Saturday. That’s a date night.“Great.”
“I know it’s hard for you during the week. You have to get up so early to be on set.”
Not a date. She’s being thoughtful.“Good thinking.”
“There’s this new ramen house that everyone is raving about. They don’t do reservations, but I’ve heard the line moves fast. Maybe seven?”
Hot new restaurant. Maybe a date?“Sure. I’ll pick you up? I’ll use any excuse to drive in the city.”
“Ooh. Yes. The little red corvette.”
Brooklyn had always been obsessed with Prince, one of her many charming qualities. “It’s called rouge red, and it’s an Aston Martin. You know that.”
“A girl can bend the facts to build a fantasy around Prince Rogers Nelson, can’t she?”
“I’m not about to be the guy who tries to stop you.”
“Good. I can’t wait to cheat death in your zippy little car.” She cleared her throat in her surprisingly adorable way. It always had a little musical flourish at the end. “I’d better get back to the office, though. Virginia will kill me for being gone so long.” Brooklyn snugged the package of diapers to her chest. “I hope this doesn’t sound weird, but you came up in conversation today when Virginia and I were talking and, well…” She peered down at her feet. “It just seems funny that we ran into each other. Like fate.”
She’d been talking about him? Why did the idea of that make him so stupidly happy? He knew better than that. “Fate?”
“Ugh. No. Sorry. That sounds too much like a word my mom would use.” She grimaced. “Anyway, I guess I’ll see you Saturday.”
Alec watched as Brooklyn breezed past him, her hips swaying with every step, which suddenly made his pants embarrassingly snug. Why did she have this effect on him? It was a mystery. And Alec didn’t do well with the unknown.
Chapter Three
Brooklyn pacedin the stunning art deco lobby of her Tribeca apartment building, muttering to herself. Despite outward appearances, this was a good thing—the click of her heels on the white and gold marble floor and the ramble of her voice kept her from munching on her manicure. “Why in the hell did I have to use the word ‘fate’ with Alec?” She came to a halt. “Or… was itfatethat I brought up fate?”
Cy, the doorman, stepped out from behind his desk to hold the elevator for another resident. “Did you say something, Ms. Monroe?”
“Ignore me. I’m nervous and overthinking everything.”
Cy hustled outside to the curb and Brooklyn went right back to worrying. Was there a reason she and Alec had run into each other? Was it a sign? She was very big on signs. When she’d been in high school, she once tripped in the hall, fell forward, and managed to ram the top of her head into the butt of her nemesis, Carolyn Felton. Brooklyn nearly died of embarrassment and considered begging her mom to let her drop out of school, but at prom the following night, Carolyn slipped on the stage when she was announced as queen, landing flat on her ass in front of the entire student body. Everyone who was there said it was hilarious, but the real good of it was that Carolyn, Miss Destined-to-be-Prom-Queen, suddenly became a much nicer person. Sadly, Brooklyn did not attend prom. High school boys were losers. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that tripping into Carolyn Felton’s butt had been a sign of better things.
Was her run-in with Alec one as well? What were the odds that they’d run into each other on the exact day she’d come to a decision about having a baby? Could she mend things? Because she didn’t have time to mess around. Most men weren’t interested in a woman who was shopping for sperm banks. But they also probably weren’t interested in impregnating someone they had a history with. And casually working all of this into conversation wasnotgoing to be easy. “If he thinks you’re nuts, it’s okay. You aren’t any worse off than you were a few days ago. And it’s a ramen house. If he leaves, you still get to eat a giant bowl of noodles.”
Cy walked back in. “You sure you don’t need a cab, Ms. Monroe?”
“No, thanks. If I get stood up, I’ll just go back upstairs, put on my pajamas, and watch TV.”Pop some tater tots in the oven. Cry a little. Google sperm banks. Or hope that my brain decides it’s a better idea to get a dog.
“How could any man stand you up?”
Brooklyn let out an unflattering snort. “This one wasn’t super happy with me a year ago. He could have easily changed his mind about tonight.”
Cy shook his head as the red Aston Martin,nota Corvette, cozied up to the curb. “Is this the fella you’re waiting on?”
“It is. Thank you.” As she stepped outside into the night air and watched Alec round the front of his car to open the passenger side door, Brooklyn’s heart broke into a full sprint.Down, girl.Hadn’t it gotten the memo? Alec wasnother guy anymore. Tonight was about seeing if there was a way back into his good graces so they could mend their friendship. Anything else was going to have to wait. But not too long.
She followed him, but panicked when she realized she didn’t know how they were supposed to greet now. A kiss? A hug? She’d had a package of diapers in the way the other day. Standing only a foot or two from each other, Alec’s eyes scanned her face, sweeping back and forth. It was like he was on a fact-finding mission. Either that or her eyeliner had gone full-Hamburglar.
“Hey. Good to see you again.” He took the lead, offering her an embrace. It was nice, but very platonic, and that made it super weird. Maybe it was better that they hadn’t done this part the other day. If this was what she’d had to look forward to, it was probably a good thing she’d missed it.
“It’s nice to see you, too. You didn’t have to open my door for me, but thank you.”
“Sorry. Guess I’m too old-fashioned.” He waited while she eased into the seat, sliding her a downward glance that pulled her heart up into her throat. Even when he was being a bit stiff and unrelaxed, he was mesmerizing, especially his ever-changing chestnut eyes. They went from gold to chocolate all on their own, a reflection of the man behind them. Alec was a complicated guy, however much he wanted to think that he wasn’t.
“I love old-fashioned,” she said when he got behind the wheel.
