“That’s Reed. He’s Jonathon’s uncle.”
“Reed Nelson? The CEO of Nelson Financial?”
“I guess?”
We hadn’t really talked about Reed’s work that much. He’d mentioned that he worked in finance, managing people’s money, and April had told me that he was wealthy, but that’s really all I knew. I didn’t realize he was a CEO or that he owned his own company.
“You hooked up with a billionaire at the wedding?”
“What?” I stared at my friend in confusion.
“Reed Nelson is one of Manhattan’s elite. Here....”
She tapped a few times, opening a browser and clicking. She handed me the phone and I scrolled through articles about Reed’s net worth, pictures of him with socialites, and attending charity dinners with actors and famous sports figures.
“This says he’s only a millionaire,” I pointed out, as if that made a difference. I’d already thought that Reed was out of my league, but I hadn’t realized just how far out of my league he actually was. I’d had reservations about being with him before I knew that he was the kind of person that reporters took pictures of.
As if he’d somehow knew we were talking about him, my phone dinged with a text.
Reed:Hey there, angel.Did you get home okay?
I felt a stab of guilt. Reed had texted me last night and I’d never responded. My mind had been swirling about him the entire ride home from Mountain Ridge Resort. When I got home I’d gone for a run and deep cleaned my apartment trying to work through my nervous energy. Usually, I tried really hard not to avoid my problems, but yesterday was an exception. After I’d woken up in Reed’s arms, I’d packed my stuff and hightailed it out of Virginia like I was running from the cops.
Erika:Yes, thanks. Sorry, I meant to text you back and lost track of time.
Reed:How about dinner tonight?
Erika:I don’t think that’s a good idea.
Reed:Is everything ok?
Erika:Sorry, I’ve got to go, I’m working now.
I looked up to see Marjorie watching me. Her gaze was sharp. She was my best friend, and she knew me better than anyone. It was hard to hide things from her when she set her mind to something.
“Is that him texting you?” she asked with a teasing smile.
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to see him again?” she asked curiously.
“I haven’t decided.”
“Girl, if I got myself a good-looking millionaire who looked at me the way he’s looking at you in those pictures...well, I would grab onto him for sure. Love doesn’t come around every day, especially at our age.”
Marjorie left and I spent longer than I would admit staring blankly at my computer and thinking about Reed instead of tackling the mound of paperwork I needed to get through.
I’d had a terrible time sleeping last night, and around two in the morning I realized it was because I missed Reed. I couldn’t believe it. We’d only slept together for two nights, but somehow I missed having his big body curled around mine. Needless to say, that had freaked me out. I’d gotten up and done some meditation, which relaxed me enough to finally fall into a fitful sleep.
I got through the rest of my workday on autopilot and headed home to the comfort of my little apartment. It was a tiny one-bedroom, but it was rent controlled, and I’d lived there for about five years. One of the things I liked best was having a doorman. It provided a level of security that I appreciated as a woman living alone in the city.
A familiar figure was leaning against the desk when I entered the lobby of my building.
“Reed.”
The man who’d dominated my thoughts since I left Mountain Ridge stood there looking every inch the successful businessman in a navy pinstriped suit, red tie, and God help me, a vest. I was a sucker for a guy in a vest.
“Hey.”