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“Holly.” I tug my phone out of the inner pocket of my suit jacket, slowing my pace as I pull up a picture of Suzanne, Rick and their seven-year-old daughter. “Take a look.”
Dexie stops to gaze at the screen of my phone. “She’s adorable.”
“She’s a handful.” I squint against the late afternoon sun.
“Did you partner with them on Belese?”
It’s a direct question I knew was coming. I offered the capital Rick and Suzanne needed a few years ago to take Belese to its own boutique, but they shot me down.
Rick’s a proud man and a good friend. He didn’t want to tarnish the friendship by dragging business into the mix.
I respect their decision.
“No,” I say firmly.
She sets off down the sidewalk again. I fall in step beside her.
“Did talking to Suzanne help you in any way, Dexie?”
She glances up at me. “I think so. It all comes down to making the right decision about who to partner with.”
“That’s an easy decision.” I slow as we stop for a light. “Choose me.”
“It’s not that easy,” she says as she stares across the street and the people huddled there waiting to cross. “I have to think about the future. I can’t make my decision based on what I’m feeling in the present.”
The light changes and she moves to take a step onto the street. I stop her with a hand on her hip. “What are you feeling in the present?”
She pauses, her eyes cast down. “Overwhelmed.”
I slide my arm around her, tugging her closer to me as people brush past us on their way to live their own lives. “Talk to me, Dexie.”
Her eyelids flutter as he looks up into my face. “I need to think about what’s best for Dexie Walsh.”
“You or your business?”
“Both.”
I’d tell her right now that I’m the man for her in every capacity, but those words don’t leave my lips.
“Put your offer together, Rocco.” She takes a step away from me. “I’ll have Rhoda’s final offer soon and then I’ll choose.”
“I will.” I reach down to run my hand over her chin. “Are you o
kay?”
A soft smile graces her mouth. “I’m good.”
“You’re remarkable,” I correct her with a press of my lips to hers. “Come to my place after you go to Matiz.”
She waits for a beat before she answers. “I have to work on a handbag tonight.”
“I’ll meet you at the window at midnight to say goodnight.”
“How can I say no to that?”
“You can’t.”
She peers up at me. “I’m going to walk over to Matiz now. You’ll find your way to Bryant Park alone?”
