I had just finished getting dressed when I heard my elevator ding. I was confused because I wasn’t expecting anyone and there was only one person who had access to my penthouse.
“There he is.” My friend, Noah, grinned as he stepped into my foyer and set his suitcases down.
“Noah? What the hell are you doing here?” I asked as I gave him a hug. “You’re supposed to be in Paris.”
“We need to talk if you have time.”
“I always have time for my best friend.” I hooked my arm around him. “Coffee?”
“Please. My flight just got in a little bit ago and I’m so jet-lagged.”
“What’s with the suitcases?” I asked as I brewed him a cup of coffee.
“I’ve decided to move back to New York.”
“What? What about your job and Eloise?” I asked in total shock.
“Things weren’t really working out there with my job or her.”
“Man, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah. Well, shit happens. Right? I was hoping I could crash here for a few nights until I get my own place. I have some appointments today to look at apartments.”
“Yes. Of course. You know you’re always welcome here. What about a job?”
“I have a couple prospects.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” I asked.
“I wanted to surprise you. Plus, you were going through your own shit. I didn’t want to burden you with my problems.”
“Listen, I have to go.” I looked at my watch. “I have a board meeting to attend. Make yourself at home and get set up in one of the guestrooms. When I get home tonight, we’re going to order a pizza, drink some liquor and talk.”
“Sounds like a plan, bro. I’ll see you later.”
Noah Reynolds and I had been friends since we attended Harvard together. After we graduated, I worked for my father and he went to work for a marketing company in Manhattan. After a few years, the company shut down. So he decided to move to Paris and work for a small marketing firm there. It had been a year since he left, and now he was back, and I couldn’t be happier.
I was in back-to-back meetings all day long. One of which was a board meeting to discuss the hiring of Richard Winters, our soon-to-be new Chief of Marketing. He was a man in his mid-fifties, and I was thrilled when he agreed to come in for an interview. My father and I had our eye on him for the past couple of years because we knew our previous COM, Lawrence, was retiring. I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, and he accepted.
Everly
“Morning,” I spoke to Diana as she stumbled into the kitchen. “Shouldn’t you be dressed for work?”
“I called in. I have the flu.” She took a seat at the island and placed her hand on her head.
“Oh no. Can I make you some tea?”
“That would be great. How did your night go with Asher?”
“It was fun,” I spoke as I reached up in the cabinet and pulled down a mug.
“Fun? Please elaborate on that.”
“We did the dirty deed.” I grinned.
Her jaw dropped as she stared at me.
“Shut up! How was he? Wait. Don’t answer that. He’s one of my bosses.” She laid her head down on the island. “I can’t have that image in my head.”
I let out a laugh as I waited for the water in the tea kettle to heat up.
“Let’s just say I’ll never be the same again.”
She slowly lifted her head and arched her left brow at me.
“He was everything you knew he would be?”
“And more.” I bit down on my bottom lip.
“So, now what?”
“Nothing. He said he’ll see me around sometime, and I said okay.”
“I’m not surprised.” She rolled her eyes.
The tea kettle went off, so I poured some water into the cup with the tea bag in it and handed it to her. When she took the mug from me, our fingers touched. The corners of my mouth curved upward as I stared at her.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just had a really good time last night.”
“You’re not like falling for him, are you?”
“No way. You know me better than that.”
“Just making sure. I’m going to take this in my room and lay down. Ugh. I feel so sick.”
“Get some rest, I have a couple clients to meet today.”
Little did Diana know she didn’t have the flu. She was pregnant, and I was so happy.
15
Asher
“What’s this?” I asked as I set my brief case down and walked into the kitchen. “I thought we were ordering a pizza.”
“I know,” Noah spoke. “But I thought making you a nice home-cooked meal after you worked so hard all day would be better.” A smirk crossed his face.
“Stop being a douchebag.” I took off my suitcoat.
He let out a laugh as he turned to the stove.
“What is that? It smells delicious.” I asked as I walked over to the stove.
“Coq au Vin, my friend. It was one of my favorite dishes over in Paris. I loved it so much that I learned how to make it.”
I walked over to the bar and poured myself a bourbon.
“How did the apartment hunting go today?”
“Not so great.”
“What about your old building?”
“I already checked. They don’t have anything available.”
“You know, I got to thinking. Maybe I can stay at one of your hotels until I find something. That way we both have our privacy if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t mind you staying here at the penthouse. But if you would rather stay at the hotel, I’ll call and get you a suite. You can stay as long as you like.”
“Thanks, bro. I’d appreciate it. Dinner’s ready. Wait until you try this.”
It was good to have my friend back in New York. I missed him and the fun we’d have when we went out.
“I’m sorry to hear about you and Eloise. I know you really liked her.”
“Thanks, Asher. But it’s all good. It was a mutual decision. I wasn’t happy with my job and after we broke up, I figured it was time to come back here and start over. How about you? Anyone special?”
“No. And you know better than to ask that.” I pointed my finger at him.
He let out a chuckle.
“Anyway, how did you figure out what your uncle and lawyer were doing?”
“Everything was in my father’s journal.”
“I still don’t get how you knew to look in the vent in his bedroom closet.”
“It was by pure accident.”
I wasn’t about to tell him about Everly because he’d think I was crazy. It was best I left her out of our conversations.
Later that evening, I was lying in bed and thoughts of her went through my head. Why the hell was I thinking about her so much? She’d definitely left her mark on me. Picking up my phone, I started to send her a text message.
“Hi. I was just thinking about last—”
I stopped, deleted it and set my phone down.