Chapter 38 Preparations
Preparations
The faint hum of the printer broke the heavy stillness of Nick’s suite.
He paced the length of the room, the plush carpet cradling his bare feet.
After the morning Zoom call, he’d traded his formal clothes for worn cotton shorts and a faded T-shirt.
He needed to move, to burn off the nervous energy humming beneath his skin.
He still reeled when his thoughts drifted back to Kate’s outburst on the beach, the raw hurt in her voice hitting like a punch.
The salt air had carried her words to him, each one a shard of glass.
He’d wanted to shake her, to make her understand he’d never intentionally hurt her, that Jessica was just an entitled…
bitch. But when tears welled in her golden eyes, vulnerability flickering beneath her confusion, he knew anger wouldn’t work.
She needed to vent, to process the apparent betrayal on her own terms.
God, it had gutted him to watch her walk away, to feel the distance growing with every step, the sand between them stretching like miles.
That scene in the lobby! Fuck, it had been amazing.
She’d been amazing. He’d called up the video the second he had left Kate’s suite, watching it three times in a row.
She’d been magnificent in her fury, eviscerating Jessica with a righteous anger that still thrilled him.
The fierce set of her jaw, the steel in her voice—it had been primal, possessive, and exhilaratingly unexpected. She was so damn extraordinary.
Then, the thought she may have been drugged. Ice slid through his veins. What had they hoped to accomplish? Was it tied to the sabotage, or something else? He glanced at his watch, the second hand crawling with maddening slowness. Hopefully, Zach would hear soon on the tox screen.
Finally, the reprieve: she’d agreed to stay.
Tentative, laced with uncertainty, but a yes nonetheless.
Hope, fragile yet vibrant, bloomed in his chest, warming him from the inside out.
Now more than ever, he wanted to plan a perfect date out, a night to erase every lingering doubt, every whisper of insecurity.
He needed to show her, not just tell her, that she was it, the woman he’d been waiting for, the one who saw beyond the Ivory name and into the heart of the man behind.
He stopped pacing to grab his phone and punched Michael’s number, his thumb pressing hard against the screen. His personal assistant picked up on the second ring.
“Michael, I need your help. I’m planning a date for Kate, and I want it to be… special.”
The word tasted inadequate on his tongue, failing to capture the depth of what he envisioned. He wanted to sweep Kate off her feet, to show her a side of him she hadn’t seen amidst the drama of the past few days. He wanted her to see him, not the Nicholas Ivory the world perceived.
“It needs to be unique, Michael. Something… unforgettable.” He ran a hand through his hair, the strands catching between his fingers. The image of Kate’s hesitant smile seared into his memory, branding itself behind his eyelids. He needed to do this right.
Nick hesitated, rubbing a hand along his jaw, the stubble rough against his palm. “And private, of course.” Privacy was paramount, too. The staff still believed he was away. Also, he didn’t want to share her—didn’t want curious eyes watching them, intruding on something so new, so precious.
“Unforgettable and private, got it. Let’s see…
dinner at a restaurant is out, too public.
The beach cabana is romantic, but lacks…
oomph, and someone could still stumble on you there.
” Michael paused, then his voice took on a thoughtful tone.
“What about the Seabreeze? I can have it prepped and ready to sail by sunset.”
The Seabreeze was their yacht, a sleek, luxurious vessel he rarely used.
It offered privacy, intimacy, and a breathtaking view of the coastline.
The gentle rocking of the waves, the vast expanse of the starlit sky, the scent of ocean spray mingling with Kate’s jasmine perfume—it would be an ideal setting for romance, for building the foundation of something real.
“Perfect. And Michael,” Nick paused, a flicker of vulnerability threading through his voice, making it crack slightly, “it needs to be personal. Kate’s favorite flowers, favorite food… I need to figure all that out. All I know is she loves the smell of jasmine.”
Strange how foreign this was—being so meticulous about a date.
He’d always relied on charm and spontaneity, the easy smile and practiced words which came without effort.
But with Kate, everything was different; the stakes were higher.
She mattered in a way that terrified and thrilled him in equal measure.
He wanted to get it right, to show her how much she mattered.
“I bet David could get me her assistant’s number. She’d know. Get started on the yacht, and I’ll call David.”
“Understood, sir. Leave it to me.” Nick ignored the undertones of amusement in Michael’s voice, so subtle it was almost imperceptible.
He glanced out the window at the brilliant sun glinting over the tranquil waters, diamonds of light dancing across the surface.
He hoped, with a fervency that surprised him and made his chest tighten, this date would be the start of something extraordinary, a chance to shed the weight of his past and embrace a future with Kate by his side.
The thought, usually terrifying enough to send him running, now warmed him like coming home after years in the cold.