Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I type out a quick text message and press send.
Daniel: It must be raining buckets there. My flight is canceled. I’ll be home tomorrow.
By the time I realize what the message says, she’s already typing a reply. The three small dots bounce on the screen as I stare at the one word that reveals a part of me only Dominick knows.
Home.
New York City is my home.
Los Angeles has never felt that way to me.
Gina: It’s stormy. I love it. I’ll see you tomorrow?
What I wouldn’t give to be next to her as the wind and rain rip a path through the city.
I reply so I don’t leave her hanging.
Daniel: You bet. Stay safe, okay?
She responds instantly and in true Gina fashion.
Gina: What fun is safe? Have a good night in Boston. Sweet dreams when you make it to bed.
I won’t make it there for hours since I now need to find a hotel with a room available for tonight. The one I checked out of hours ago was swarming with people checking in. Some big name celebrity is rumored to be getting married here tomorrow, so the world’s media has converged on this place along with thousands of her fans.
I send her one last message.
Daniel: You too.
After pocketing my phone, I stare at the wedding band still on my finger. Gerti didn’t notice, and I haven’t run into anyone I know, so I planned on taking the ring off before the plane landed in New York.
I skim a fingertip over the back of it and smile.
I know it doesn’t hold much weight, and the meaning that should be attached to it isn’t there, but the comfort it offers is just what I need.
I glance at the long line of people frantic to get a seat on a flight tomorrow morning.
I’ll sort that out with a call to the airline.
For now, I’m off to find a hotel with an available room and a few slices of pizza because I was planning to eat dinner in Manhattan tonight.
My phone rings in my pocket, so I eagerly tug it out, hoping my wife is granting me more of her attention.
I glance at the screen before answering. “Paul. How are you?”
My right hand man laughs. “Barely surviving here, Daniel. When are you coming back to Los Angeles?”
“Soon,” I say before I amend it. “I can’t say exactly when, but soon.”
“Vague is not the correct answer.” He sighs. “A call came into the office yesterday from a prospective client. She’s based in New York, so I thought, why not send her your way while you’re in the vicinity?”
“You’ve vetted her?” I ask my executive assistant what I always do before I meet with someone reaching out to me.
“You bet.” He whistles. “Her portfolio is impressive, as is her story.”
“Her story?” I ask since my curiosity is piqued. “What does that mean?”
“It’s all in an email I just sent. Take a look.”
I lower the phone and scan my emails. Paul’s is at the top, so I click it open to glance at the woman’s name and her Manhattan based phone number.
“Have I met her before?” I ask Paul. “The name seems familiar.”
“She said you met briefly. Listen, Maeve just walked in and needs me. I’ll call you back within the hour, all right?”
“Sure,” I say. “I’m stuck in Boston for the night and need to find accommodations. I’ll read the entire email once I’ve got that set up, and then we’ll talk about what’s been going on there. You’ll bring me up to speed.”
“Will do,” he says before he ends the call.
I glance at the woman’s name in the lengthy email one last time before I shove my phone back in my pocket and head out of the airport.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Gina
I unlock the door to my apartment, but it swings open before I get a hand on the doorknob.
My husband, looking like a dream, greets me. “Hey, wife.”
I bite back a smile by digging my top teeth into my bottom lip. “Hey.”
He looks me over, taking in my jeans and red and white striped blouse. His gaze stalls at my breasts.
Although I don’t need a bra, I’m wearing one today because I stopped by Calvetti’s before coming home.
Since I helped Marti out yesterday, I wanted to see if she needed me to pitch a hand in today, but Cere was back at the front counter, and Alfie was due to arrive in a few hours to help handle the dinner rush.
I left with a bag filled with a tray of baked ravioli and half of a cheesecake. My grandma instructed me to share it with Daniel, even though I told her I had no idea when he was coming back from Boston.
I have my answer now.
“Did you bring me lunch?” he asks.
I tear my gaze from the tattoo on Daniel’s bicep and drop it to the bag. “We can share.”