“If you can hold off until tomorrow, I’ll take you to the bookstore of my dreams.” Her blue eyes brighten. “It’s in Brooklyn. I’ve been going there since I was a kid.”
Since my calendar is wide open, I nod. “I can hold off.”
“We should exchange numbers.” She palms her phone. “I promise I won’t pass yours on to any of my single cousins unless you want me to.”
“I live in Seattle, remember?” I ask teasingly. “I’m here for a brief visit. That’s it. I’m not looking to find my soul mate in Manhattan.”
“I wasn’t looking for mine either and boom, there he was.” She darts a hand into the air. “You never know when you’re going to come face-to-face with the man who will own your heart.”
“The chances of it happening during this trip are slim.”
“There’s just as much chance of it happening here as there are in Seattle.” She gestures at my phone. “I’ll give you my number. Text me tomorrow so we can set up a time to go to the bookstore.”
I plug her number into my contact list as she recites it to me.
“My family has this habit of being too much at times.” She holds back a smile. “If I’m doing that, tell me, but I know what it’s like to miss your older brother. Mine has been living in Italy for a few months. He’s coming back soon, but it’s not the same as having him close.”
“You’re not too much,” I reassure her with a squeeze of her hand. “I’m alone in New York for the most part. The only person I know is my brother’s best friend. I’m staying with him.”
Her eyes narrow. “What’s he like?”
I shrug. “It’s hard to tell. We’ve barely talked.”
Leaning closer, she lowers her voice. “My brother’s best friend is in love with my sister. She doesn’t know it, but I see it whenever they’re in the same room.”
“Case barely knows I exist.” I laugh. “I’m not even sure he likes me.”
“You like him.” Her eyebrows dance. “Your face lit up when you said his name.”
“No, it didn’t,” I protest with a grin. “I don’t know the man.”
“Watch this.” She takes a deep breath. “Barrett Adler.”
“That’s your fiancé,” I say with conviction because of the dazzling smile she’s sporting. Happiness radiates from her.
She circles her index finger in front of her face. “This is the face of a woman in love.”
I mimic her movement in front of my face. “This is the face of a woman not in love.”
“Yet,” she says matter-of-factly. “I’ll walk to the park with you, and then it’s back to work for me.”
Chapter 15
Case
Sitting in Drake’s office is a glimpse into the mind of a genius.
I thought I knew where he was in terms of development and new product launches, but he’s been hiding his best ideas in a blue file folder shoved under some books on a shelf in his office.
I wouldn’t have given the shelf a second look except there’s a framed picture of Emma on it.
It must have been taken when Drake surprised his family with a trip to Hawaii last year.
Drake’s parents are both wearing white shirts and navy blue shorts. The hem of the long yellow sundress Whitney has on is kissing the sand on the beach. Drake is front and center in the picture decked out in red board shorts and a backward baseball cap.
A colorful beach towel is wrapped around Emma’s waist, and a white string bikini top is covering her breasts.
Jesus.
With her brown hair flowing in the light breeze, she looks unbelievable.
She’s beautiful.
I glance back at the image again, although there’s no need. I took a snap of it with my phone yesterday.
Truthfully, I zoomed in on her before I took the picture.
I’ll delete it at some point, but for now, it’s saved not only to my memory but to a folder on my phone.
A knock on the doorframe draws my gaze up from the folder.
“Mr. Abbott?” Drake’s assistant rakes a hand through his blond hair.
“What is it, Elias?”
Elias Svensson is a recruit that Drake brought on six months ago after his long-term assistant retired. I’ve known Elias for less than forty-eight hours, but I’m impressed by what I’ve seen so far.
“You mentioned that you wanted to know when Ms. Montgomery arrived.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “She’s here.”
I glance down at the desk. “Send her in.”
“Will do, sir.” He nods. “If I didn’t mention it before, it’s good to meet you.”
He did mention it. Twice.
I looked over his resume. He’s a twenty-four-year-old personal assistant who should be in our software development department. I have no idea why Drake gave him this position, but a few weeks from now, Elias will have a new job title and a bigger paycheck.
“You too,” I toss back.
He inches forward. His gaze skates over the open file folder in front of me. “What do you have there?”