CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CLARA
CLARA
Tuesday evening rolled around. I dropped Mia off at Zoey’s for a sleepover before returning to my apartment to stress over the newest dresses that Nash had sent in sleek garment bags.
This was a ritual I was coming to appreciate.
He’d sent three dresses in varying shades of green in what he said was a “garden casual” style.
I didn’t even know that style existed, but he knew far better than I did.
I chose the mint green linen off-the-shoulder dress that felt both springlike and sophisticated.
When my phone buzzed with a text from Nash that he was about to arrive, I felt beautiful, put-together, and ready for another evening of being Nash’s girlfriend.
He beat me to my front door before I could hurry out to meet him.
When I pulled the door open, electricity cracked through the air. Nash wore a navy blazer with khaki pants and brown loafers. He looked so handsome that my breath caught in my throat. His gaze swept over me, leaving pinpricks in its wake.
“Jesus, Clara.” His voice was an appreciative growl. “You’re going to kill me in this dress.”
His words echoed through me. I’d never felt more beautiful. And that’s when I realized there was nobody else here.
He’d said those words for me. Only me.
“Isn’t that the plan?” I tried to sound lighthearted, but the way he was watching me was anything but light. “Well, that and bid on some plants.”
He held out his hand, absolutely devouring me with his heated gaze. “You picked the right dress.”
“I thought this would be your favorite,” I said with a laugh as I let him lead me out to the waiting car. “Though it was hard to choose.”
The drive to the Botanical Garden passed quickly, only because Nash insisted on having me within reach. He couldn’t keep his hands off me—his palm on my thigh, his thumb tracing lazy circles that made my core clench, his fingers lacing through mine whenever we slowed for a stoplight.
It was dizzying. And so delicious.
The New York Botanical Garden was a thing of wonder.
I’d been only once in my life, back in high school, but still thought about it nearly daily from the sheer splendor of plant life it contained.
The plant sale was held outside the domed conservatory in the terraced, well-tended gardens.
The lush space had been transformed for the early evening event—twinkling lights strung across the walkways, tall tables set up with pink drapes for enjoying refreshments, and thousands of plants on display, ready to be purchased.
“This is a dream,” I whispered as we walked through the arched entrance, my arm laced through his. I didn’t even know where to look first. “Look at all these plants.”
“I thought you’d like this.”
“Oh my God. Look at those rhododendrons.”
“The what?”
“These.” I paused, gasping at the showy peach blossoms springing out of rows of large plastic pots. “I’ve never seen this color before.”
“We’ll buy it,” he said.
“What?” I screeched, pressing a hand to my cheek. “I don’t have anywhere to put it.”
“We’ll find a place.” He signaled for a staff member, who he instructed to add the plant to our tab. I gasped again as the staff member carried it away. “There. Now it’s yours.”
My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to find the appropriate response. “Just like that?”
A small smile played at his perfect lips. “Just like that.”
We wandered around the garden grounds, Nash scooping up any plant I expressed the faintest interest in.
As we admired a stunning display of native plants and listened to a groundskeeper talk about pollinators, Nash pulled out his phone to address something.
While I listened to the information about the necessity of different types of bees, I noticed Nash stiffen.
His jaw tightened as he read, and I could tell something serious had shifted for him.
He was glued to his phone, scowling, for so long that I had to say something.
“Is everything okay?”
He jolted, as though coming back to earth. He slid his phone into his pocket. “Yeah. Just fine.”
But his voice was devoid of emotion. His usual spark was missing, and it worried me.
I pulled him away from the presentation, heading for the nearest empty table. When we were side by side at the pink-topped table, I leaned against him. “What’s wrong?”
He looked tired as he shook his head. “It’s just work stuff. I don’t want to bore you.”
“Bore me? I’m not some capricious teenager here. I can withstand some work drama.”
A smile hinted at his lips. “I don’t think you’re capricious. It’s just complicated and…I don’t know if it’s worth getting into it all.”
I nodded, running my finger over invisible patterns on the table cover.
“Okay. You don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine.
” I paused, slowly dragging my gaze up to find his.
“But I want you to know, I’m here if you ever need an ear.
Or an extra perspective. I can tell it’s bothering you.
And sometimes things are shouldered more easily together. ”
Nash held my gaze, but it was like he was seeing straight into my heart. The connection was so intense I wanted to look away.
“Besides, your girlfriend can help with things, you know,” I added with a wink.
A real smile blossomed on his lips. The kind that roused the butterflies in my belly.
“How do you do this?” he asked in a low voice while his thumb went back and forth over my knuckles.
“Do what?”
“Make me feel like I can breathe again.”
My heart squeezed. Did he realize what a high compliment that was? “Well, I…I don’t know, honestly. Isn’t that what partners do?”
“Yeah.” His throat bobbed, and after a pause, he added, “Archer and I have been struggling with a permit revocation. It’s for one of our biggest projects of the year. The city granted it to us…then they took it away.”
“That’s not typical,” I mused.
“Exactly. I’ve been in contact with the planning department, and they’re sending me running in circles.
I just got another email that rejected our newest application for the project.
They’re fucking ruining this project, and I can’t figure out why.
The city wants this project, too. It’s a benefit for the upper class, for a change, and they’re still squashing it. ”
He rubbed his forehead, and I could feel the weight of his worry.
“What’s the rejection based on?” I asked.
Nash let out a bitter laugh. "Environmental impact concerns. Which is ironic because we've already completed the environmental assessment, and it passed with flying colors.”
"That doesn't make sense. If you've already done the assessment—"
"Exactly. Nothing about this makes sense. It’s a fucking puzzle, and I’ve lost half the pieces.”
Silence settled between us again as I thought back to my brief time in the city planning department. Even four years ago, Nash had been a thorn in their side. I’d known him by name and reputation only, until that single night.
“I remember what my manager at the planning department said about you,” I blurted as the memory returned to me. Nash’s electric gaze slid my way. “He talked about how he had to leave certain applications of yours on his desk. Kick them around until a certain amount of time had gone by.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to recall all the names and players from that time of my life.
It wasn’t that long ago, but my life had veered hard in a different direction since then.
“I can’t remember who it was exactly. But there was somebody running for reelection, and he’d made a deal with my boss that your application wouldn’t go through until after the election results were in. ”
Nash’s eyes widened. “Who was it?”
“I can’t remember anymore. I’m sorry. But my point is, maybe there’s someone else behind all this.”
Nash smirked. “I can think of one guy for sure. But I don’t know why Sebastian Cross would give a shit about the Gideon project.”
I gulped. All of this had been about the Gideon project?
I felt like Zoey witnessing Cora Margulis up close for the first time.
She’d been fangirling, clutching my forearm for a full twenty minutes after Cora walked in.
I hadn’t realized that Zoey had been such a secret fan of Cora’s, but I was glad my connections could help Zoey meet a celebrity or two.
And now Nash, my staged boyfriend, was dropping phrases like the Gideon project oh-so-casually, because of course he would be involved with one of the most recognized hotel brands in the entire country.
“You’re developing a hotel for Gideon?” I practically squeaked.
“Yeah. At least I was. Now they’ll probably sue me and drop the contract.” He rubbed his face. “Maybe Archer is right. Maybe this is Sebastian Cross swinging his dick because he didn’t get the deal.”
“It could be. But you know what I always heard my boss talking about?” I tried hard to collect the fragments of memory from my time in the planning office.
I’d been on the lower rungs, but I saw the most prestigious and powerful deals unfold.
Including the barricades that prevented other deals. “Proving it.”
“Proving what?”
“Whatever it is the developers had an issue with,” I said.
“I remember one project that came through. He made a huge ruckus about it because the developer was insistent on a clear paper trail for every last detail. Obviously that office has a paper trail built into the procedures, but this was way beyond that. The developer was even citing evidence that standards were being applied inconsistently.”
Nash nodded; I could see the gears working in his intense gaze. “Go on.”