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I take the lift down to the ground floor and exit the lobby. Once I’m out on the pavement, I pull the landlord’s letter from my back pocket. Fortunately, there’s an address printed on the letter’s heading, and what a coincidence, his office happens to be located in Manhattan.
I think it’s about time I paid Mr. Brown a visit.
Chapter 22
Kennedy Takahashi
The morning passes slowly. I sit through two team meetings and review a new client application. But I’m finding it impossible to concentrate. I’ve read the same paragraph five times now, and I can’t even say what it’s about. My mind keeps going to the fact that Connor’s out there wandering around on his own in Manhattan.
When lunch time rolls around, Lauren comes to my cubicle and asks if I want to go out with her. I jump at the chance to get out of the office for a little while—I need the distraction. As we often do, we walk two blocks north to a charming little café, where we each order the lunch special—a half sandwich and a cup of soup.
“So, tell me all about yourboyfriend,” Lauren says as she sips her iced tea. “Who is he, and how’d you meet? And most importantly, why have I not heard a single thing about him before now?”
I blow gently on my spoonful of chicken and rice soup. “It’s a long story.” I’ve never told anyone here in New York about my relationship with Connor.
Lauren checks the time. “I have forty minutes to listen, so have at it. I’m all ears.” When I hesitate, she adds, “Come on, Kennedy. I saw the way he looked at you. You two clearly have history, one that involves spending time together naked.”
I fail miserably when I try not to smile. “We dated a few years ago.”
She motions for me to continue. “Go on. I’m listening.”
“Actually, when I lived in London, we shared an apartment. We both worked at the same capital investment company.”
“So, what happened? Why are you here, and I presume he’s still there, across the pond?”
My throat tightens. “I broke up with him right before I moved back to New York.”
“Girl, are you kidding me right now? Why? He’s gorgeous, and he seems really nice. Does he have horns and a forked tail I didn’t notice? Or maybe he’s a narcissistic asshole?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. He’s sweet, really he is. He’s funny and kind and generous.”
“Then why did you break up with him?”
“Because his family disapproved of me.”
“Oh.” Lauren gives me a sympathetic look. “There’s always something, isn’t there?”
“His family—well, his grandfather—didn’t want me in the picture. He said as much to my face.”
Lauren winces. “Ouch. What a douchebag.”
“He said, ‘There are plenty of eligible young women in England for Connor to choose from. He doesn’t need to marry a foreigner, especially one of a different ethnicity.’ It was something like that.”
“Yikes. He said that to your face? What a racist old fart.”
I nod. “I’ll be honest—it hurt. A lot.”
“What did Connor have to say about it?”
“He didn’t know because I didn’t tell him.”
“What! Are you serious? You should have told him, and then made popcorn to eat while you watched him set his grandfather straight.”
“I couldn’t. It’s complicated. Connor’s father had recently died, leaving Connor the sole heir to his grandfather’s fortune. We’re talkingbillions, Lauren. I couldn’t risk ruining that for Connor. So I left, came back here, and picked up the pieces of my life. Or at least tried to.”
Lauren leans forward and narrows her dark eyes. “Did you saybillions, with ab?”
I nod. “I know, it’s hard to wrap my mind around it, too. You’d never guess he’s so wealthy because he’s very down-to-earth.”
