Chapter 9
Lily
Islam my hand on my hip and stare at the pile of clothes I bought yesterday, all spread out on the bed, my phone pressed to my ear. “I know, Cheryl. I promise, I’ll let you know. But I should be good to go back to work tomorrow.”
Cheryl is the owner of the marketing firm I work for.
She’s one of my first and oldest friends in Nashville and has been a mentor for the last twelve years.
I texted her last night, but I wasn’t ready to actually talk to her until this morning.
She sent me a text saying she was calling and that I’d better answer or she’d show up at the hotel.
And she would too. So I answered, and she’s been fussing over me for the last ten minutes.
I was scared of what she’d think, but she hasn’t wavered in her support for me or in her belief in me, and it makes my face prickle with emotion. I just hope that doesn’t change.
“I’m trusting you to tell me if you need more time. But I’ll also be checking in with Anna, and you know Anna will tell me the truth,” Cheryl insists.
Chuckling, I tell her, “Yeah, because she’s scared of you.”
“As she should be. I miss the days when you were scared of me,” she teases.
Cheryl is one of the best bosses anyone could ask for.
She’s tough but fair. She expects a lot but is always quick to praise.
She jokes that the staff is afraid of her, but really, we just all respect the hell out of her and want to make her proud.
Even though she’s partially retired, she still comes into the office on occasion.
My head pops up when a loud knock sounds, echoing through the suite. “Cheryl, someone’s here. I have to let you go, but I’ll talk to you soon. And I’ll be back in the office tomorrow.”
As I make my way across the suite, I hold a hand to my aching ribs.
I should’ve known that shopping for a few hours yesterday would’ve been too much for my still-healing body, but I couldn’t help it.
Besides being a necessity at this point, I needed something to feel normal.
Anything to make me feel like I could get my life back, all the while ignoring the dark cloud over my head threatening to take that very thing away.
All I had to do was shop for clothes, makeup, and toiletries.
I can’t wait until my ribs and face are healed so I can resume my regular yoga practice.
I haven’t gone this long without taking a class in a while.
That’ll also help me feel like my life isn’t a completely uncontrolled spiral.
Assuming it’s housekeeping, I whip open the door, and I immediately wish that I’d showered.
Or maybe did something with my hair besides pull it up in a messy bun on top of my head, because Chris Rivers is standing in the hallway looking entirely too sexy for this early in the morning.
His expensive suit molds to his body like it was sculpted to fit perfectly at all times, and his designer sunglasses give him a mysteriously laid-back air that has my stomach doing flips.
Last night, I spent way too many hours reading every article, looking at every picture, and looking into some of his more prominent cases. My research has done nothing to quell the curiosity and interest that’s been blooming toward the man standing in front of me.
He has two large to-go coffee cups in his hands and a bag that I’m assuming is filled with donuts based on the logo on the bag.
When I don’t move to invite him in or say anything because I’m apparently rendered speechless for a moment, Chris cocks his head to the side and raises everything he’s holding.
“I, of all people, can understand people’s aversions to attorneys, but I come bearing gifts. ”
I snort a laugh and step back. “Sorry, I haven’t had enough coffee this morning, so I’m a little slow. Come on in.”
He smiles, and my heart skips a beat as he passes by me, his cologne teasing my nostrils with its masculine, woodsy scent.
I follow him into the sitting area as he says over his shoulder, “Lucky for you, I brought you a large one.”
Ignoring that he probably does this for all his clients, my cheeks flush at the rush of emotion. It’s been so long since someone did a random act of kindness for me that I’ve forgotten what that feels like. “That’s really nice of you. Thank you.”
He turns around and hands me the cup of coffee before removing his sunglasses, his dark eyes assessing. “I hope you like what I got. The barista told me this is their most popular drink, but if you hate it, you can have my black coffee, and I’ll drink that one.”
I take the cup and inhale the sweet scent of a latte. A smile creeps onto my face. “It smells amazing.”
With a small shrug, he says, “It’s some maple something latte.”
After I take a seat on the couch and he sits in the chair to my right, I take a sip and hum my appreciation.
It really is delicious. I take another sip before meeting Chris’s intense stare.
His cup is suspended halfway to his mouth as his eyes lock on me.
His Adam’s apple bobs with his swallow before he shakes his head and breaks the connection.
He takes a sip of his coffee before looking around the suite. “Have you decided what you want to do?”
I nod with a scowl, thinking of the conversation I had with the front desk last night.
“Yes, I’ve asked to extend the stay. I asked them to switch it to my credit card, but I was told that they had been instructed to leave your card on file for as long as I stay.
” I pause, and when he doesn’t respond beyond giving a mild smile, I continue.
“Chris, can I please repay you for this room today?”
He waves away my comment, as if we aren’t talking about what I’m sure is thousands of dollars. “We’ll figure that all out later. Just stay as long as you need to.” He juts his chin toward a shopping bag. “Did you get everything you need to hold you over?”
Glancing behind me, I say, “Yep, it was expensive to get everything, but hopefully this will hold me over until I can get back in the house to pack some of my belongings.”
“Good, good, glad to hear it.” He takes another sip of coffee, not taking his eyes off me.
Unease starts to filter into the slight excitement I felt when I first opened the door as I wonder if he’s here to give me more bad news. “Did something happen with the case? I know you said you had some questions.”
Chris’s stare burrows under my skin as he stares at me for a few more moments. He lets out a deep, growly sigh that I feel in my stomach before saying, “No, nothing happened with the case as far as I know. I just”—he pauses—“I wanted to check on you. See how you’re holding up.”
I wrap my lips around my teeth and avert my eyes from him. “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I’m okay, but maybe I’m just still in shock from it all.”
He cocks his head to the side, taking me in, and I’m once again embarrassed by my disheveled appearance. Before I can start to fuss with my hair or straighten my clothes, he says, “That’s understandable, and I think normal in this situation. When are you going back to work?”
Sighing, I explain, “I was talking to the owner of my company this morning, and I told her I’d be back tomorrow.” I look around. “I just don’t think I can sit around the hotel all day. I need to work to keep my mind off everything.”
“I don’t blame you. Just take care of yourself. That’s most important.”
A warmth settles low in my stomach as I fight my smile. “I will.”
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?”
Stealing a quick glance at the pile of clothes waiting for me to put away and organize, I shrug, immediately regretting that movement from the slight twinge in my ribs. “Nothing, really. Maybe doing some work later.”
Chris frowns, and the severe expression looks so handsome on him that my breath catches in my chest. Even while recognizing that this is stupid, since he’s my attorney now, I admit to myself that I’ve never been so instantly attracted to someone as I have been to Chris.
When I think back, I don’t even recall being so attracted to Blake at first. It took him a few weeks to win me over.
But with Chris, it’s almost overwhelming to my system, in the best and worst ways.
He presses his lips together and narrows his eyes, then asks, “Are you up for an outing?”
I tilt my head. “Don’t you have work to do?”
He stands and holds out his hand for me to take. “You’re my client. So, really, you’re doing me a favor. I can expense whatever we do today.”
I huff a laugh. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
He grins down at me. “That’s for my accountant to figure out.”
Swallowing my nervousness, I slip my hand in his, allowing the electric charge arcing between us to warm me. He pulls me gently to my feet, and I ask, “What are we going to do?”
With a hand on the middle of my back, he guides me toward the door. “That’s the great thing. Whatever we want.”
I laugh, but then catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and let out a gasp before halting my forward motion. Chris immediately holds his hands up and stops next to me. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
I pat his arm in apology. “I’m so sorry. I just saw myself in that mirror and realized what a hot mess I am. Maybe I should change first.”
His eyes run down the length of my body, and I fight the urge not to fidget under his perusal. Finally, his intense gaze finds mine. “You look perfectly fine to me.”
Swallowing hard, trying to hide my reaction to him, I croak out, “Oh, okay, well, in that case, we can go.”
Without another word, we leave the room and don’t speak again until we’re in his car. When we pull onto the street, he says, “Since you didn’t get to eat the donuts I brought, I’m taking you to breakfast.”
I wipe my palms down my thighs. “I have to ask, where did you get the donuts from?”