Chapter 20
CHAPTER
TWENTY
TESSA
“I’m taking you home,” Linc says after the show as we walk through the sultry evening air. Zoe’s friends are with their parents now, so I only have to keep an eye out for her. There are people everywhere. A group of girls walk past us singing a Linebacker song. They’re wearing Linebackers football jerseys and giggle all the way.
“Don’t be silly.” I smile at him. “We can take the subway.”
“My car is right there,” Linc says, pointing to the corner of the parking lot. “The trains are gonna be jammed. It’ll take you hours to get home.”
“Mom,” Zoe says, frowning at me. “Don’t make me ride the subway when this nice man is offering to drive us.”
I glance at Linc. He’s grinning because Zoe called him a nice man.
She’s also wearing a Linebackers t-shirt, signed by the band. Linc arranged for each of the girls to get one.
“Please let me take you home,” Linc says, his eyes still not leaving mine. “Otherwise I’ll have to go party with the band. ”
“The band wants you to party with them?” Zoe asks, her mouth dropping open. “Like one of those all night debauched things?” She leans closer, as though she’s expecting more information.
“Yes. And I don’t want to.” Linc’s talking directly to Zoe now, and she’s smiling up at him. Damn, the old Salinger charm works perfectly on thirteen-year-olds, too. “But I want to go to bed with a cup of cocoa and a good book. So please do me a favor and let me drive you both home.”
Zoe looks torn. Knowing somebody who parties with the band is extra kudos. But she also has that selfish gene that most teenagers do.
“I mean, you do look tired,” she concedes.
“I’m exhausted.” He nods, his expression totally serious.
“And you got us the tickets, so I should probably do you the favor.” She’s still teetering between her two desires. I’m trying not to smile.
He shakes his head. “No, that’s not how it works. The tickets were a gift. You said thank you. You don’t owe me anything else.”
Zoe blinks. “I don’t?”
“No. And do me a favor. When you’re older, if a guy takes you to dinner or gives you a gift, remember you don’t owe him anything either.”
Oh. My. God. Salinger is giving dating lessons to my thirteen year old. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The thing is, I like that he’s making the distinction. How many times when I was younger did I go out for dinner with a guy and feel bad for not putting out after?
“I’d always pay half,” Zoe says and Linc smiles and nods.
“That’s very wise.”
“Where’s your car again?” I ask him, and his eyes crinkle, like he knows he’s won.
“Over there.” He points at a sleek black Audi. Zoe runs over to it and we follow behind .
“Just so you know, I’m absolutely expecting you to put out since I got the tickets,” Linc murmurs in my ear.
I start to laugh. “We’re not even dating.”
“Yeah, well. We’ll be talking about that very soon.”
I turn to look at him. “Zoe’s watching,” I remind him. And yes, I let him kiss me in the auditorium. It felt good. Too good.
But here, in front of her, I need to be the mom again.
“I know. I’m keeping it completely PG.” He looks over at Zoe. “You can pull the handle. It’ll unlock automatically.”
She does as he says and sure enough the door opens. “Cool,” she says.
“Talking about putting out isn’t PG,” I tell him in a low voice.
“The talking is. The doing isn’t. And the things I fucking want to do to you, Carmichael. It’ll make Exuma look like a Disney movie.”
I start to laugh again. It’s a mixture from the high of the concert and the way he’s so persistent.
It’s nice. I like feeling wanted.
And I’m stupidly attracted to this man even if I don’t want to be.
“You’re driving us home and then you’re leaving,” I tell him. “That’s it, right? You know you can’t come in for coffee.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, looking absurdly pleased with himself. “I just want to make sure you both get home safely.”
Oh. He’s gone from being dirty to sweet in one easy move.
The Linc Salinger effect gets everybody eventually. Including me.
LIN C
“What the fuck happened to you last night?” Ryker asks me. It’s late morning and we’re eating brunch in his hotel room. He looks exhausted, but the band has another show tonight, so he can’t sleep off the hangover he managed to cause himself.
“I needed to get Tessa and her daughter home,” I tell him, taking a bite of a pastry. My stomach growls with appreciation.
“The chick from last night. Did she like my song?” He gives me a sly look, and I know he’s trolling me.
“She kept her panties on, if that’s what you’re asking,” I say dryly. I’m not worried about him. For starters, Ryker can’t hold a relationship down for two seconds.
“For you too?” Ryker asks, grinning. “Oh man, you’ve lost your touch.”
“I don’t have a touch,” I say, rolling my eyes. Because that’s the problem that Tessa has with me. She thinks I’m not serious. That I’m drama.
I need to clean up my reputation.
It’s not a completely unfair reputation either.
“How do you know her anyway?” Ryker asks. Sondra comes in with a pile of photographs for him to sign. He takes the pen and squiggles across each one, while still looking at me.
“We work together.”
“Hoo boy. That’ll be a mess when you end things.” Ryker lifts a brow. “This is why I don’t get the whole corporate culture, non-fraternization thing. Just join a band. Everybody sleeps with everybody then we all move on to the next one like we’re on a merry go round.”
“There’s no non-fraternization clause at my work.” Because yes, I’ve checked. Mostly because I know how much Tessa needs this job. I’m not going to do anything that puts her livelihood in danger.
“Yeah, but you know why there should be, right?” Ryker smirks. “You’ve seen Mad Men . All that fucking drama when it goes wrong. Which it always does.”
Drama. There’s that word again.
The one thing that Tessa doesn’t want is drama.
I finish my coffee and check my watch. Shit, it’s later than I thought. “I’ve gotta go,” I say, standing.
“What’s the rush, my man?”
“Got a final fitting for my groomsman suit,” I tell him. “My brother’s getting married.”
“Which one?”
Once again, I’m surprised that Ryker remembers this stuff. We spent a weekend together filming almost two years ago. And yeah, we get together for a drink whenever he’s in New York, but the man must have an encyclopedic brain.
“Holden. The doctor.”
“Jesus. They’re all getting shot down one by one. What is this, the third wedding in recent years?”
“Fourth.”
Ryker lets out a low whistle. “Aren’t you the fifth brother?”
Wikipedia needs to use this man’s mind as a server. How does he keep that much information in his brain when at least half of it has to be pickled by alcohol. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“So it’s your turn next then.” He starts to laugh. “Can you imagine it? Linc Salinger, settling down and saying I do.”
But I’m not laughing. Because I hate that even Ryker thinks I have a reputation. If he thinks that, what chance do I stand with Carmichael?
“Gotta go,” I say. “See you later.”
“Not if I see you first.” Ryker stands and gives me a hug. “And by the way, Salinger. Your girl is beautiful. Now go sort your fucking life out.”
“I need you to fly to London tomorrow,” Roman tells me as we take the elevator up to his office. I’ve just come back from the suit fitting. At first, Holden tried to coordinate it so we’d all be at the tailors at the same time, but in the end we each made our own appointments.
Which is good. Because I still haven’t quite gotten over the bachelor party. I need another week or two before I meet up with my brothers again.
“Tomorrow?” I frown. “Why?”
“Because a client is pissed.” He looks at me with a ‘why else?’ expression. “I’ve asked my PA to book your flights. Should only take a couple of days. You can check in with Celine in Paris on your way back.” He grins at me. “You can spend the weekend there. Enjoy the city in spring.”
I’ve been to Paris about twenty times in the past two years. I love the place, but the thought of going there now makes my stomach twist.
The elevator pings and the doors open. Roman steps out and I follow him.
“Let me see if I can talk to them by video,” I say, trying to smooth the sting of my words. “Save the cost of a flight and the environment all at the same time.”
“If I wanted to do it by Zoom I’d do it myself,” Roman tells me. His voice is even but I can tell he’s annoyed.
I’m his troubleshooter. Always up in the air. Linc the traveler.
But I want to stay right here for a while.
“I have an appointment,” I tell him. “I can’t change it.”
“Who with?” he asks, frowning. We’ve made it to the offices. The desks are only half full because there’s a big presentation going on in the boardroom. But when I glance over at the corner office I see Tessa there, and my throat tightens .
She’s leaning over her laptop, her hair pulled back into a bun, revealing the contours of her face. She’s wearing a white silk blouse that I can almost feel between my fingers. I imagine pulling at it until the buttons pop open and her luscious body is revealed.
If I ran this company I’d stride into her office and fuck her over the desk until we were both breathless and sated.
“Salinger?” Roman prompts. “What’s the appointment?”
“Just a check up with the doctor,” I lie, aware that I’m really bad at it. “And it’s my brother’s wedding the following weekend. I’ve booked PTO for that.” Because I know that Roman’s next suggestion will be for me to go next week instead.
Roman looks frustrated. “But I need you in the air, Linc. You’re the secret weapon here. I need to have somebody I can rely on to go anywhere at a moment’s notice.”
I look over at Tessa’s office again. She’s stopped typing and is looking at her phone.
She’s so damn beautiful it makes my heart hurt.
And then she turns and catches me and Roman standing there in the hallway. She gives me the sweetest of fucking smiles.
“After the wedding,” I tell him. “I’ll be back on my ‘A’ game. I promise.”
“Good.” Roman nods. “Now go see if you can set up that damn video call.”
TESSA
I watch as Roman finishes talking to Linc about something. I can’t tell what it is, but Roman’s frowning which is never good. Linc stands there for a moment, then runs his hand through his hair and turns to look at me again.
Our gazes connect and it makes me breathless.
And then he starts walking toward me. Somebody in the main office calls out his name and he nods, but his steps don’t falter as he walks into my office and closes the door behind him.
“What are you doing this weekend?” he asks me.
I look up at him, surprised. “Hi,” I say, smiling.
“Hi. This weekend?”
“We’re refinishing the living room floor.” The electricians have promised me they’ll be done with the wiring by Friday. Which means we can finally sand and varnish the floor. The hole-free floor.
I’m so excited I could burst.
“Who’s we?” he asks, looking wary.
“Zoe and me,” I say. “Though she may be more of a hindrance than a help.”
“What time are you starting?”
Ooh, he’s very abrupt today. “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” I ask him. “Was it the concert? Did you have ringing in your ears last night?”
“Something like that,” he mutters and I have to bite down my smile.
“Thank you for the ride home,” I tell him. “Zoe didn’t stop talking about you this morning. She wanted to know everything about you. I think she likes you as much as she likes Ryker.”
“Yeah, well he liked you.”
“How do you know?” I tip my head to the side.
“Because I had brunch with him. He was asking about you.” He looks grumpy and I hate that I like that. “He wanted to know if you kept your panties on.”
I start to laugh and that makes Linc scowl. “What did you tell him?”
“That the only person you’ll be throwing your panties at is me.” He steps closer to my desk. “So what time do you want me?”
“I’m sorry?” I blink. “Where?”
“At your house on Saturday. I’m coming to help you refinish the floors.” He crosses his arms over his chest, as though he’s waiting for me to protest. He looks like he wants me to. As though he’s a soldier ready for battle.
And I’m the person he’s trying to fight. Or fight for. I can’t tell which.
“Do you know how to use a sander?” I ask him.
He shoots me a withering look. “Of course I know how to use a fucking sander. And how to varnish. I built my own cabin when I was eighteen.”
I blink. I didn’t think this man had the ability to surprise me any more. But there it is.
“You did? Where?”
“At my father’s estate.”
“Your father has an estate?” I repeat, shocked. “Like not just some land but an estate?”
He shrugs. “We’re getting off the subject. What time are you starting on Saturday?”
“I won’t be able to drag Zoe out of bed until ten. But I’ll be getting everything ready before that.”
“Great. I’ll be there at nine. I’ll bring breakfast.”
I run the tip of my tongue over my dry lips, looking at him. “Why?” I ask.
“Why what? Why nine? I can make it earlier. Just give me a time and I’ll be there.”
“Why would you come over and sand my floor?” I ask. “You know nothing can happen.”
“Then or ever?”
His question feels like a little warning shot in my chest.
“Before you answer, know this. I’ll be there on Saturday no matter your answer. I want to help, but more importantly I want to spend time with you. Drama free, boring fucking time.”
My lips curl into a smile.
“I’ll make it so damn dull you’ll have problems keeping your eyes open,” he promises, his eyes warm.
“Just Saturday,” I whisper. “Nothing’s going to happen then.”
“And ever?” he asks, his eyes not leaving mine.
“Let’s just see how bored you can make me.”