Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
NATE
N ate shot his father a glance, trying not to betray the emotions bubbling under his surface. He lifted his water glass to his lips, letting his father take the lead.
“Well, I can’t promise this deal will be on the table tomorrow, but if it is when you answer us tomorrow, we’ll get the papers started,” Charles said as he rose and buttoned his jacket.
The man across from him snorted a laugh. “You’re trying the hard sell, but I’m a seasoned businessman. I know how these things go. I think I have some time here.”
“You can think what you’d like, Conrad. We’ll see where we stand tomorrow. Don’t be surprised if someone beats you to the punch.”
Nate rose as the other man did, extending his hand. “Conrad, nice to see you again. ”
“You’ve got a good pitch, Nate. It’s good to see you back on top.”
“We all knew it wouldn’t be long.” Charles clapped Nate on the shoulder. “My boy is a chip off the old block.”
Conrad shifted his gaze between the two of them before he bobbed his head. “I’ll have my legal team contact yours to get this paperwork started. Congratulations.”
They shook on it before the man strode away.
Charles offered Nate a proud grin. “You did it, son.”
“With your help, Dad.”
“No,” he said with a wag of his finger, “you did this. I just opened a door. This is your baby. Your project. Great work. You’re truly a Kingsley.”
He grinned at his father.
“You heading back to the office?” Charles asked.
“Yeah. I’m just going to make a call. I’ll be right behind you.”
“I’m heading home. Your mother’s in a tizzy about this event this evening. You know how she gets just before one of these benefits. She wants everything to be perfect.”
He chuckled. “Good luck with that. I’ll see you tonight.”
“We’ll celebrate.” His father clapped him on the back.
He slid his phone from his pocket. He desperately wanted to share his win with Ellie. He stared at the dark display, realizing he couldn’t tell her all the details. Maybe he could just say he’d had a great day at work.
He slid his phone into his pocket, his mind a whirlwind. How could he share his victory without revealing too much? The words danced at the edge of his thoughts, each one a double-edged sword threatening to cut the delicate fabric of their connection.
He grabbed his briefcase, the leather cool under his grip, and stepped from the dimly lit restaurant into the hotel lobby. The opulence enveloped him, from the polished wood to the scent of the fresh lilies, a stark contrast to the raw emotions he juggled.
His heart skipped a beat as he stared at the woman standing in front of him. Her eyes went wide as she spotted him. “Nathan!”
“Ellie!” he said as he closed the gap between them. “What are you doing here?”
She shot a glance over her shoulder before she twisted back to face him. “Oh, uh, client meeting. Rather fussy client. You?”
“Dropping something off for someone.” He lifted his briefcase.
“I see,” she said as she shifted her weight. “Well, perhaps I can walk you to the office.”
“I’d like that,” he said as he crossed to the door and held it open for her. “I’m really…unhappy that I’m not getting to see you tonight."
“Good thing you’re seeing me now then.”
“Yes, it is,” he said as they stepped into the sunshine.
“And how is your day going?”
“For once, the universe decided to throw me a bone. My days usually swing between barely tolerable and why do I bother? But today…it’s like a glimpse of sunlight in a perpetual storm. A great day, indeed.”
“Wonderful. What has made it great?”
He sucked in a breath as he choose his words carefully. “Uh, really good news at work.”
“Oh?” She arched her eyebrows, silently prodding him to continue.
“I…got really great feedback from my boss. He’s very pleased with my performance. Maybe even impressed.”
“Nathan,” she said with a grin, “that’s amazing. Congratulations! I’m so proud of you.”
“Yeah? I mean, I’m not getting a promotion or a raise or anything…”
“Who cares? You are doing amazing work at your job. And someone is noticing. That’s an excellent accomplishment.”
He slid his arm around her shoulders. “Thank you.”
“Money isn’t everything, Nathan. The accomplishments are most important. Challenging yourself and succeeding.”
They arrived at GenoTech. He stared up at the skyscraper. “Well, this is me.”
“Go get ‘em, Tiger,” she said with a grin before she kissed him, then wiped her lipstick away.
“See you tomorrow?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the fair.”
“Me too.”
“Have a lovely time at your event tonight.”
After another kiss, they parted ways. He watched her walk away before he pushed inside. Despite his elation at seeing her, a weight settled on his shoulders as he took a seat behind his desk.
After his encounter with Ellie and her overwhelming support, a new worry twisted his gut. He was in love with her, but she didn’t even know his real name. He sank his head into his hands. How would he tell her? What would be her reaction?
The thought taunted him throughout his afternoon, making concentrating on work difficult. By the time he clicked off his monitor, he’d managed to only complete half of the work on his to-do list.
The text message he received from Ellie as he walked through the front door at home only brought a fleeting smile to his face. He climbed the stairs, a somberness filling his chest.
It hadn’t lifted by the time he arrived at the party. His so- called work event was actually a charity gala. He forced a smile onto his face as he glad-handed the upper crust of Sterling City.
As the festivities rolled on around him, he grabbed a seltzer and parked himself at a large window overlooking the city. Lights blanketed the landscape in front of him like diamonds on black velvet.
“You have that faraway look again.”
He twisted to face his mother as she offered him a concerned smile. “I’m okay. I’m not drinking.”
“I didn’t say you were, but…”
“But you wanted to know because of what Stephen said this morning.”
She glanced down at the champagne flute in her hand. “Your behavior has been…concerning. You’re rarely home. You’ve been secretive.”
Nate slid his eyes closed as his mother’s hand wrapped around his arm. “Nate, we’re not accusing you of anything. We’re just concerned, that’s all.”
“It’s not what you think,” he answered.
“Dad says your project is going well. Are you logging some extra hours at the company?”
“No,” he said, flicking his gaze over the city’s landscape again. “Actually, it is something I want to talk about now that I’m ready.”
Victoria flicked her eyebrows up and nodded. “Of course.”
“I…I’ve been seeing someone.” He flicked his gaze to her features to gauge her reaction. They remained neutral.
“I like her a lot. More than a lot.”
“Well, I would love to meet her,” his mother answered.
“And I would love for you to meet her. After what happened with…” He puckered his lips, st aring into the seltzer in his glass as his lips refused to form her name. “I’d love for you to tell me what you think of her.”
“We should invite her to dinner.”
“Uh, well, that’s going to be a problem because I…have managed to screw up yet again.” He licked his lips as he shook his head at himself. “And I don’t know how to fix it or if it’s even fixable.”
Victoria’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Nate drew in a deep, shaky breath, each inhalation like drawing a bowstring tight. “The thing is,” he began, his voice low, “I couldn’t bear the idea of repeating my history with Chloe. So, I…tried to protect myself.”
“Of course, you did. It’s natural to be cautious.”
“Yeah, well, I took caution to an entirely new level.” He raised his gaze to his mother’s. “I lied to her about who I was. Told her my name was Nate Parker, and that I was just a lab assistant at GenoTech.”
Victoria fluttered her eyelashes as a soft half-laugh escaped her. “Nate…”
“I know. I know, I just…thought if she thought there was no money involved…you know, I could tell if she liked me for me.”
“And?”
“And she doesn’t seem to care about any of that stuff. She happily went for hot dogs in the park, and pizza with Maddie–“
“With Maddie?” she questioned.
“Yeah, the night you sent her with me.”
His mother tilted her head back, a knowing expression crossing her features. “Oh. You were going on a date, and we sent your sister with you.”
He lifted his shoulders, an amused grin on his features. “Ellie didn’t mind. She hit it off with Maddie. I think they’ve been texting for weeks, actually. She was very nice about it. And she was very nice about other things, too.”
“Other things?”
“I told her about the drinking. She was very supportive.”
“Nate, that’s wonderful,” Victoria said. “I’m glad you found someone you can be open with.”
“Except my name. I need to tell her. I can’t keep lying to her.”
“Why don’t you bring her by the house, and we can explain–”
“No,” Nate answered with a shake of his head. “No, I…need to tell her myself. I just…I don’t know how she’s going to take it. How would you take it?”
Victoria flicked her eyebrows up, licking her lips. “Well, your father never lied to me about who he was, but…he didn’t have the money we have now. I don’t know. I imagine if you explain, maybe she’ll understand. Though, she may be upset at first.”
He shifted his weight. “That’s my fear.”
Victoria offered him a consoling smile as she squeezed his arm. “Would it help if we were close by when you did it? If she takes it badly, I just…don’t want you to take it badly.”
“You mean you don’t want me to drink.”
“I don’t want you hurting,” Victoria corrected. “And this is a tricky situation. I don’t know enough about her to know how she’s going to react. But I do know if she takes it badly, I want to be there for you.”
He pinched his eyebrows together with a nod. “I’m going to the fair with her tomorrow. I need to tell her. It’s time. I can’t keep hiding behind a facade, especially not with these feelings. They’re too strong, too real.”
“Maddie’s been bugging about going to it. We’ll take her tomorrow.”
He mustered a smile, a fragile thing that spoke of both his gratitude and fear in equal measure. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Nate, honey, if this doesn’t work out…then it wasn’t meant to work out. It has nothing to do with you.”
His smile faded as his features pinched. He’d love to believe that, but if this didn’t work out, he’d be devastated.
Ellie was like no one he’d ever met. If his lie the first day they’d met cost him his relationship, he’d spend the rest of his life regretting it. He only hoped he wouldn’t spend the rest of his life drowning himself in a bottle.