Chapter 7
Cat
“This workout kicked my ass, Ava?”
“I know. I wanted to try Bikram yoga, and I thought what better time than now with my girls.”
I haven’t seen Ava in two weeks, but we text each other daily.
Yesterday she called me and told me to clear my schedule for the day, because we—the two of us plus two of our friends—were going to try a Bikram yoga class.
Chloe is a fashion designer, but until her designs take off, she’s a personal shopper for a big department store in the city.
Isabelle is a stay-at-home mom. Her son Conner is nine months old, and her husband, Kevin, graduated from an Ivy League college. He’s a financial planner.
“I haven’t seen you guys in such a long time, I missed you.”
“Why didn’t you call us sooner, chick, to let us know you were back in town for good?” Chloe says, leaning back in her chair, drinking her bottle of water.
“It was sort of a snap decision on my part, deciding to come back. I was going to call when I was settled in. I know how busy you guys are, you with your fashion designs and work, and Isabelle with Conner, a husband, and a new home. How’s Conner?”
“He’s doing great. I think I have the best-behaved baby in the world. He’s so cute! I could just eat him up, and I know a lot of mothers say this, but I think he’s going to be a genius.”
Chloe stops chewing and rolls her eyes. “Are you serious, Isabelle? You sound like every other woman that’s given birth, and they all sound freaking ridiculous.”
My eyes shift between Chloe and Isabelle as they speak.
I always thought Chloe was pretty—or exotic, as most guys say when they see a girl and they don’t know exactly what race she is.
Exotic with her slanted eyes and glossy, pin straight hair.
It’s a good mix with her brown skin. Isabelle is fair-skinned with curly blonde hair.
She used to live in L.A. and came east to go to college.
They’re total opposites, but somehow they’re friends.
Isabelle is an optimist and Chloe…isn’t.
That’s the only way I can describe Chloe.
“I do not. I know my child. He’s doing things most babies his age can’t do yet.”
“What is he doing, pooping and sucking his toes at the same time?”
“When you have kids, Chloe, you’ll understand.” Isabelle brushes her curly blond hair out of her face.
“That’s why I’m not going to have kids for a long time.
They turn your brains to mush. Your whole life has to revolve around them.
I don’t have time for that. I have to keep my manicure, pedicure, hair, and the most important one, my body, tight.
Can’t do that with a kid hanging off your breast. Laws of gravity, you know. ”
Ava raises her hand in agreement with Chloe, and Isabelle narrows her eyes at them. “Girl, I agree with you on some of what you said.”
Isabelle and I give her the really-you’re-agreeing-with-Chloe look.
“Let me clarify—I do not want to have kids until after I’m married because I don’t care what people say, your body does change. I need the body I have right now to be stretch mark free and perky. Don’t give me that look, Isabelle, you know your body has changed since you’ve had your baby genius.”
“My body has changed a little, but I’m still me, and Kevin loves my post-baby body because he loves me, and that’s all that matters. If a guy is really into you, he won’t care about what’s on the outside, he’ll want to get to know what’s on the inside first.”
We all look at each other and laugh and speak at the same time.
“Right!”
“We all know most guys are visual. If they like what they see, they’ll eventually find out what you have going on upstairs, if you keep your legs closed long enough for them to find out,” Isabelle says.
Chloe looks at Isabelle, combing her fingers through her short, black hair that has a streak of blue framing her face.
“That’s not what you told me when you hooked up with Kevin at a frat party the first time you met.
He really got to know your insides first, while you were bent over the bathroom sink. ”
Isabelle’s face turns beet red. “Chloe, I told you that in secret, big mouth.”
“Who here hasn’t hooked up and had a one-nighter in college? At least you married yours and you’re happy,” Chloe says, looking around the table at us.
Everyone here except for me. Couldn’t bring myself to do a one-night stand, that’s just not me. I came close with one or two guys, but I couldn’t.
Tapping her fingers on the table, Chloe whispers, “Ohmigod, don’t look, there is a hottie looking over here.”
“Where?” Isabelle says, looking in the direction of the guy by the door.
Chloe cringes. “I said don’t look. I think he’s walking over here to our table. If I wasn’t in love with my husband—”
“Well, I sure as hell don’t have a husband. I’m willing and able to fulfill all his fantasies. He is smoking hot!”
“You’re acting like you’ve never seen a man before.
” I turn to see the smoking hot man, and I can’t believe my eyes.
Ava. I know she has something to do with him showing up here.
She picks up her glass of water to take a sip and I mouth to her, “I’m going to kill you.
” My back is turned to him, and I feel him walk up behind my chair.
I can see Isabelle and Chloe practically drinking him in from head to toe.
I hear his deep rich voice roll over me and my body tenses with nervous energy.
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
That’s all Chloe needs. She springs to her feet and leans over the table so he can get a look at all her perkiness. I can barely keep my eyes from rolling back in my head; she has no shame when it comes to men. I want to yank her back down in her chair and zip her sweatshirt up under her chin.
“Hello, my name is Chloe, is there something we can do for you?”
“Hello, Chloe. The gorgeous young lady you’re sitting next to is my cousin.”
She smiles, sits down in her chair and turns to Ava. “Ava, why didn’t you tell me you had a cousin this handsome?”
I don’t need to turn around to know Nick is smiling at Chloe.
I can hear it in his voice. Ava gets up from the table and puts her hand around Nick’s arm.
Looking at Chloe, she brings him over to stand between me and her.
Damn, they are right; he looks really good in his suit and tie.
A designer suit, tailor-made for his body.
On another man it would look good, but on Nick it looks downright sinful.
“You have enough handsome men already swirling around you. I don’t think you need another one, Chloe.”
“You can’t have too many of those. I’m starting to see that quality is better than quantity.”
“Hmmm, I’m sure you are.” Ava presses her lips together, bats her eyelashes at Chloe, and flips her hair over her shoulder. “Nick, you can take my seat on this side next to Cat, and I’ll sit next to Chloe.”
Nick gives Chloe a dazzling smile before he sits down. Ava takes a chair from the next table and forces it between Chloe and Nick, and that’s when Isabelle stops staring and introduces herself.
“Hi, I’m Isabelle.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Isabelle, I’m Nicholas, but you can call me Nick.”
Looking at Nick and Ava side by side would make anyone feel like they are lacking in the looks department.
“What an amazing coincidence that of all the restaurants in Manhattan, you just happen to come into the same restaurant we’re at,” I say, looking at Ava.
Coincidence my ass; this has Ava written all over it.
God, when he smiles at me like that it drives me crazy, especially when I want to give him and his cousin a piece of my mind.
“It’s not a coincidence at all, Catherine.”
“Catherine?” The only time he calls me by my full name is if he’s introducing me to someone I don’t know.
“That is your name, right? When I spoke to Ava she said she was going to be with three friends, and one of them, if I’m not mistaken, is named Catherine.”
Oh, he wants to play?
“Nick, are you going to join us for lunch?” Chloe asks.
“Unfortunately, I can’t. I have to get back to work. I only have time to grab something to go.”
Isabelle rests her arms on the table and twirls a lock of her blonde hair around her finger. “Where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Leaning back in his chair like he doesn’t have a care in the world, he gives her his full attention.
I can see Isabelle is caught off guard, looking directly into his unusual, gray-blue eyes.
I know how she feels; those eyes have had the same effect on me for years.
All he had to do was look at me, and I would give him anything.
Poor Isabelle is blushing from his full attention.
“I don’t mind at all. I’m a lawyer on the upper east side.”
“You must really like the food here; it would take you at least forty-five minutes to get here.”
“When I find something I like, it doesn’t matter how far I have to go to get to it. I’m a man who knows what he wants and what he likes. If I can’t get it to come to me, I’m going to go get it.”
With that he turns his head and looks directly at me—and so does everyone else. He is not subtle at all. I’ve been ignoring his calls. After Kate and I had the talk about Ava, I didn’t feel like talking to him. I didn’t even tell Ava about it yet.
“If you’re this passionate about your food, you must be equally, if not more, passionate about everything else you do,” Chloe says, pulling her hair behind her ears.
Here she goes. She’s my girl, and I know if I needed her, she would be right by my side, but damn, back off, you have plenty of men to pick and choose from. This one’s taken.
“Yes, without a doubt. I’m passionate in everything I do. I like to be satisfied, and I aim to satisfy.” He looks at Chloe, putting one strong capable hand on the table.