The corners of my mouth lifted. She was overexplaining. Did I make her nervous? I imagined a delicious blush spreading on her cheeks and neck.
Fucking hell, I couldn't even recognize myself. I was leaving the office early on the first day. It wasn't even six o'clock, and I was heading across town to a sketchy ice cream shop to taste even sketchier gelato. But I was determined not to overthink this. The call with Natalie had been the only highlight in this completely shitty day. I wanted to see her. I needed it.
During the drive, I sent emails to the New York office. I had some fires to put out there too. I called two of my biggest clients.
"Jake, we're in the middle of restructuring. We can’t do it with you in Boston."
"I assure you that I can fly over whenever necessary. I have a private plane on call."
"I need you on top of this."
"You’re a priority.”
"Don't fuck around.”
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that. If you don’t want to continue our collaboration, that’s fine by me, but I don’t allow any disrespect.”
He sighed. “I was out of line. I apologize. I need reassurance that you’re still on top of this."
"Listen to me, Carson. I don't take on more than I can deliver. This project will go off without a hitch. I receive detailed feedback every day anyway."
He huffed. "Fine."
I was pissed, so I bid him goodbye, ending the conversation before I had a chance to lose my cool completely. He was right to question my priorities, of course. After all, that was one of the reasons why I'd resisted coming here in the first place. I knew my clients wouldn't be happy. But I didn’t allow anyone to talk to me like that.
"Sir, are you sure this is the right address?" Cal asked as he slowed the car. The picture I found online must have been a few years old. In the meantime, the place looked even worse. The name plaque was chipped, and the lettersZandNhad fallen off.
"That's the place."
"Do you want me to wait for you?"
"No. I'll take an Uber back to the hotel, or I'll call you later."
He frowned, looking at me in the rearview mirror. "You don't have a schedule? Betty advised that you always have strict drop-off and pickup times."
"No." This was the first time in years that I was doing something that wasn't scheduled. It was damn freeing.
“Betty also said she’s sending over your clothes today. If it’s all right with you, I’ll check with the hotel to see if they received them and make sure everything is in order.”
“That’s perfect. Thank you. Also, stop by my grandmother’s house. She needs to go for groceries, and she doesn’t drive.”
“Consider it done.”
I got out of the car, looking around. Natalie said she'd be here in half an hour. Ten minutes to go. I was surprised to see a line in front of the shop. The ice cream had to be good. In my experience, when a place looked like this, whatever they sold was worth it.
I stood in line behind a mother who had a baby in one arm and a toddler by the hand. Soon, a couple came up behind me. The line kept growing. Five minutes later, I saw Natalie coming around the corner. She was moving her head slightly from side to side, and I noticed the earbuds in her ears. She was mouthing lyrics, and she was adorable. How had this woman gotten under my skin so fast? She’d gathered her light brown hair on one side and kept running her fingers through it. I didn't make any motion to draw attention to myself. She perused the line, and then she froze. Her eyes widened, and her mouth flew open. She took out her earbuds quickly, dropping them into her pocket.
"Jake?" she asked, stepping up to me.
"Yes. I don't have an evil twin brother."
"Could’ve fooled me." Underneath the sass, there was a lot of confusion.
Up close, she was even more gorgeous than in that picture. This dress was spectacular on her. Looking down, I had a direct view of her cleavage. The V-neck was deep, and she wasn't wearing a bra. I even saw a peek of her nipple, and I instantly turned hard.
I snapped my gaze up to hers. There were gold and gray flecks in her dark brown eyes.
"You sold me on the ice cream," I explained.