“Not because your plan was smart.”
“Hey, genius, what counts is the ending. I got the girl I wanted.”
True that. Court one. Nate zero.
Yuna is staring off into the distance. “I honestly don’t know, Nate. I’m not Evie, and I don’t know her well enough to tell you. You have to find somebody who knows her better.”
Shit. Evie is close to her mom, but I can’t ask Mari. She’s probably pissed Evie knows the truth, and she’s never seemed that crazy about me. So who?
“And you better choose this somebody wisely,” Yuna continues. “Do you know why we talk about second chances but not third ones?”
“No.”
“Because there are no third chances.”
My mouth dries. My appetite vanishes too. “How…cheery.”
“I know. I’m an optimistic type.” She grins. “Now tell me what you’d like for your baby. The tabloids say you’re shooting blanks, but I don’t believe that for a second.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Nate
Yuna has a point. Back at the office after lunch, I make slow rotations in my chair, thinking. Who knows Evie really well and can help me out?
Kim.
She’s been Evie’s roommate and friend since Evie moved to L.A. She’s actually the one who referred Evie to me when I was looking for a new assistant. They’ve got to be close enough.
I check my calendar. No meetings. I grab my car fob and leave the office. As I do so, I walk by Evie’s desk. She’s working on her laptop…probably drafting a memo we need for the children’s hospital in Chicago. She looks pale, her eyes distant. The determination to fix our marriage firms until it hurts my chest. I’m going to make her smile, going to make her happy, if it’s the last thing I do, damn it.
“Nate, where are you going?” she asks, her voice remote.
“I have a personal meeting,” I say, because that part is true. “I’ll be back soon.” I’m going to fill in the Grand Canyon-sized valleys between us, then demolish the Great Wall.
Filled with anticipation and hope, I drive to Salazar Pryce’s downtown office, but Kim isn’t there. The receptionist says Kim’s on a long paid leave, courtesy of Salazar. Damn it. Should’ve called first, instead of rushing out.
I call Kim, praying she didn’t take advantage of her time off to explore the Sahara or some other place with no cell phone reception.
“Hello?” Kim says in a dulcet tone of a master assistant.
Thank God. “Kim, this is Nate.” Then, in case she knows lots of other Nates, I add, “Sterling. Where are you? I need to talk to you, and it’s very, very urgent.”
“I’m home, but I don’t know if I should,” she says.
“So she told you.”
“We texted, yes. And I’m going to see her later today to talk about the situation.”
“Look, I know I screwed up, but I want to fix it.”
Silence. She’s probably debating. She’s Evie’s friend, but she also works for my brother’s father-in-law, which means she’s sort of stuck in a bad place.
“Come on.” Rein in your desperation. Desperation is never persuasive. “You’re the only one who can help me. Just a few minutes.”
“I’m not going to plead your case to her,” she says finally. “I’m not your friend. I’m hers.”
My shoulders sag with relief even as I spin the car around. “I know that. In fact, I’m counting on that. I’m coming over right now.”