Chapter Six
It was one of those nights where I kept saying only one more chapter, but the next chapter would come and go. I couldn’t sleep, but I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts either. Avoidance was not a tactic I would prescribe to my patients as a way to deal with their problems. I definitely shouldn’t be using it, but I didn’t want to think about Nick. The man who used to keep me up for other reasons. How many nights had I fantasized about him? I’m embarrassed to admit how ridiculously steamy some of them were. Those fantasies had now turned into complex and perplexing issues. No steam involved.
Nick won. I placed the latest psychological thriller on my nightstand before snuggling deep under my peach tufted comforter. I had to deal with this. I was meeting him in six hours for breakfast. Beyond that, I would be choosing who to pair him with and I would have to follow up with him about those pairings. That’s where it started getting complex. The man on paper was awful. The man in real life was arrogant and rude at times, but the way he was with Skye threw it all into chaos. My conscience grappled with setting him up with so many unanswered questions regarding his character. At least we had done a background check. One of those would have solved so many of my own personal problems. Believe me, if I was ever proposed to again, I was having a background check done and a credit score report.
Hard lessons learned.
So we knew Nick wasn’t a bigamist, like Douglas, and he didn’t lie about his credentials and money. Those were plusses for Nick and assuaged some of my worry. And he didn’t want anything serious, but I knew that could change. We’d had couples get married who had marked that category. Thoughts like those left me to worry if he did end up marrying someone he met through our services and it turned out terrible, would she blame the company? Me? I would no doubt feel some responsibility and guilt over it. Or worse, she might have to suffer in silence because Nick would surely make her sign a hundred-page document stating she would never tell a soul about him.
What if he crushed her soul? I had a feeling he was the kind of man who could. He was like Douglas in that he could pull you in so deep you didn’t even know you were drowning in him until it was too late. The worst part was that you’d think it was love because love should be all consuming. It should be, but it shouldn’t consume you. Nick’s celebrity status and money would only make that more likely. Someone could easily get sucked into the seduction of that lifestyle. And let’s not forget how beautiful he was. Even I had to watch myself around him.
But then there was this father side to him. I watched for signs to see if it was fake, but it seemed authentic. Skye showed all the signs of a normal, happy childhood, right down to feeling free to speak her mind and even tease her father in front of others. She didn’t seek attention unduly or act out. In fact, she was a delight.
Jack’s words also ran through my head about Nick’s ex-wife and his taste in women. Did Nick really want a change? Was that why he was using our service? And I’d promised Jack to pair him with the best. Skye deserved that. Every child did. But what if Nick didn’t? This was why my head hurt and sleep was nowhere in sight.
Maybe in the morning, or I should say later this morning, I would get a clearer picture. We would meet one-on-one again, and hopefully the casual environment would allow for the clarity I needed to emerge. Perhaps this time he would say more than a few words to me. In the parking lot he proved he could. That was another thing I found odd. Why did he want a real client date when it was obvious it wasn’t something he was interested in?
I closed my eyes. I think I liked it better when I only thought about him as a sex symbol and somebody I wanted to father my children. They would have been gorgeous, judging how Skye turned out. Stop thinking like that Kate. I needed sleep.
I managed a few hours, not nearly enough to face my task. Look at me, meeting with a former sexiest man alive and referring to it as a task. My eighteen-year-old self just gasped. I couldn’t blame her. That poor girl had no idea what was in store for her.
Since I had to go to work after our “date,” I dressed more professionally in a white blouse and striped ankle pants with a pair of ballet flats. I was planning on walking to the café, which was only a couple of blocks from my house. It was easier than the hassle of driving in morning traffic and trying to find a parking spot. And the rain was supposed to hold off until late morning. Besides, walking would help me stay calm. I was for sure buying the handbag and comforter now. Two dates deserved two rewards.
It was an overcast but pleasant morning for July in Georgia. I loved the large magnolia trees that lined my walk and the smell of honeysuckle and jasmine in the air. The city streets were already alive with commuters. I met a few joggers and people walking their dogs on my way. I still couldn’t believe I was headed to breakfast with Nicholas Wells. It wasn’t too far from where I met him the very first time, come to think of it. I always wondered why he had chosen that bookstore, my bookstore. Where did he stay while he was here? I suppose I could ask him. I didn’t think to last night. Not like I needed to know. All I knew was he didn’t complain when I texted him the address last night. His response was, Got it. Nothing polite like thank you, or see you in the morning.
Not like I expected anything polite. It was not a word I would use to describe him.
I arrived a few minutes early in front of the bustling café. People were leaving with bags full of pastries and cups of coffee. The smell was making my stomach growl. I decided to wait outside, since the café was one of those places that didn’t have wait staff. You ordered and picked up your own food, and with luck there was a table to sit at if you were dining in. As a relationship manager it was my job to pay for the client date, so I waited.
Five minutes past seven and I was still waiting. No big deal. He was probably stuck in rush-hour traffic. Ten minutes past, I checked my phone. The courteous thing to do when you’re going to be that late is to text or call the person. I should have known better; no message from him.
Fifteen minutes late. Maybe traffic was really bad.
Twenty minutes. Okay, maybe he was an inconsiderate jerk. That fit his profile. I was going with that.
By twenty-five after, I was done waiting and the forecast was wrong—it started to rain. What a way to start my day. I was too tired already, and this didn’t help my mood.
I started marching my hangry, tired self back to my place, determined to set him up with exactly the kind of woman he deserved. I turned the corner that led to the nearby residential area I lived in. Guess whose car was turning toward the café? We both caught a glimpse of each other and I glared at him, now damp and contemplating telling Kenadie that I refused to be his relationship manager. She’s the one who made the deal with the devil, so he could be her problem. All my good intentions for wanting to help the company went out the window.
He, on the other hand, stopped his fancy sports car in the middle of the road and almost made the person behind him hit him while he rolled down his window. “Kate!”
I did the mature thing and ignored him while picking up my pace. All I wanted to do was be home and dry. Anywhere he wasn’t.
Horns were now blaring since he’d stopped the flow of traffic. I heard a squeal of tires but didn’t look back. I would match him solely based on his questionnaire and who came up as compatible for him. My guess was he was getting a prima donna. We had a few for clients. My promise to Jack buzzed around my brain. I tried batting it away, then Skye’s lovely face showed up in there too. Nick didn’t deserve those two, or any of the nice women we had as clients.
By the time I made it to the next corner, I heard that same velvety-though-irritating voice calling my name, but it came from behind, not to the side of me where the road was. Now I was more than damp and wearing a white blouse, so that added to the fun. I was in no mood for company, so I hustled across the street without acknowledging him.
“Dammit, Kate, wait up.” The voice was closing in.
Halfway across the intersection the rain stopped falling on me, but it was still raining. I looked up to see a large black umbrella covering me. The faint smells of amber and vanilla wafted off the man to my right. Not a word passed between us until we were safely across the street.
“Will you stop,” he said, more like a command than a request.
I stopped right in front of the mailbox near the corner, but not because he told me to. I looked up into his face that had perfected the short stubble beard. It was darker than his sandy brown hair, but matched his brooding attitude. What did he have to be brooding about? He was dry and looking like a million dollars. I probably looked like a drowned rat or worse, a wet koala bear.
“Is this all a joke to you?”
His tight jawline pulsated while he peered into my eyes, not saying a word, per his usual.
I didn’t have time for this, or him. I strode away.
He followed, keeping his umbrella over both of us. “I have an excuse.”
I took note that he didn’t answer my question and kept on walking.
“Skye had a . . . woman thing this morning.”
That got me to stop. “A woman thing?”
He gave me a look that said he wanted to do anything but explain himself to me. He heaved a heavy sigh. “I bought the wrong kind of . . . anyway, I can never remember if she likes the ones in the blue box or the green box. I don’t even know what the difference is.”
I couldn’t hide my grin.
“Needless to say, I bought the wrong ones and had to return to the store.”
It was my turn to sigh. I hated when I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Not to mention behaved the way I just had. But . . . “You could have called to say you would be late.”
He tilted his head like what I’d said was a foreign concept.
“It didn’t even cross your mind?” I inquired.
“No.”
“Hmm.” I turned to head toward my place.
“What?” He followed me.
“I hope you will show more respect than that to the woman or women you may date using our services.”
“Who says I’m being disrespectful?”
“I do.”
“It’s not like I planned on being late.”
“I didn’t accuse you of that, but once you knew, the right thing to do would have been to call or text me. I would have understood and waited. But now thanks to you, I look like I entered a wet T-shirt contest and I’m hungry.”
“You could have eaten while you waited.”
I turned and narrowed my eyes at him. “I was being polite and waiting for you so we could eat together and so I could pay for your meal, since you wanted the full experience.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“An apology would be nice.”
He pressed his lips together as if to say those words weren’t escaping his mouth.
I figured that was the case, so I kept on walking. The only sound between us for several steps was the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the umbrella.
Why he followed I had no idea.
“You can go home, or wherever you have to be.” I tried to get rid of him.
He made no move to change course. “Kate.”
I didn’t pause or acknowledge him.
“I . . .” he stretched his neck to one side then the other, “apologize.” That last word came out like he’d never used it and it hurt him.
I did him a favor and didn’t look directly at him or grin. This had obviously been a difficult task for him. “Apology accepted.”
“Where are we headed?” he asked, quick to change the subject.
“I’m headed home.”
“So our date’s off?”
Was he for real? “I think that’s probably the safest course to take. Besides, now I have to change my clothes and redo my hair before I head to the office.”
He gave my body a pat down with his eyes while he walked and held the umbrella.
It made me feel self-conscious. My white blouse was clinging to me like saran wrap. I touched my pulled up wet hair. “I know I look ridiculous.”
His eyes smoldered like I’d seen dozens of times when he played Talon Fox. Was that something he was taught to do, or did he bring that to the table all on his own? Judging by his father, I think it might have been an inherent trait. Either way, I felt it down my spine. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
“I wouldn’t say that.” His gaze drifted away from me.
I dared not ask what he thought. I was having a hard time breathing or thinking, which was absolutely ridiculous.
“My place is right there.” I pointed across the street. “I can see myself the rest of the way home. Thank you.”
“I’ve come this far, I might as well go all the way.”
I looked both ways before crossing the street. “Can I ask you a question?” I figured it was now or never.
“You can ask.” It sounded like, I probably won’t answer.
“Who are you?”
His head turned my way. His eyes questioned my question.
I landed on the sidewalk in front of my townhome. “Are you the man in our office profile or the man who dances with his daughter, makes feminine hygiene runs, and walks women home to keep the rain off them, albeit grudgingly?”
He studied me for a moment before leaning in. “Who do you think I am?”
He kept catching me off guard. I had to back away from him. I shouldn’t have any physiological reactions to him. “I’m trying to figure that out.”
“Do you really want to?”
Why did I feel like there was more meaning behind that question than I wanted to know? “I need to know so I can do my job correctly.”
He gave me a half smile. I doubted he ever fully smiled. “For anything Binary Search related, you can use the man in your profile.”
Did he just refer to himself in the third person and as two different people? I was more confused than ever. So much so my head hurt.
He looked over the colonial style three-story structure I called home. “This is your place?”
It dawned on me that he now knew where I lived. I wasn’t sure what to think about that. I doubted he cared to know or would ever use the knowledge, but I was always cautious about letting people know where I lived, especially men. Very few men ever made it to the stage where I would invite them over for, say, dinner. I didn’t even let a man pick me up for a date until we’d had two successful dates. Since I’d moved here a year ago, no man had ever made it that far. My dad excluded. And here I let some stranger walk me home. A famous stranger I didn’t even like.
“Yes. Thank you for walking me home. I’ll send a message to you in your client portal tomorrow after our connection meeting regarding who was chosen for you. Of course, after she’s signed your NDA. Assuming she will.” His celebrity status and requirements added extra steps we weren’t accustomed to.
His eyes said he had no doubt whomever we chose would sign it. “I’ll look for it.”
“Okay. Goodbye.”
“Kate.” My name sounded too good coming out of his mouth. “You still owe me a date.”
“I don’t think we should tempt fate.” Or me. Not that I was tempted by him.
“Like I said, I want the full experience.”
“It’s too late now. I’ll be busy all day evaluating potential clients and doing research on the best candidate for you.” Not to mention all the extra questionnaires we had coming in due to the man next to me. I had to at least do a quick review of each one before we wasted time and money getting a background check done.
“I didn’t say today. I’ll let you know when.”
I’d never known anyone who spoke like there was never a question he would get his way. “But—”
“Binary Search is committed to keeping their clients happy, aren’t they?” he interrupted me.
“Yes,” I stuttered.
“Now you know what would make me happy. See you later, Kate.” He strutted off like a peacock. He only went a few steps before turning back around. “By the way, I didn’t begrudge walking you home.” He didn’t linger to see my reaction.
I stood dumfounded in the rain watching him walk away, wondering what had just happened and telling myself my heart was only pounding hard due to the brisk walk.