Oh wow. I read his message a few times until every word sank in. I had no idea what to reply, so I decided to tease him.
Tess: You’re still not getting pictures.
Liam: I didn’t think you’d change your mind on that. I was just being honest.
And precisely because he was honest, I was completely on fire. I swear my panties just combusted. I rose to my feet, too jittery to sit.
Tess: Thank you :)
Instead of replying, he called me. I hesitated for a few seconds, because I wasn’t sure how hearing his voice was going to tame the heat, but he was our investor. I had to find a way to work with him.
“Hey,” I said.
“Believe it or not, I actually meant to text you about business.”
I could hear the smile in his voice, and I couldn’t help but grin. “You don’t say.”
“So now I’m calling.”
“Think that will improve the situation?”
“I don’t know, Tess. We’ll see.” After a beat, he added, “I want us to get to know each other better. I know it’s best not to mix business and pleasure, but I can’t help myself. I’m crazy attracted to you, and I think it’s mutual. Am I wrong?”
“No,” I admitted. Butterflies were roaming in my belly. “But I’m not sure we should...do anything.”
“Think about it, okay?” His voice was relaxed, and I was thankful he was letting me off the hook, because I needed time to process this.
“Okay. I’ll email any questions we have about the contract.”
After hanging up, I looked at the bottle and hugged it to my chest.
I was in an excellent mood. We had a reputable investor wanting to work with us. I had a bottle of our favorite champagne. What was there not to be happy about?
Celebrating milestones was a religion in my family. I’d always insisted on that. We all had hurdles to overcome, so good things needed to be enjoyed and celebrated.
I headed to Ryker’s place. Skye was meeting us there. Since my brother worked on Wall Street, we wanted his input on the contract. He’d know if the terms were fair.
On the way, I received a message, and I scowled at the phone when I read it.
Kevin: Think I’ve got a shot at this?
Attached was a picture of a gorgeous blonde.
Kevin was the owner of a food truck not far from our store. We met a few months ago when I bought lunch from him. I thought we clicked, so in a typically overoptimistic Tess fashion, I asked him out. He turned me down gently, saying I wasn’t his type and that we were better off as friends.
Ever since, he kept in touch—more often than not asking for advice with women. I toyed with the idea of just ignoring him, but really, I didn’t want to be rude. He’d been honest. But looking at the picture, I couldn’t help but ask myself, What does she have that I don’t? It stung.
Tess: I don’t see why not :)
There, that was a good reply, and it didn’t invite more conversation.
He didn’t send anything back, thank goodness.
My brother lived in a gorgeous apartment not too far from Soho, on the fifty-fourth floor of a skyscraper. I was excited to see my niece Avery again and to give her the gift I purchased for her in Nolita. I took it out as I stepped off the elevator, smoothing the pretty pink wrapping paper and the bow.
Ryker opened the door. My brother was a mountain of a man with permanently rebellious hair and dark-blue eyes that broke their fair share of hearts before he settled down with Heather.
He pointed at the package. “Hey, Sis. What’s that?”