Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Lorelei
It was Monday morning, and the same routine started all over again. Walking into Jack’s office, I set down his coffee cup.
“Good morning, Lorelei. How was your weekend?”
“It was great. Hope and I did some shopping. We had a great time,” I lied. I wasn’t about to tell him that I stayed in all weekend and wallowed in self-pity.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“How was your date?”
“It was good. We had a great time.”
My blood was boiling because I was positive he slept with her. The thought of him with another woman made me want to crawl into a corner and hide. I couldn’t help the next words that flew out of my mouth.
“Do you need me to run to the store and buy you some more condoms?”
He chuckled. “No. That’s okay. I’m still set from when you bought me the ten boxes.”
“Should I send this woman some flowers from you?”
“No. Why would I send her flowers?”
“I don’t know. I was just asking. Usually, if a date goes great, the guy sends flowers.”
“He does?”
“Well, at least they do in the movies.”
He laughed. “I don’t need you to do any of those things, but when the stores open, I need you to run to Banana Republic. I’ll make a list of the things I need you to pick up.”
“Okay. By the way, did your mother ever return from Paris?”
“She decided she was going to stay a couple of extra weeks. It seems she has met someone there.”
“Good for her.” I nodded my head and walked out of his office.
A couple of hours later, Stella called.
“Hello.”
“Hey, you. So don’t hate me.”
“What did you do?” I sighed.
“Promise me you won’t hate me first.”
“I won’t hate you, Stella.”
“So, I may have logged into your Match account and tweaked your profile.”
“WHAT! Why would you do that, and how did you know my password?”
“You use the same password for everything. Just listen. This guy came up who I think is perfect for you.”
“Go on.”
“He’s twenty-eight and has never been married. He’s in business management and wait for the best part: he loves kids. I think you should at least meet him, Lorelei.”
“I don’t know, Stella,” I whined.
“Listen, you said it was time to get out into the dating world. So, here’s your opportunity. He seems like a great guy. Fun and outgoing.”
“How do you know this?”
“We may have talked online a bit and I pretended I was you.”
“STELLA!”
“He can’t wait to meet you on Friday night.”
“OH MY GOD! You set up a date?”
“Yeah, I did. Remember, don’t hate me. I love you, and you’re like my sister.”
I couldn’t believe she had set up a date for me with a random stranger online. But then again, that was Stella. I didn’t know if I could go through with it.
“I don’t know, Stella. I’m scared.”
“He’s such a romantic. He wants to meet on the top deck of the Empire State Building. Somewhere public where there are many people so you’ll feel more comfortable. I told him that was very sweet of him.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you telling him that. How the fuck will I know whom I’m looking for? And by the way, what does this guy look like?”
“He’ll be the tall, dark, and handsome one holding a single red rose. I already told him yes, so you’re meeting at eight o’clock. The good thing is if you don’t like him or don’t click, you can leave. You don’t have to go to dinner or anything. You can go home and have some time to yourself. Hope is spending the night at my place. Sebastian will be out of town at a bachelor party, so she and I can have a girls’ night together.”
If I didn’t take this chance now, I might never. If Jack could go on a date, then so could I. There was no use sitting around and pining for the man that made it very clear to me that we were just friends.
“Fine. I’ll go. What’s this guy’s name?”
“Yippee! I knew you would. His name is Aiden.”
After hanging up with Stella, I walked into Jack’s office. I was hoping that telling him I was going on a date would infuriate him, but I was wrong.
“It seems I have a date Friday night.”
He looked up at me and smiled. “Good for you, Lorelei. Do I need to have this guy checked out for you?”
“No. That’s okay, Jack.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.” He winked.
Him and his damn winks.
My belly was a nervous wreck as I slipped into my black, spaghetti-strap slim-fit dress. I threw some curls at the ends of my hair and lightly sprayed it.
“Well, how do I look?” I asked Hope, who was sitting on my bed.
“You look beautiful, Mommy. Where are you going again?”
“Just out with a friend. No big deal.”
“Are you going out with Jack?” she asked.
“No, baby. I’m not going out with Jack.”
“When can I see him again?”
“I’ll give him a call over the weekend and see if he wants to hang out.”
“Okay.” She smiled.
I heard the door open, and Stella stopped dead in her tracks when I walked out of the bedroom.
“Ah. Look at you. You’re gorgeous. Aiden isn’t going to know what hit him.”
“Thanks. I’m still mad at you.”
“No, you’re not. Now get your shoes on and get out of here. You don’t want to be late, or the poor guy will think you stood him up.”
I gave Hope a hug and kiss goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun with Auntie Stella tonight.”
“I will. She’s going to give me a mani/pedi and then teach me the do’s and don’t’s of buying a designer handbag.”
I looked at Stella and rolled my eyes before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
I made it to the Empire State Building at approximately seven fifty-five. Taking the elevator up to the top deck, I felt like I was going to throw up. My stomach was twisted, and I could feel the anxiety kicking in. I took in slow, deep breaths to try and calm myself down. It was ridiculous to be this nervous. He was just another person. We were just two people meeting for the first time. I met people every day, and this was no different. So what if he was of the male species? Like Stella said, if I didn’t like him or we didn’t click right away, I could leave. No harm. We’d just part ways as if we had never met. The elevator doors opened, and as I made my way out with the crowd of people, I looked around for the tall, dark, and handsome man with a single red rose. Maybe he stood me up. I could only hope. Suddenly, I heard a low voice from behind.
“Hello, Lorelei.”
I stood frozen in place for a second before turning around. My heart was racing at the speed of light. I gasped when I turned around and stared at the man holding a single red rose.
“Jack?” I cocked my head. “What are you?—”
“I’m your date for tonight and, hopefully, every night.” He smiled.
Tears started to fill my eyes. “How did you?—”
He handed me the red rose and then ran his thumb across my cheek.
“I was able to do this with the help of Stella.”
I gulped. “So, you’re Aiden? The twenty-eight-year-old business management guy who loves kids?”
“Yeah. Stella came up with that. Are you mad?”
“No. Of course not. I’m relieved you’re not a stranger, but I don’t understand.”
“The only thing you need to understand right now, at this moment, is that I want to be with you and you only.” His blue eyes stared into mine.
“But you said you just wanted to be friends and were just on a date.”
“I know what I said, but it was all part of the plan, and I never went on any dates. I only led you to believe that so this plan would work.”
“Why did you go through all of this?”
“Because, Lorelei, I wanted us to start over. A brand-new beginning. I had already hurt you once, and you made that very clear to me. But I promise I'll never hurt you again if you give me another chance. That night I left the penthouse, the night Hope got sick, I went out with someone but only to dinner. After we finished eating, I sent her home, and I went and sat in a bar because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You’re on my mind 24/7 and I feel alone when I’m not with you. For the first time in my life, I feel alone. I’m asking for a second chance to show you that I can be your Prince Charming because, Lorelei, you’re my Cinderella.” He smiled as our eyes stayed locked on each other.
A tear fell from my eye, and he gently wiped it away with his thumb. I was stunned but happy beyond words.
“Hi, I’m Lorelei Flynn.” I smiled.
“Hello, Miss Flynn. I’m Jack Sutton.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jack. I think you should know that if you want a relationship with me, I have a seven-year-old daughter, and her name is Hope.”
“You’re in luck because I just so happen to love kids.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.