Chapter Sixteen
Carver
The sun started to break the horizon a little while ago. The rays shine from in between the buildings, lighting up the Manhattan sky like something out of a movie. Amity’s apartment has an incredible view, but that’s more from my angle than hers.
She’s curled up beside me, her head on my chest. Her hair is splayed around the sheets, pillows, my arm.
The quiet of the night and morning has given me time to think. Too much time, perhaps. Lying her in bed, in her home, surrounded by her things, she’s all I can think about. The memories we share, both from recent encounters and days gone by. The things I know about her now and the things I still want to discover. How she can go from straight boss woman to a vulnerable ingénue when she feels safe enough to do it. All the little nuances that make her the most interesting, yet infuriating, female I’ve ever known.
There was no way I was sleeping last night. When I climbed in bed to stay the night, it was just to hold her. There’s been a knot in my gut for hours now, the unknown eating me alive.
If I could fast-forward the day ahead a few hours and see what Salvo and his minions come back with, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I didn’t have an opportunity to really press Amity for answers last night; she evaded the questions I did get in. Maybe she’s as confused as I am about this whole thing. That wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would mean there’s hope for something to happen in some capacity.
She stirs, yawning as she stretches an arm over her head. “I’m so sore,” she groans, opening one eye and looking at me. “And it’s all your fault.”
“That means it’s a job well done.”
“A job well done three times in . . .” she looks at the clock “five hours?”
“You fell asleep before I could make it four,” I say, kissing her cheek.
We lie there looking at one another, the sun finally lifting just above the skyline. With the official arrival of the morning, the way we look at one another changes.
I brush a lock of hair from her eyes. “Thank you for letting me stay last night.”
“I’m glad you did. And not just for the sex,” she breathes. “It was nice having you beside me last night.”
Her words hit me in the chest, rocking me to the core. I’ve never craved holding a woman like I do Amity, never wanted to grab onto her and not let her go. On its own, that would be odd. But coupled with what we’re about to do today, it’s downright terrifying.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she says. “I wish this wasn’t happening today too.”
“It kind of kills the vibe we had going on, huh?”
“It absolutely does.” She presses a kiss to my sternum. “We may as well get to it. There’s no sense in pretending like it’s not going to happen.”
“Amity?” She looks at me over her shoulder. “Whatever happens today, however that affects us going forward, I’m glad we got to know each other again.”
“Me too.” She looks away before turning and swinging her legs off the side of the bed. “I need to grab a shower before I go into the office.”
“Yeah, I need to run by my place first, too.”
“Can you let yourself out?”
She’s walking across the room already, her body a perfect silhouette against the cityscape. It’s a view I could get used to.
“Yes. I’ll see you in an hour or so,” I say as she disappears into the bathroom and shuts the door.
With a feeling of dread heavy in my gut, I climb out of bed and gather my clothes. I get them sorted and donned and head into the living room. As I bend down to pick my wallet and belt off the coffee table, I bump her laptop. It comes alive with her presentation pulled up.
I shouldn’t, but I do—I look at what she’s prepared. She has charts and graphs showing numbers that will be incredibly hard to deny. I find myself flipping through the pages, my nerves going crazy.
How did I not see this? How did I not realize the heaviness of those figures?
“My Lord,” I mutter, swiping through pages and pages of data. “She’s right.”
I hear the door to the bathroom open. I stand, closing the lid to the computer, and make my way out of her apartment with the sinking feeling that I’m about to lose the only two things I care about in one fell swoop.
***
Amity
“Breathe, Am.” Hallie takes my hand and massages a pressure point between my thumb and index finger. “You got this. You’re ready.”
“If they don’t agree, they’re wrong.”
Hallie drops my hand. “If you need anything, call me. I have a backup of your presentation, along with all the hard copies of the data. I can bring it in there in zero-point-five seconds.”
“Thank you for all your help with this,” I tell her. “I think we nailed it.”
“We so did.” She tosses me a wink and heads out, leaving me to get myself together before meeting with the Board. I’m about to walk out when my phone rings. “Hey, Daddy!”
“Good morning.”
“It is. I meet with the Board in ten.” I look up to see Carver standing at the window. His eyes are dark, his lips grim. I motion for him to come in. “What are you doing today?”
Carver walks in as my dad tells me about the island they’re on and the shopping my mom is doing and how he doesn’t know where they’re going to put it all. All the while, I’m watching Carver fidget with a notepad in his hand.
“Are you ready for today?” Dad asks.
“Yeah. I’m ready. I have everything in line—all my t’s crossed and i’s dotted. The numbers are ready and they don’t lie. That’s what you say, isn’t it?”
“It is. Good girl. I’m very proud of you, Amity.”
Feeling a little embarrassed and a bit like a little girl, I turn my back on Carver. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear.”
“Whether the Board gives you the seat or they give it to Carver, I want you to know this: your mother and I are immensely proud of you. You’re fearless, my child. You follow your heart and when you go in, you go all in. That’s the woman we raised, not specifically a CEO.” He chuckles through the line. “Don’t get me wrong. Seeing you take over for your old man would make me a little bit braggy.”
“Like you aren’t already,” I tease.
“You’re destined for great things. Follow your thirst, chase your dreams, Amity Lane. The options are endless.”
“Thanks, Daddy. Have fun today. Give my love to Mother. I’ll call you as soon as I hear the Board’s decision.”
“Good luck, princess.”
“Bye.”
I click the phone off and place it in my middle drawer. Then I look back up. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “Like that.”
“Listening to you talk to your father is sweet and odd at the same time. To see him interact with you like that after I’ve worked with him for so long . . .” He forces a swallow. “I don’t know. I guess it’s also probably because I’m not sure my father even realizes what’s happening today.”
“He probably just doesn’t have service,” I say, making up an excuse. The look on his face kills my heart. “Besides, what does it matter? You’re know what you’re doing. He clearly trusted you enough to put you in place to be CEO. That speaks volumes.”
“I guess.” He reaches for my hand. I put my palm in his without thinking. “If the Board selects your proposal, I want you to know that I stand behind you one hundred percent. I know you’ll do what’s right by this company and, at the end of the day, that’s really what I want.”
His sincerity strikes me hard, catapults me into a frame of mind I don’t want to be in. Focusing on my presentation will be so much easier if I’m not considering that it’s Carver I’m going against. I’m good at blocking that out. Work is work. But work is not just work when I’m looking into those eyes.
I place a hand on his chest. Thinking back about what my father said, I can’t shake a feeling in the pit of my stomach that leaves me on edge. “Promise me something, Carver.”
“What’s that?”
“We didn’t choose to be in this situation. We were both put here by the universe and now we have to deal with it.”
“And it fucking sucks.”
“Whatever happens in there today, let’s agree we won’t let it change how we feel about each other. No matter who wins the position and no matter what the other person decides to do with their life after, whether it’s work here or go somewhere else, we won’t be angry. We’ll continue to be friends.”
“I can’t promise you that.” He takes a step so that he’s completely in my bubble. “If something happens and we find ourselves in opposite ends of the country, I’m going to be pissed.” He runs his thumb over my bottom lip.
Not caring who is walking by or looking in, I reach up and cup his face in my hands. “Let’s go give them hell.”
His eyes cloud as he watches me. I reach up and press a kiss to the center of his lips.
“I’m going to gather my things. I’ll meet you in there in a few,” I tell him, turning away. I wait until I hear the door snap closed before I reach into my purse. With a shaky hand, I remove a tissue and blot my eyes. “Now is not the time to start feeling things, Amity. Knock that shit off.”