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God, she’s beautiful in every way.
What a night.
I find my underwear and pull them on while she’s busy, and when she comes out, I’ve collected her clothes from the dining room for her to put on. She blushes.
“Thanks.”
I kiss her. “Saves having to hunt for clothes through my apartment, naked. Although I won’t mind the view.”
She chuckles and I leave the room so she can get dressed.
When she comes out, wearing everything but her shoes, I kiss her again and I take her number.
“I’ll call you,” I promise. “Let me order you a cab.”
She nods. “I’ll be waiting.”
I pull on my pants and a shirt and we ride the elevator to the lobby together. It’s not awkward or strained between us. We stand side-by-side in amicable silence.
The cab is already waiting, and I kiss her one more time before I close the door behind her.
When the car drives off, my phone rings. Unknown number. It’s probably Jackson.
“Done so soon? With two of them, I—”
“It’s your father,” a rough voice says on the other line.
“Dad? What’s wrong?”
“It’s your mom. She’s had an episode. We’re at the hospital.” His voice cracks and I feel sick.
My stomach drops to my shoes and I turn back to the building, running to the elevator to grab my car keys. The news has me stone-cold sober now.
“I’ll be right there,” I say.
Chapter 2
Natalie
Dianna smiles when I walk into her office and sit down in the armchair. She’s in her own armchair, my file open on her lap.
“How are you, Natalie?” she asks.
“I’m good,” I say and smile.
“You look good,” Dianne agrees. “You look so much happier since you started that job at Ruby Blue.”
“It’s changed my life,” I admit. I kick off my shoes and tuck my feet under me, leaning on the armrest.
When I started seeing Dianne five years ago, after losing David, I wasn’t nearly as comfortable talking to her about what bothered me. I would never have been this comfortable in her office to kick off my shoes. But over the years, Dianne felt more like a friend to me than a therapist. I saw her once every two weeks now, where I’d started with twice a week at first.
“How’s work?” Dianne asks.
“It’s great. Michelle is a great boss and I’ll forever be grateful to Raven for putting my name forward. I get to spend so much more time with Kylie, and that’s everything.”
Raven is my brother’s fiancée and the owner of the business where I work. When I was struggling financially, working double shifts just to make ends meet as a single parent, Raven asked her manager to consider me for the New York branch of the fashion house she started.
Everything took a turn for the better since then.
