23. Kate
KATE
Two things were official.
I had the coolest boss ever.
And I . . . I was a stubborn mule.
Wait. There was a third thing. I wanted my friend. I wanted to see what Jake and I might become given more than a weekend.
Was I in love with him?
I was falling in that direction.
But the last time I’d fallen for someone, I’d been burned, badly. I’d trusted someone who’d used me and left me at financial and emotional rock bottom.
I hadn’t suspected a thing, and that scared the hell out of me. If I’d been fooled once . . .
The scars of betrayal had turned me off of love. Made me shut it out.
But those scars were temporary, as it turned out. I’d worked hard to clear the way to move on. I was free, and I needed to act like it, not shut myself off in fear.
Life came without guarantees. There were people like Damon out there, good at romance and deception. But just because Damon had screwed me over didn’t mean Jake would.
Emotions were a gamble, but I didn’t want to miss out on a chance at love because I cinched my protective armor too tight.
The weekend with Jake had been incredible, and it wasn’t simply the sex.
It was the way we connected.
It was the ease of our conversations.
It was the tenderness in his touch.
And the roughness too.
It was everything.
I trusted him with my fantasies because . . . well, because I trusted him.
And it was time to trust myself again too.
I didn’t know if Jake would want to give us a shot, but I’d never know if I didn’t try.
To sort this out, though, I needed my friends.
I needed Lily and Nina, and I knew where they’d be.
At book club.
Decided and almost optimistic, I grabbed my purse, slung it over my shoulder, and didn’t delay any longer than it took to pop into Trish’s office to thank her. Then I fired off a note to my best friends as I made my way out of the office, letting them know to expect me after all.
Kate: I need your help, you two. This is a major mayday.
Nina: We are here for you!
Lily: Get your cute ass over to The Extravagant lobby now!
The hotel wasn’t far from my office, so I marched down the Strip, passing the fountains at the Bellagio.
Funny, how just a few nights ago those fountains had framed my thoughts about Jake. As I walked past them now, watching them dance in the air, their patterns underscored a new mind-set. A new plan.
A plan that said Why wait?
When I reached The Extravagant, my two closest friends were waiting for me.
We huddled in a corner, and I let the truth out. “It was more than dinner with Jake this weekend. We spent the whole time together, and I’m definitely falling for him. I want to see where it goes.”
Nina cooed.
Lily clapped.
I looked between them, grateful for their encouragement, but hoping for something more tactical. “So . . . what do I do?”
“Tell him,” Nina insisted.
“Take a chance,” Lily added. “I promise—accouterments are worth it.”
We all laughed. “Jake is more than an accouterment,” I said. It gave me a thrill to hear myself say that aloud.
Now I had to take the chance.
It was that simple.
It was always that simple.
I just had to trust myself enough to do it.
With a deep breath, I tapped out a text to the man who’d captured my body, my mind, and my heart.
Kate: Let’s make a bet. Ready? I bet I was wildly wrong on Sunday when I canceled our evening by text. I bet I feel incredibly foolish for giving up a chance to see you again. I bet I’d like another shot at another night. Then another. Then another.
The stakes are simple: you and me.
Let me know if you want to take this bet.
Xoxo
Kate
Perhaps the heavens had parted after all.
As Lily, Nina, and I walked over to the Rapture, I told myself to be patient. He’d respond when he was ready.
But when I reached the club, he was already there, waiting outside.