Chapter One
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Nina
I inhaled the exquisite scent of the espresso I brewed in the Hammacher Schlemmer Four Specific Brew Barista Machine my friend and coworker Lila Cofield had bought for me to create Liquid Heaven. That’s what she and my other coworker Julia Wolfe called anything I brewed up for our late morning pick-me-ups at WOLF, the news network we all worked for.
We would convene in Lila’s office around ten each and every weekday to chat about anything and everything as we sipped on some high-octane formula to keep going strong throughout the day. Well, until lunch anyway.
We had worked together for a little over two years and knew each other inside and out. Julia had married the owner of the network, Artimus Wolfe, not long after she went to work as his assistant. Lila was the co-anchor of the Morning News and she and her co-anchor, Duke Cofield, had begun seeing each other not long after they started working together. After a two-year relationship, they’d gotten married just a couple of months ago.
And then there was me. Nina Kramer, cue card girl, social media assistant to Lila, and single as could be.
I had my eye on a man who also worked at our network. But with over two years passing without us becoming anything more than just friends, I had nearly lost hope of anything progressing between us.
The office door opened and Lila and Julia came in with upturned noses to take in the coffee’s aroma. “Is it almost ready, Nina?” Lila looked past me, checking out the machine.
“Almost.” I got the mugs ready, placing them on the table as the last bit of espresso came out. “Have a seat, and I’ll serve it up shortly.”
Julia and Lila took seats across from one another on the two sofas that faced each other. We had a little triangle laid out and I always sat in the chair at the pinnacle of the sofas. It made for easier group chatting that way.
The round coffee table in the middle served us all. Julia had brought blueberry scones and laid them out nicely on a paper lace doily. “I picked these up at the bakery two blocks over. I haven’t tried them yet. I hope they’re as yummy as they look.”
Running one hand through her blonde ponytail, Lila winked at Julia. “I’m sure they’re delicious, Julia. So, what’s this big news you were talking about as we walked to my office? I admit, you’ve got me very curious.”
I filled the cups with a mixture of coffee, espresso, and caramel cream, then placed them on the table in front of my friends. “Here you go, girls. And what’s this news, Julia? I’m curious too.”
Julia picked up the mug, taking a long sniff of the coffee before she’d even say a word. Lila and I exchanged glances, her right eyebrow raised, her blue eyes sparkling the way they always did when she was set on getting some answers. Always the journalist was our Lila.
We both turned our eyes on Julia. Her long dark hair had been pulled back; her big brown eyes seemed to laugh at us. “You two! It’s nothing, really”
Lila was adamant. “You can’t say you’ve got big news then just shut up, Julia. Come on. Spill it.”
“Yeah, Julia. Spill it.” I sipped my coffee as I continued to stare at her.
“Okay,” she finally gave in. “Artimus and I are going to start trying for a baby.”
I was stunned.
Lila was ecstatic as she jumped up and went to grab Julia up in a hug. “I’m so happy for you two!”
It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy for her and Artimus, but I was feeling left out.
And just as I had nearly pulled myself together to stand up and join in the hug, Lila burst out, “Me and Duke are trying too!”
“Ah!” the two of them screamed as they jumped up and down.
Now I really felt left out. I sat there in silence, trying to push the selfish thoughts out of my head, but they wouldn’t be pushed away.
Why have I waited so long for Ashton Lange to realize we’re meant to be together?
Now here were my best friends having babies. Or trying to, anyway.
Both of them were married, and now they were both working on growing their families with the men they loved. And what was I doing?
Making coffee, writing on cue cards, and answering tweets for Lila. And nothing else!
My social calendar seemed be too full of time spent waiting on Ashton Lange to make a move. Now I was beginning to realize just how stupid that had been on my part.
The sudden silence made me look up at my friends, only to find them looking right back at me. Julia looked back to Lila. “Maybe this wasn’t the best time to say something,” she said, looking a little shamefaced.
Then I was at the center of the hugs and attention. That only served to make me feel worse. “Quit it, you guys. I’m fine.”
They let me go and took their seats once more. Lila patted me on the leg. “No, you’re not fine. And this needs to be said, Nina. It’s time to shit or get off the pot.”
Julia nodded. “It is. It really is. You waiting around for Ashton doesn’t seem to be working, Nina. Look, I know he’s a great guy, but he’s got issues that run too deep.”
Taking a drink of my coffee, I knew she was right. “It does seem like he can’t get over losing his fiancée. I mean it’s been years now. If his grieving or guilt or whatever is going on in his head hasn’t subsided by now, then I doubt it ever will.”
Ashton Lange, the station’s favorite producer, had been engaged once upon a time. It had been about four years since the accident that took the woman’s life. Ashton had been at the wheel of the car, from what I’d been told. Not that he’d ever told me a thing. Others had.
Ashton and I were pretty close. We were great friends. I had always thought that would lead to something further someday. Two years later, I wasn’t sure anymore.
Julia clucked her tongue, taking my attention away from staring into the creamy abyss inside my coffee mug. “Before you just go and decide Ashton isn’t worth your time, let me ask you. What it is that attracts you to him?”
That was easy. “His demeanor. He’s sweet, thoughtful, caring, perfect in every way.” I put my mug down, kicked off my heels, then pulled my feet underneath me. “And he’s so cute. Those blond wavy locks that fall to the tops of his shoulders—they’re hard to resist running my hands through. And when he wears it in a man bun at the base of his neck, my lips ache to kiss that exposed neck, to trail my lips up and down.”
Lila laughed. “Oh, honey, you’ve got it bad.”
“She does, doesn’t she?” Julia asked, then sipped her coffee. “What else attracts you to him, Nina?”
His eyes shone in my mind. “Those cerulean blue eyes dance when he’s being funny. And then there’s his body—tall, muscular—and his ability to be completely sexy on top of all the rest of his attributes. He’s the total package. To me he is, anyway.”
Julia sat up, and I could tell she’d put on her thinking cap as her dark eyes were wide and her lips were pursed. “Okay, so let’s lay this all down so we can help you figure out where to start with this man who you are clearly so hopelessly in love with.”
“In love?” I shook my head. “Let’s not go that far. I can admit that I’m insanely attracted to Ashton, but I can’t say that I’m in love with him. Not when we haven’t even kissed. Or gone out on a date, I might add.”
Lila wagged her finger at me. “You two eat lunch together almost every day. And sometimes dinner too. Now, in my opinion, that’s a date.”
“Not mine.” I laid my head back on the chair as I imagined what the end of a date with Ashton would be like. “My idea of a date ends with a kiss. Not a ‘See ya later, Nina,’ the way our lunches and dinners always end.”
Julia agreed, “I can see where she’s coming from. Okay, so let me help you see things clearly here, Nina. You have wanted this man for two years now. Your only competition is the memory of his dead fiancée. He hasn’t dated at all since I’ve known him, which is as long as I’ve worked here at WOLF. I think that’s a good sign, don’t you?”
I had to admit that it didn’t hurt anything, “It’s an okay sign, I guess. But that sign has been lit up for a couple of years now and so far, it hasn’t helped me a bit.”
Lila stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking as if she had a plan. “Okay, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to put things into motion, Nina. No more waiting around. You’ve got to be proactive.”
Julia agreed, “Yeah, be proactive, Nina.” She stood up too. “Now, what would a proactive woman do when she was out to prove to the man she wanted that she was worth moving on from the memory of a lost love?”
They looked at me as if I knew the answer to that. My eyes moved back and forth, looking at each of them. “Are you two being serious? Obviously, I don’t know the answer to that question or I wouldn’t be here, getting stared at and lectured by two women who have everything else all figured out.”
Lila looked at Julia and asked, “Do you think you’ve got it all figured out, Julia?”
She shook her head. “I know I don’t. But what I did have going for me is that I knew what I wanted. I wanted Artimus. He wanted me. And we made it happen.”
“I don’t know if Ashton wants me.” I chewed on my fingernail as I thought about that. “What if he doesn’t?”
Lila scoffed at the idea. “Phooey! He wants you. We’ve all seen him look at you with pure lust and sometimes he just smiles when you walk by. He’s into you, big time. I think he’s just afraid of losing a woman he loves again. You have to let him know that he doesn’t have to be afraid.”
“And how can I do that?” I had no idea how to help anyone stop being afraid of anything, never mind help someone stop being afraid of death or losing loved ones. When they both shrugged, I wanted to jump up and pull their hair. “Ugh! This is impossible.”
“It is not,” Julia said with a stern tone.
“She’s right,” Lila added. “Nothing is impossible unless you allow it to be. And you’re not going to allow that, Nina.”
“I’m not?” I was feeling skeptical and not a little self-pitying.
Julia stomped her foot. “Heck, no, you’re not going to allow that. Now let’s brainstorm. What is it that wins a man over almost every time?”
Lila smiled. “Sex.”
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m not going to just go to his office and offer my body up to him, Lila. So, think of something else.”
Julia looked at Lila as if she were crazy. “Come on, Lila. Be for real here. We both know Nina isn’t that kind of girl. She’s not the type to seduce him by wearing nothing but an overcoat, before dropping it and leaving her naked body on full display for the man. She’s just not the type, even if it would bring Ashton to his knees, begging to worship at her altar.”
I had to laugh, because that was just ridiculous. “You guys don’t know the man at all, it seems.”
They both looked at me as Lila said, “But you do. Now let that sink in, and now come up with at least one thing you can do to put a chink in that armor he has around his heart.”
Standing up, I decided I was going to give this a real shot. And my nose led me right to one of my secret weapons, which everyone loved. “Some women say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
At least I had one idea to work with.