and interest. And then there’s that red dress.” It fell to midthigh from tiny shoestring straps. It was perfectly decent, so maybe it was simply that he knew what lay underneath that made him find the dress sexy.

She gave him a wicked smile. The same smile she’d given him when she’d joined him in the shower earlier that evening. Her smile was the reason they’d arrived late.

“Want me to tell them that our relationship is physical and that’s all?”

He thought about the hours they spent talking, arguing, exchanging views. The number of times they’d laughed until neither of them could speak, and eaten from each other’s plates in restaurants. “Sure.” He managed to keep his voice normal. “Tell them it’s just incredible sex.”

It’s what he would have said himself a month ago. But now?

He knew what he felt went far deeper than that.

He’d never fallen in love before. But he was sure, he knew, that he was in love now. With Molly. That discovery hadn’t come to him in an instant. It had been a gradual realization and at first he’d rejected it. Love? No way. He’d searched for other words to describe the way he felt about her. Friendship? Definitely. Sexual attraction? That went without saying. But neither of those labels explained the depth or breadth of his feelings. The truth had hit him when he’d heard a married colleague describe him in tones of deep envy as a free agent. Daniel had realized he didn’t want to be free. Not if free meant being without Molly. To him that sounded like being given the choice between a life in a barren desert or a life in a lush rain forest.