Page 55 of Come A Little Closer

A slow grin spread on his lips and he dropped into the chair across from me. “Finally, the truth comes out. Congratulations, man. I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah, well, I just got a call from a collections agency about the debt and I’ve paid it off on her behalf. I just don’t think she’s going to be thrilled I did it.”

He groaned. “It was a pretty disgusting thing for her ex to have done to lay the blame at her feet in the first place. All you’ve really done is to restore balance to the universe. I know she might not appreciate the interference, but you only did it to protect her.”

I inclined my chin in a nod. “I’m not sure that’s going to make any difference. It helps her get her fresh start. A clean break. I wanted to give her the opportunity to live her own life without being shackled by the asshole in her past, but she’s a proud woman and she has every right to be. She’s overcome a lot to get to where she is.”

Jake looked back at me, his head slowly tilting to one side. “You have real feelings for this woman, don’t you?”

“I do,” I admitted without hesitation. Leaning back in my chair, I held his gaze and finally came clean with him. “There’s something about her, Jake. I can’t shake this feeling that she’s my match. Somehow, everything is different with her. There’s a connection unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”

His eyebrows shot up, then he put his hands together and gave me a round of applause. “It’s good to finally hear you admit it. Shit, I’ve known there was a connection between you since I first brought her into your office. The chemistry is that obvious.”

I exhaled a deep breath through my nostrils. “I know. I really did think she was crazy at first, though.”

“Again, all the best people are,” he said, smacking out a drumroll on his thighs before he stood up. “I’m headed over to the plantation this evening if you’d like an excuse to come. The vendors are already there setting up for the festival and I need to go make sure they’ve got everything they need.”

“I’m coming with you,” I said, immediately getting up myself. “Let’s go now. We can do a full walkthrough before the sun starts setting. I don’t need an excuse, though. If I want to see her, I go see her.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you do, bro. Never let it be said that Niall Morrison needs an excuse to see a woman. Got it.”

I smacked my palm over my face as I shook my head at him. “I knew you were never going to let me live any of this down. God knows why I even told you.”

“Because we’re bros,” he said, winking as he strode across my office and opened the door. “Let’s just go. If you’re so eager to get there, I wouldn’t want to have you blaming me for any hold-ups.”

I followed him out but took my own car to the plantation. I didn’t know how long Jake planned on staying, but I wanted the freedom to be able to leave when I wanted as opposed to when he did.

When we got there, the property was a bustling hive of activity. Tents had been erected and thousands of strings of lights had been strung up in them, in the trees, and between the main house and where the festival would be taking place.

Dozens of vendors were setting up, making it difficult to even find parking that was out of the way. Eventually, Jake and I parked behind the guest house, wandering back to the main area in the gardens and stopping to check on things along the way.

The mini mazes were being constructed for the kids and a few fairground rides had even been brought in. Vendors were putting tables and chairs under awnings and a makeshift stage had been built, a sound crew hard at work with the equipment.

The atmosphere was already festive, with music blaring from somewhere and people laughing and talking as they worked. I strode with my hands in my pockets, just taking it all in and eagerly searching for the person responsible.

When I finally found her, Tallulah was behind the stage, her hair swept up into a high bun that had become messy during the day, a plain pair of black cotton shorts, and a faded gray off-the-shoulder T-shirt covering her curves. I smiled, deciding that I was taking her out to dinner tonight.

She’d worked damn hard and everything was perfect. She deserved a break and I wanted to be the one to give it to her.

25

TALLULAH

Evenings out in New Orleans still hadn’t gotten old to me. To be fair though, I hardly ever came to the side of town where Niall had brought me to dinner. It was really nice, not far away from his house in the Garden District and near the banks of the Mississippi.

The restaurant itself was known for being popular with A-listers when they were in town, a historic spot famous for refined creole fare, elegant jazz brunches, and old world charm. Chandeliers filled the space inside, the dining room like something out of a nineteen-twenties novel about the upper crust.

I felt painfully out of place here, but I sucked it up. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to afford dining here by myself, but Niall had insisted he wanted to spoil me. All dressed up in a little black dress I’d splurged on soon after I’d first moved in with my former roommates, I felt like something of an imposter as I walked into the fancy restaurant on his arm.

“Mr. Morrison, welcome back,” a smiling hostess said as she showed us to his table. “Will you be having the chef’s three-course menu again?”

“Absolutely,” he replied pleasantly, keeping me close to his side as we crossed the dining room together. “Thank you, Michelle.”

“Of course, sir. The pinot noir?”

“For me, please.” He glanced at me with a soft smile. “I wouldn’t presume to know what you’d like to drink, but the wine I’m having is delicious. Care to share a bottle?”

I nodded, forcing myself to return his easy smile. “Sure, that sounds good.”