Drew couldn’t help but let out a little laugh himself. “Yes, that and your confidence is astounding.” He gently tapped the rim of his wineglass to hers. “To new friendships.”
Lacey grinned. “To fake boyfriends.”
They each took a sip and set their glasses down. Hearing her call himfake, although accurate, gave Drew pause. Though they’d only just met, he knew he wanted to know more about her. Drew wasn’t kidding when he said he’d never met anyone quite like Lacey. And there had been nothing fake about that kiss in the lobby. Lacey had no idea Kevin was standing there, and she still allowed him to kiss her. One thing he knew for sure—his body didn’t fake anything when she was around.
Drew thought back to women he’d dated. He had always been extremely choosy. So much so that his friends and family were convinced he’d be an eternal bachelor. He didn’t think they were far off. Finding that one person to spend the rest of your life with didn’t seem possible. His parents’ relationship was the epitome of what couples strive for—full of love and respect. It didn’t matter how many times people told him,One day you’ll meet someone, he still didn’t believe it. But then Lacey had kissed him on the beach. Now, even just a few hours later, imagining such a thing suddenly didn’t feel so far-fetched.
After they placed their dinner orders, Drew needed to find outmore about the beautiful woman in front of him. “So where are you from? I don’t detect much of an accent, so I’m guessing not the South.”
Lacey grinned. “No, I’m far from a southern girl. I live in Manhattan, but I’m originally from Queens. so I’m a New Yorker all the way. You?”
Drew lifted his wine and took a sip, wishing he could have said he lived there as well. “Chicago.”
“Ahh, the Windy City.” Lacey smiled, but her eyes didn’t sparkle as they did in the lobby. Maybe she had the same hope he did.
“What do you do?” he asked, needing to deflect.
“I’m in advertising.”
He could see that about Lacey. She was definitely creative and could think on her feet. “Very nice. I’d say that suits you. You get to use your imagination all day, while I stare at stock tickers and spreadsheets.”
“Stockbroker?”
“Close. Corporate financial adviser.”
Lacey’s brows arched. “Wow, I’m jealous. I was never very good at math, but you’ll be happy to know, I have a 401(k) and can balance my checkbook.” Her laugh was like a melody that Drew wanted to listen to on a continuous loop.
The woman was adorable. How any man could let her get away was beyond comprehension. Even watching the island breeze lift errant strands of her silky hair was something he doubted he’d ever tire of. “I’m proud of you. Those are two essential items. What do you do in advertising?”
Lacey fiddled with the stem on her wineglass. “Right now, I’m a senior account manager, but I’m hoping to land a major client when I get home.” Drew could tell she had more to say, so all he did was nod. “My goal is to make junior partner, but I’m up against another manager, Zeke, so I need to stay on top of my game.”
“Beauty and brains—impressive.” Drew winked. “So, do you want to talk about what happened this afternoon?”
“Can we get more wine?” Lacey winked back at him, and he felthis heartbeat quicken.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, we can talk about something else.”
Lacey stared at the burgundy liquid in her glass before meeting his eyes. “No, you deserve to know. Kevin and I were together a little over a year. There was a point where I thought he was the one.” She lifted her fingers, making quotes around her last statement. “We met through a mutual friend and hit it off—I thought he was funny, good looking, and an all-around good guy. When we first started dating, he was the epitome of what I thought a boyfriend should be. He brought me flowers, opened the door for me, and we spent almost all of our free time together. Then, after maybe ten or so months together, he started spending more time at the gym.” Lacey rolled her eyes. “Actually, he spent so much time there, he should have been able to give Mr. Universe a run for his money.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Anyway, one day I decided to surprise him at home. It had been a while since we’d seen each other, and I had a key to his apartment.”
She fidgeted with the stem of her glass again. Drew was about to tell her she didn’t have to go on, but she said, “Have you ever witnessed something so unimaginable you felt as though time around you was suspended? Like the air suddenly thickened and your heart didn’t know whether to race or stop?”
Drew thought back to their kiss and nodded. “I think I can relate to that.”
Lacey sighed. “Well, that’s how I felt that day. Kevin and Candi were having sex on his couch. The couch where we watched movies, kissed, and planned this trip… my birthday getaway. As soon as I saw his bare back, I hightailed it out of there. I found out later that Candi was a personal trainer at his gym.” She shrugged. “I guess he was her favorite client. I wasn’t going to come here, but my friends talked me into not letting him take this away from me too. It was bad enough he took my happiness and broke my trust.”
Drew saw all shades of red. Cheating was an unforgivable and unthinkable act, though a small part of him realized Kevin’s cheating was what had driven her into his arms. But how could Candi act so nonchalant about the entire thing? Then he remembered what Laceyhad said: this was her birthday trip. “When’s your birthday?”
“The day after tomorrow. I was supposed to be a Christmas baby, but I came early.”
She must have been the best Christmas gift ever, but Drew didn’t share that thought. He didn’t want to come on too strong, even though they had already shared two amazing kisses. “Your parents must have loved that.”
Lacey tensed, and her bright eyes suddenly dimmed. Drew reached across the table to place his hand on hers. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I just meant that…”
Drew didn’t get a chance to finish his thought. “It’s fine. Yes, that’s what they’d always tell me.” She let out a long breath. “I was the best gift they had ever received.” He watched Lacey’s lips for a hint of what she would say next, but never in his wildest imagination did he think she’d say, “They passed away when I was eighteen.”
On instinct, Drew stood and walked to Lacey’s side of the table, pulling her up and into his arms. Lacey’s cheek lay flat over his heart and his hold tightened around her body. Yes, there was something special about Lacey, and Drew knew right then and there he didn’t want to let her go.
Chapter 4