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“Well, don’t kill me, but I was totally messing with you. Gerald restaffed him. I had zero influence.”
She stopped in the middle of Lexington Avenue and streams of pedestrians moved around us. “No way. NO fucking way!”
“I said don’t kill me!” I held up my hands as she menaced me, eyes flashing.
“I should totally push you into traffic.” She whirled and kept walking and I hurried to keep up. I grabbed her elbow and pulled her in close. She glared and an older lady with a giant handbag gave me a weird look, like she might need to protect Margo from me.
“You have to admit. Getting into it with me was a little bit fun.” I knew she had enjoyed it, even when she had been pissed at me. I had enjoyed it too. Like Matt had said, love and hate were two sides of the same coin.
“Yeah, yeah. I did enjoy it, though I never would have admitted it at the time.” She smiled ruefully up at me, her eyes dark under the street lamps. I leaned down for a kiss and felt her soften against me.
As we continued downtown, she pointed out her favorite restaurants, the little coffee shops she visited on the weekend, the store that had Magoo’s favorite toys. I made a mental note of that one and pointed out to her the places I wanted to take her on dates, the park I liked to enjoy after my morning runs, the bodega that was almost as good as Mrs. Lin’s.
“So you like it down here?” She asked, as we passed the sign for Little Italy.
“I do, actually. It’s a real neighborhood. I like seeing the little kids going to school in the morning. And you know that park where all the older folks socialize? It has a nice sense of community. I like it.”
She nodded. “It’s why I’ve lived here for so long. You don’t miss Park Avenue?” She gave me a probing look and I knew what she meant. She wanted to know if I missed my family.
“I don’t miss it. That house had no personality. It was decorated with relics and it felt like living in a tomb. But more than that, I don’t miss what it represented.”
“I understand.”
“In some ways, it feels like the slate has been wiped clean and now maybe we stand a chance at a relationship.”
“How’s that?” She looped her arm through mine, like she knew I needed the comfort in that exact moment.
“Clearing the air with my father felt good. I’m going to spend a little time learning about the firm for him. But I’m doing it on my own terms. And now they know I’m my own man. That’s what I’ve always wanted more than anything. It’s why I always wanted to make partner. I just wanted to prove I could stand on my own without my family money and connections.”
“I think you’ve proved them wrong.” She smiled up at me.
“I can agree with that.” I dropped a kiss on her head and tucked her in closer to me. “I think finally agreeing to spend a little time at Markman Management was enough for him.”
“That makes sense. He probably feels like you are finally taking his passion seriously. Leaving aside that his passion is a business. But you’re doing something with him and for him. Some dads want to play baseball, your dad wants to show you the business he built from the ground up.” She shrugged. “It makes a lot of sense.” I was stunned into silence. She saw so clearly when I didn’t. She thought with her heart and her head. She was my perfect match and I was never letting her go.
“You know, I never thought about it like that, but I think you’re right.”
“Well, I think you did once call me brilliant.”
“That I did.” I pulled her aside and kissed her right there on the corner, cars streaming around us, the city bright with lights, and two hearts beating as one.
47
EPILOGUE
Margo
Margo Clarke
I can see you plotting. I’m going to make things so hard for you at home.
Iglared at Andrew across the conference table and he pretended not to see me. He glanced down at his phone and tapped a single finger idly against it. He read my message and his eyes flicked up to mine. They were already hazy with lust and I felt it like a punch to the gut.
“Margo has some ideas. I’m sure she’d love to lead the recruiting efforts this year,” he said, his voice betraying nothing.
I will fucking kill you, I mouthed at him and he smirked.
“Margo, that would be great. Thanks so much.” Ann ticked a box off on her agenda. This was our third partner meeting of the year and Andrew used every opportunity to torment me. We still played at being enemies and had incredibly hot sex when we got back to the apartment. Now it was one apartment instead of two, since he had purchased the downstairs and we had built a staircase to make it into an open duplex.
