“Is it your first time in New York?” Corbin asked, stirring his coffee, the spoon clink clink clinking against the sides.
“Yeah.”
“How do you like it?” he asked.
Fast-paced wasn’t my speed. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the city yet. It was dirty, cramped, and noisy. Orange County was paradise by comparison, and even that could sometimes get to be too much for me. Even though my time at Camp Young Cubs had ended in handcuffs, I sometimes wished to be back in Big Bear—that time had stopped the night Lake and I had sat under the stars. Before the arrest. Before any of this.
“He won’t like it here,” Lake answered for me, dropping her eyes to the buttons of my dress shirt. “I can’t picture it.” She didn’t like the suit. It didn’t align with how she saw me, and she looked different to me, too, so I understood. She was a little older, not as put together, and definitely not as trusting. That didn’t mean I didn’t want her as she was, though.
“I might. I’ve barely seen it,” I said to her, hoping she’d understand that I could accept this new life of hers. That I wanted to be part of it. “I only arrived late last night.”
“And Lake’s apartment was the first stop you made?” Corbin asked.
“I had something to give her.” I shifted my gaze to Lake. “And it’s time-sensitive.”
Corbin looked between us. “Well, what was it?” he asked her.
“When Cathy found out I was coming,” I said, “she asked me to check on Lake.” I took the Broadway tickets she’d given me from inside my suit jacket and showed them to Lake. “The show is tonight. Miss Saigon—”
She snatched them. “I told my mom I wanted to see this.”
“It’s too bad you can’t go since you work tonight,” Corbin said, his arm still behind her as he played with her hair. I’d just gotten that golden silk in my hands for the first time in years, and he’d been running his fingers through it all this time? Fuck him.
“Oh, yeah.” Her shoulders slumped as she set the tickets on the table. “I totally forgot.”
Corbin shifted against the vinyl, his lips thinning into a line. “You should’ve told me you wanted to go. I’ll take you another night,” he said to her while looking at me. “Lake and I have been to lots of shows. Cathy knows that.”
I took the tickets back. Lake’s disappointment was palpable, but I wasn’t going to push it in front of Corbin. I’d get her to the show, even if I had to reschedule for a different night next week. “Not a problem,” I said.
She sucked in a breath like she was going to protest, and then seemed to think better of it. “I’ll call my mom and thank her. It’s been a while since we spoke anyway.”
Now Lake wasn’t only disappointed, but sad, too. I was close to her family, and the gap between them was great for no good reason. Lake had to have missed her parents, just like they missed their daughter, but until either Charles or Lake swallowed their pride and made the first call, it would stay that way.
“She works so damn hard,” Corbin said, pulling her into his side. “This one has two jobs on top of her auditions, not to mention she was in class several hours a week up until recently. She loves staying busy, but she deserves a break.”
I kept my eyes on Lake. All I heard was Corbin speaking for her the same way her dad had. I’d once wondered if this prick was better for Lake than I would be, but if he treated her anything like Charles had, then I wouldn’t feel an ounce of guilt stealing her out from under him.
“I don’t work any harder than you,” she said to Corbin.
I turned my attention to him, seeing an opening to learn more about the person I’d be going up against. “What do you do?” I asked him.
“Finance.”
“What’s that mean?” I got bits and pieces about Lake from Cathy, but out of self-preservation, I’d sometimes tuned out specifics when it came to Corbin.
“Since I graduated last year, I’ve been an investment analyst at a hedge fund. I shadow a portfolio manager—”
“I see.” I didn’t see. As it turned out, I didn’t care. I’d already decided Lake could do better. “What’s a hedge fund?”
“Oh, okay.” Corbin sighed. “Let me back up. Basically, my boss manages capital—that’s money—pooled by these investors who, like, they’re big time . . .”
Lake noticed me staring at her and blushed. God, it felt good to be back in her presence. To have put my arms around her and been close enough to practically taste her breath. It was like the first lick of what could be a never-ending cone of my favorite ice cream. She might’ve told me to stop because she was fighting herself—and me. She had every right to. I wanted her to give in, but I needed her to be sure about us before anything happened, because once I started down this path, I wouldn’t be able to turn back.