Chapter 21
B efore Adam starts the car, I grab his hand. “I’m sorry for my crazy life?—”
He cuts me off. “Don’t apologize. I would never judge your past.” He cups my jaw, staring at me. The sincerity in his eyes right now is more calming than anticipated.
“We all have a past. Mine—the divorce …” He laughs. “It was everywhere for months. I’m sure you’ve read those articles by now?”
I flash an awkward smile. It’s embarrassing how I deep-dived into his life like a full-on FBI agent.
“A million dollars a month. That’s what really stuck out to me.”
“She deserves it,” he says without hesitation, and I can tell he’s being honest about that statement.
“That’s an insane amount of alimony.”
“Yes and no …” He rubs the back of his neck, staring out at the road. “A large liquidity event, giving her half. The alimony. It’s better for me to give her that than sell shares of Harris Ventures. A lump sum would’ve ruined me.”
“Tough life.” I giggle, instantly feeling like an insensitive ass.
“Rich white man problems.” He winks, and I’m relieved he gets my dry humor.
We drive in silence for a few minutes as he plays with my hand.
“The divorce was too public for the Harris Ventures board,” he finally says, breaking the silence.
“That’s why I’m here for the summer. I’m supposed to be lying low for a couple of months. ”
“Punching Sorin the other day wasn’t exactly low profile, but Kelsey and I agreed that he deserved it.”
He smiles and turns on an early 2000s rock playlist. As we drive toward Lake Geneva, his hand rests on my knee, and I sing along to a few of the hooks and choruses.
“I’m surprised you like this music.”
“You know …” I think back to my childhood, the motocross scene, and how this music was basically my anthem. “I haven’t told you one of my fun facts.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I ride motorcycles.”
“No.” He laughs, not believing me
“Yeah. I have a Ducati Monster.” My thoughts wander. Fuck. It’s going to be so weird when I tell Adam about the Bitcoin from Declan. And if Declan ever sees me on the bike, I hope he doesn’t confuse it with the one Sorin got me. This one is all mine. Well, technically, bought with Declan’s money.
“No way,” Adam says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“I got it used. It was cheap. I don’t ride it as much as I should, but yeah, I’ve been riding since I was a little kid,” I ramble.
“Full of surprises.”
“Are your shoes Zegna?” I ask after a long pause.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” he says, glancing over.
“You have no idea if you’re wearing thousand-dollar sneakers?” I squint at him.
“I don’t pay too much attention that stuff. I grab whatever’s in my closet.”
“Well, I like them. Never seen them in the wild before.” He chuckles, and I add, “I spent years in the menswear world, so expect a lot of comments. But so far, so good. I like your effortlessly cool style.”
“You always look nice too. Especially in a black bikini.”
I smile and try to hide how much I love hearing him say that.
As we park on Main Street, we walk hand in hand down the quaint downtown toward La Nonna.
“It feels like I’ve known you longer than a week,” I say, smiling up at him.
“Same.” He squeezes my hand.
“I really appreciate you making introductions for me. It’s exactly what I need right now.”
“Anytime.” He lifts my hand and kisses it. “We do need to talk about Shirts at some point, but not tonight.”
“Deal.” We also need to talk about if you know Declan’s in the mafia.
Adam holds open the door for me, and I step inside.
“Welcome to La Nonna. What name is the reservation under?” the high-school-aged hostess asks.
“Harris,” Adam’s sexy voice replies, his hand resting on my hip.
“Great, follow me.”
I love this restaurant’s low lighting and chic vibe. In a cozy booth, Adam immediately examines the wine list before handing it to me. “I’m only having a glass, but get whatever you want.”
“A glass is perfect.” Self-control—it’s something I’m always working on. It’s nice that Adam is moderate in that way.
“What do you think about Chianti Classico?” he asks, swiping his thumb across my knuckles.
“It’s amazing. I drank so much of it during my study abroad in Rome.”
“Great place. I did mine in London … for the financial connections.”
“So, you’ve always been a finance guy?” My tone is definitely flirty.
“Well, I wasn’t going to be a doctor.” He laughs to himself.
“That sounds loaded.”
“My dad was a surgeon and ended his career as the CEO of the largest hospital group in the suburbs.”
“So, you grew up in the suburbs?”
“Barrington.”
“Barrington.” I laugh smugly. It’s a very affluent northwest suburb of Chicago. “Life must’ve been tough,” I tease.
“I know, poor little rich kid.” He smiles, and I like that he can make fun of himself.
“Good evening, I’m Vicky, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight,” says a middle-aged woman. “What can I get you both to drink?”
“We’ll have two glasses of your favorite Chianti Classico,” Adam says.
“Are you sure you don’t want a bottle?” she asks kindly.
“Two glasses, thanks,” Adam replies, firm but polite.
She leaves us, and he turns to me. “What’s your favorite thing on the menu?”
I shrug. “I’ve only been here once before.”
“Yeah? Wow. I’ve been here more than you.”
“It’s pretty pricey for the area.”
It looks like Adam is pondering that statement while sipping his water.
Vicky returns, placing the wine glasses on the table. “Are we ready to order, or do we need a few more minutes?”
“We’ll start with the burrata,” Adam says, sliding his hand over to mine. “Then we’ll need a few minutes.”
The server’s eyes stare at Adam’s hand on mine. She does a terrible job of hiding her reaction. He could be my dad. Is that what she’s thinking? My dad is only four years older than him. I push the thought away as Adam’s fingers trace mine.
“To living in the moment,” Adam says after we hold flirty eye contact.
“To living in the moment,” I repeat, clinking my glass with his. That’s the mantra. Things might be moving fast, but I’m happy to be living in the moment with this sexy as fuck older man.