Chapter 26
Claire
I was sitting in my office reviewing some reports when my phone rang. Glancing at it, I saw Jenni was calling.
“Hi, Jen.”
“Do you have any plans tonight?” she asked.
“Not that I can think of.”
“Good. The girls and I want to get together tonight at the brewhouse for a couple of drinks. No guys and no kids. Can you meet us?”
“Sounds fun. What time?”
“We’re meeting at six o’clock in the bar area.”
“I’ll see you all there at six.”
“Great. It’s going to be a fun night. See you later.”
I arrived at the brewhouse five minutes early. Looking around, I didn’t see the girls, so I sat at the bar.
“Evening, Claire. Scotch?” John, the bartender, asked.
“Yeah.” I smiled.
He set the glass in front of me, poured some scotch, and smiled.
“Enjoy.”
“Always.” I picked up my glass.
Glancing at my watch, it was six fifteen. As I pulled my phone from my purse to text Jenni, I heard a voice next to me.
“I’ll have what the beautiful woman is having.”
With a slight turn of my head, I saw Nick sitting on the stool beside me. Our eyes locked.
“Hi. I’m Dr. Nick Russo.” He extended his hand.
I stared at him momentarily in confusion.
“Hi. I’m Claire Monet.” I lightly placed my hand in his, and my body trembled.
“It’s nice to meet you, Claire.” A handsome smile crossed his lips. “I see your glass is empty. Would you mind if I bought you another drink?”
“Not at all.”
“John, pour Claire another scotch. Put both of her drinks on my tab.”
“Nick, what is going?—”
“Shh.” He raised his finger and placed it over my lips. “So, Claire Monet, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”
A smile crossed my lips as I stared at him.
“Well, I moved here not too long ago from Connecticut. I have five brothers and a little sister. I live in Venice with one of my brothers while my new home is being renovated. I work as a finance manager at Sterling Capital, which one of my brothers owns. How about you? You say you’re a doctor?”
“I am. I work in the emergency room over at Cedars. I moved here myself not too long ago from Seattle.” He tipped the glass to his lips.
“Nick, I—” I looked down.
He placed his finger under my chin and raised it so our eyes locked on each other.
“I know. We should talk. I think my place would be more private.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“I think that’s a good idea.” I smiled.
We finished our drinks. Nick pulled out his wallet and threw some cash on the bar.
“Sebastian wanted me to tell you that your drinks are on the house tonight.” The bartender smiled as he picked up the cash and handed it back to Nick.
“That’s nice, but I want to pay,” Nick said.
I placed my hand on his arm. “Did I mention that one of my brothers owns this place?”
“Well, in that case.” He smirked as he put the cash back inside his wallet. “Let’s get out of here.”
My belly was in knots as I followed him back to his apartment. The girls never showed up, and I knew this was a setup. We stepped inside his apartment, and I set my purse down. Nick took hold of my hand and led me to the couch.
“Talk to me,” he said. “I’m listening.” His thumb softly rubbed my hand.
“I have a lot of issues when it comes to men. I was in love with this guy named Steve, and I really thought he loved me, too. I was devastated when he broke up with me. After isolating myself in my room for a week, I made the decision never to let a man hurt me like that again. I was safe as long as I stayed in control of the situation. My mom told me that men only say things to get what they want. I didn’t understand what she meant at the time, but now, I knew she was talking about Henry. So, I always stayed in control by having casual sex and not letting any man get close to me. But then I met you, and it was just so easy to let you in. I should have talked to you about my brothers and cousins, but so much was happening in my life. I had feelings for you, and it scared me. I knew if I told you everything, that meant I’d let you into my life fully, and I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for that. I was scared of getting hurt again. But I knew I had to tell you and planned on it that night because as scared as I was, I wanted to let you in because I’d fallen for you. And as hard as I tried to fight those feelings, I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”
“I know you are. I’m sorry for not allowing you to explain everything to me. It’s just after what happened with my ex, my defenses immediately went up. I didn’t move to Los Angeles hoping to meet someone. I wanted nothing to do with women or relationships. But then I saw you sitting at the bar at the brewhouse and instantly knew I had to get to know you better.” A soft smile crossed his lips. “I never stopped loving you, Claire Monet. That’s why I had Jenni set up that little meeting at the brewhouse. I want to start over. That’s if you want the same thing.”
“I would love to start over.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him, holding me tight.
“I love you, Claire.” He whispered in my ear.
“I love you too, Nick.” My lips pressed against the side of his neck.
He broke our embrace and held my face in his hands with a smile. “No more secrets, okay?”
“No more secrets.” I smiled as his lips brushed against mine.
“And just for the record,” he broke our kiss, “I will never hurt you.”
“I’ll never hurt you either.” I smiled. “I think I’ve already hurt you enough for a lifetime.”
“Let’s take this into the bedroom. I have a nice, comfy bed that misses you.”
“I miss your comfy bed too.”
He stood up, grabbed my hand, and led me to the bedroom.