Chapter 7
7
WAVERLY
O h God, what had I done?
I looked around the bedroom, then shifted my head to the man on the pillow next to me. I’d given my virginity to this man, and I didn’t even know him. Aside from his name and the fact that he ran out on his business partner, he was a complete mystery to me.
I’d set myself up for a serious heartbreak.
Moving as slowly as I could, I slid from the bed and headed to the living room, where my clothes were still on the floor next to the couch. It all made sense last night. Even after we’d made love three total times and fallen into an exhausted sleep sometime around two a.m., I was happy with the way things had gone down.
I was getting dressed when my gaze landed on the coffee table. That manila envelope—the one that had made a trip here on my passenger seat like every other delivery I’d made over the past two years. He hadn’t even opened it.
After a glance toward the bedroom, I crossed the bearskin rug—where I’d lost my virginity—to the coffee table. I snatched up the envelope, sliced it open, and pulled out the paperwork inside.
I’d done enough of these that I was familiar with the legalese. I still hated reading it, though. It was boring as hell. But I could quickly scan and pick out the important facts.
In this case, those facts were that Nick’s former business partner was saying he had done all the work, while Nick sat back and collected a paycheck for four years. This Kurt guy was suing for the total amount Nick had made off the company, which was a whole heck of a lot more than the amount Nick had invested initially.
I sat back and closed my eyes. There were always two sides to a story, and of course this guy would lie, especially if he was trying to make money off Nick. And Nick had mentioned he was greedy.
But would he lie in a court of law? Most people wouldn’t, considering the consequences if they were caught.
“Where’d you go?”
I gasped at the male voice behind me. He was standing just feet away, wearing a thick, navy blue robe. He had a half-smile on his face, but his gaze quickly flipped to the pages I was holding and that smile started to crumble.
“You saw the details of the lawsuit,” he said. “Is this the first time you’ve read them?”
I nodded and looked down at the pages and back up again. “He wants all the money back that you were paid out of the company, plus damages and court costs.”
When I looked back at Nick, his eyes had narrowed. He didn’t look mad. But it was worse. It was like he was seeing me for the first time and he didn’t like what he saw.
“I figured that much,” he said. “We both took a salary, and it was more than basic living expenses. Kurt talked me into doing a lot of shit that went against my nature. That truck you see out there?” He nodded toward the driveway. “I bought that after I traded in the luxury SUV I drove when I lived in Greensboro. I sold the way-too-expensive condo and got rid of all my furnishings. So I have plenty of money, yes, and I can pay whatever he wants. It’s the principle of the matter.”
“He says you didn’t work as hard as he did. That doesn’t sound like you.”
Nick laughed. It was a dark, dry laugh that wasn’t filled with an ounce of humor.
“I worked my ass off,” he said. “Just not in the way he did. I wasn’t willing to go to any lengths to convince homeowners to sell their property. If it made more sense for them to go into foreclosure or short-sell, I recommended it. That made Kurt furious.”
“So it came down to ethics,” I said.
He nodded. “And if that makes me a bad person in your eyes, so be it.”
“I’m looking for reasons,” I said, setting the stack of paperwork on my lap. Ignoring his confused expression, I shifted my stare toward the front windows and the snow-covered ground outside. “I always do that. It’s not just men either. It’s friends, family. The only thing I’ve ever really been good at is work. Even in school, I focused on homework and tests and studying instead of actual relationships and having fun. People disappoint you.”
I shifted my stare to his face and braced myself for what I’d find. But instead of anger or hurt, his features had softened and he was giving a slow nod.
“Same,” he said. “Why do you think I’m here, in the middle of nowhere? I dated when I lived in Greensboro, but it was always for show. I never really felt?—”
He paused there, and I knew what he was struggling to say. I wouldn’t expect him to open up to me until he was ready. That was exactly what we were talking about, after all.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” I said. “I have nothing to compare it to, and even I know this sort of thing doesn’t come along every day. This connection, this draw toward you.”
“But you live in Greensboro,” he said. “Would you be willing to give all that up? I could move back, but?—”
I shook my head, cutting him off. “No, I wouldn’t want to be with you in Greensboro.”
His expression changed then, and I knew I’d done a horrible job of explaining what I meant. I took a step back and started over.
“I’ve already fallen in love with this view.” I gestured toward the window. “When I wasn’t slipping and sliding around on the road leading up here, I was thinking about how nice it would be to live somewhere like this.”
The funny thing was, Greensboro was a beautiful town. I just never quite felt like I fit. All my high school friends had either left for college and never returned or settled in the suburbs. And there was something about suburban life that didn’t quite fit. It was so ordinary. I wanted a life that was extraordinary.
“What about your job?” he asked.
I shrugged. “There are plenty of ways to make money. I’ll figure out one of them. Something good.”
I had no idea what it was going to be, but I was excited at the prospect. It was a new adventure. Even if I hadn’t met Nick and decided to stay here, a career change was in my near future. Process serving just wasn’t the right long-term career fit for me.
“And what about these papers?” He nodded toward them. “I probably have a pretty long legal battle in front of me.”
I jutted my chin up in the air and took a deep breath. “We’ll deal with it together. I’m not much help in the legal department, but I’ve been around this stuff long enough to give you some advice if you need it.”
He laughed. “I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
I set the papers aside and pushed myself to my feet. “I don’t want to talk about any of that now, though. Let’s make some breakfast and then get naked again.”
He smiled and reached out a hand. I slid mine into it and stepped closer.
“I like the way you think,” he said. “It might be too soon to say this, but I think I’m falling in love with you.”
My smile widened. “Not too soon. In fact, I know I’m falling in love with you.”
With that, we shared a sweet kiss, then headed to the kitchen to make pancakes and bacon. Once we were finished with that, we’d start the first full day of the rest of our lives together.