16. Travis
“Are you hungry?” I ask after she was finished shopping.
“You cook?”
I laugh and get up to pull out the mountain of takeout menus from a drawer. “I dial.”
“Good. I would hate to think you were too perfect.”
“Perfect?” I quip with a grin.
“Yes. Hot body. Amazing in the sack. You seem somewhat competent. I would hate to know you cooked as well.”
“Why?”
“Because then you would be the total package,” she says with a laugh.
“Why would that be bad?
“Because…it would be hard to resist you.”
I can’t help but walk over to her and remind her of exactly what she was trying to resist. I lean down and plant a kiss on her that curls her toes. When I pull back, I can see the desire in her eyes. “Baby, you haven’t been able to resist me since the minute you laid eyes on me.”
She shoves at me, laughing and shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I believe it’s the other way around.”
“How about pizza?”
“Pizza works. Thin crust.”
“That’s not pizza,” I mutter as I dial the number. ”The blasphemy,” I shake my head while working my way through the automated menu. ”Thin crust pizza is just a glorified cracker with toppings.”
She rolls her eyes at me, her gaze lighting up with mischief. ”And deep dish isn”t just tomato soup, topped with cheese in a bread bowl?”
Now I”m the one laughing. ”Touché.”
Thirty minutes later, we’re at the table with a hot, deep-dish pepperoni. Paige dug around in my kitchen cabinets and found plates.
Paige insists on using a fork, and I can”t help but roll my eyes at her prissy behavior. “Want another beer?” I ask as I get one for myself.
“No, thanks.”
I take a long swig to wash down the pizza, trying to ignore the way she”s getting under my skin. I can”t deny that there”s something about her that”s incredibly attractive to me, despite her uptight demeanor. Maybe it”s the way she holds herself, with a fierce determination, that I can”t help but admire. Or maybe it”s the fire in her eyes, the way she refuses to back down from a challenge. She is exactly the kind of woman I would normally never be interested in.
“This is exactly really good pizza,” she smiles.
“The best in the Seattle area. Not as good as what you’ll get in Chicago. But we”ll have to make do for now.”
We sit in comfortable silence, quietly enjoying the pizza and each other”s company. It”s a strange feeling, this calm between us, as if we”ve known each other for longer than just a few days. But it feels right, like a piece of a puzzle finally finding its place.
”I”ve never been to Chicago,” Paige says wistfully. ”Always wanted to try their deep-dish. But I grew up in New York and some would argue that’s the better pizza.”
I look at her, watching her. ”Maybe we can go one day. You can get your real deep-dish fix.”
She laughs at that. “I flew to get home, but I’m not sure I’m going to be jumping on any airplanes anytime soon.”
“You did fine on the way here,” I remind her.
“Because I was beyond exhausted and passed out,” she laughs.
“Alright, I get it. Me being the total package and all, you’re afraid you’re going to fall for me if you keep spending time with me.”
“You’re obnoxious. And cocky.”
“I know,” I wink.
“And borderline insane if you think I’m going to fall for you.”
I laugh at her blunt remark, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms over my chest. ”Well, Paige, it might be crazy, but you know what they say about crazy people - we have the most fun.”
She sets her fork down on her plate and gives me a long, thoughtful look. There is something so genuine about her; she’s not afraid to speak her mind and challenge me. She challenges everyone. I watch as her eyes scan the room. It’s a strange feeling to have someone new in your home. It’s like they are getting a peek inside your soul.
She catches sight of a picture of me and my sister on the wall. I show no reaction, but inside, I’m cringing. I know the question is coming. ”Is that your ex-wife?” she asks.
I shake my head, a pang of sadness washing over me at the memory of my sister. ”No, that”s my sister,” I tell her.
“Your sister?” She stares at the picture a bit longer before looking at me.
“Yes.”
“Does she live around here?”
“She doesn’t live anywhere anymore,” I reply.
Her widen. “Oh. I’m sorry. Was it recent?”
It”s not something I like to talk about, but with Paige, it feels strangely easy to open up. “Three years ago.”
“How old was she?”
“Thirty,” I reply.
“Oh, my goodness. So young. Can I ask what happened?”
Few people knew about my sister. Some knew but no one actually talked about it because I made it clear it was not something I ever wanted to discuss. “She was hit by a drunk driver on her way home from work.”
“What did she do?” Paige asks. It wasn’t the usual question. Usually, it was immediately followed by another sorry or something like that. Paige was asking about Natalie. It was strange to talk about her. Our parents were long gone. We had no other family member. No one to remember her except me.
“She was a nurse at the hospital downtown. She worked the overnight shift. She was on her way home at seven o’clock in the morning and some dude was going the wrong way on the freeway. He killed her and seriously injured a couple of other people.”
“That’s awful!” she gasped. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“Were you two close?”
My eyes drift back to the last picture of us I had. “Yes,” I nod. “Our parents died a while ago. It was just the two of us. I was in New York when it happened. I was flying commercial back then. It was strange, because I knew she was gone, but I wanted to get home. All flights were grounded because there was one hell of a snowstorm. It felt like I was leaving her alone. It took me about twelve hours after I got the call. Those twelve hours were brutal.”
She slowly nods as I talk. “I can’t imagine. That had to be so hard. Maddening. I don’t know you all that well, but I know you’re a man that likes to be in control.”
I shake my head. ”It was. It still is. I went into a bit of a downward spiral after that. I hardly left my apartment for a year. I quit or got fired, depending on who you ask. It was a rough time. I finally pulled myself together and used my severance and the settlement from my sister’s accident to help buy that jet.”
Paige reaches out and puts her hand on mine. ”I”m sorry for your loss.”
I took a deep breath, exhaling and ridding myself of the darkness that always clung to me when I thought about my sister. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry about the plane,” she says with a grimace. “Will your insurance cover the replacement?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I shrug. “My investor is dealing with all of that. I still need to go in for an interview, but it can wait.”
“Because we’re both supposed to be dead?”
I nod. “For the most part. No one is going to be looking for me. What about you? What about your family? Do you need to call them?”
She lets out a long sigh. “Yes, but I doubt they’re really all that worked up about my potential death.”
“That can’t be true.”
“They’re probably sad, but they aren’t devastated.”
“You’re not close,” I surmise.
“Definitely not,” she laughs.
“Tell me,” I say, leaning forward. “Tell me who you are. Where do you come from?”
“New York,” she replies. “I am what you assumed me to be. I come from a rich and powerful family the vacation with former presidents of the United States. They know everyone who’s someone. My parents started a law firm fresh out of college. It’s one of the biggest firms in New York with offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami. They are both judges now. My dad has his sights set on the Supreme Court. My brother is one of the best criminal defense attorneys at the firm my parents passed on to him.”
“Damn, you’re a whole family of legal eagles.”
She smiles. “Yes. There wasn’t really a choice.”
“You didn’t want to be a lawyer?”
She shakes her head. ”Yes, but no. I mean, don”t get me wrong, the talent is in the family. But I couldn”t stand the thought of living in that world. Criminal defense is not for me.”
“Were you groomed to be one of the partners in the family firm?”
“Oh yes,” she smiles. “When I told them no thank you, it was not a happy day. I knew I couldn’t live in their shadows. So, I started applying for jobs all over the country. I got this one and never looked back. We don’t talk much. I know that sounds terrible, but we are not a normal family. My parents, well, I don’t know if they really love me.”
“That can’t be true,” he quickly says. ”
“I’m sure they love me, but if they had to choose, they’re not going to be like ‘oh we love each of you equally’, they are going to choose my brother. It wouldn’t even be a contest.”
“Paige, I’m sure they just have a weird way of showing it.”
She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. ”Look, I don”t want to make it sound like they don”t care about me, because I know they do. But their love is conditional. They love me because I”m their daughter, but they love my brother because he”s an extension of themselves. He”s the one who followed in their footsteps, who became the lawyer they used to be, if not even better than both of them. I”m just the black sheep.”
I nod, understanding the pain behind her words. ”It”s not your fault, Paige. Your parents are the ones who have the problem.”
I”m surprised to learn that she”s never really formed relationships. I can”t help but feel a pang of empathy for her.
“Thanks,” she smiles. “But enough about that. I’ll call and let them know I’m alive.”
”You don”t need to try to be anything,” I tell her, my voice gentle. ”Just be yourself.”
Her eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I can see the vulnerability lurking behind her tough exterior. Maybe she”s not as unbreakable as she seems, and maybe, just maybe, I”m starting to see a side of her that no one else has ever seen before.
“You’re a good guy,” she smiles as she gets to her feet, collecting napkins and plates. “I know you try hard to put out this cocky, untouchable vibe, but I’ve seen your gooey center.”
I laugh and jump up to pull her into my arms. “How about I take you to my room I check out your gooey center?”
She wrinkles her nose. “I’m not sure that sounds as sexy as you think it does.”
I chuckle. “Good point, but it was too easy to pass up.”