Chapter Eleven
JAKE
After I finished going through three different stacks of financial reports, I decided to heed Gabe’s advice and introduced myself to the members of the team I hadn’t met this morning.
Personal relationships were my least favorite part of the job. Numbers were easy to interpret; they were there in black-and-white and told a consistent story. People were fickle. They could say one thing but do another altogether. It was exhausting to tell the truth from the lies.
An hour later, I was beat as I went back into the office, closing the door.
I didn't want any interruptions. But as I sat behind the desk and opened my laptop, I didn't pull up the cash-flow reports.
Instead, I googled Gelateria Di Venezzia.
The picture came up. I googled it again, certain there must be more than one in the city.
This couldn't be the place she meant. It was a dump. But nothing else came up.
On a whim, I took a picture of the picture and sent it to Natalie.
Jake: You can't possibly mean this place, do you?
To my intense pleasure, she answered almost immediately.
Natalie: Careful, Jake, you don't want to mess with my favorite ice cream shop. I am still throwing your grandmother's party. Who knows what could happen to you?
I laughed; I couldn't help it.
Natalie: I'm on my way. I'm going to probably be there in half an hour.
I looked between the screen of the phone and my laptop. My phone beeped again.
Natalie: What do you think about this?
She sent me a picture of a huge garden that seemed to have old trees and a bunch of umbrellas.
It looked like any other garden to me. Natalie was in the picture too.
She was wearing a long white dress with thin straps and gesturing with her arms wide.
Her hair was wild around her head. A few strands brushed her breasts, others floating around in the air, just as they had on the airport runway.
Clearly someone had taken the picture for her when she wasn't looking.
I liked that it was candid, and she was natural in it, not posing.
I made a split-second decision. Instead of tackling the cash-flow reports today, I closed my laptop. Standing up, I took it with me, calling my driver.
"Cal, I need you to come here."
"Where are we going, sir?"
“Gelateria Di Venezzia."
“I'll be at the front of the building in two minutes."
"Perfect."
After hanging up, I replied to Natalie.
Jake: You look fantastic in that white dress. You’re gorgeous.
Natalie: I asked the staff to take a picture of the whole place. I did not realize I was in it too.
The corners of my mouth lifted. She was overexplaining. Did I make her nervous? I imagined a delicious blush spreading on her cheeks and neck.
Fucking hell, I couldn't even recognize myself.
I was leaving the office early on the first day.
It wasn't even six o'clock, and I was heading across town to a sketchy ice cream shop to taste even sketchier gelato.
But I was determined not to overthink this.
The call with Natalie had been the only highlight in this completely shitty day. I wanted to see her. I needed it.
During the drive, I sent emails to the New York office. I had some fires to put out there too. I called two of my biggest clients.
"Jake, we're in the middle of restructuring. We can’t do it with you in Boston."
"I assure you that I can fly over whenever necessary. I have a private plane on call."
"I need you on top of this."
"You’re a priority.”
"Don't fuck around.”
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that. If you don’t want to continue our collaboration, that’s fine by me, but I don’t allow any disrespect.”
He sighed. “I was out of line. I apologize. I need reassurance that you’re still on top of this."
"Listen to me, Carson. I don't take on more than I can deliver. This project will go off without a hitch. I receive detailed feedback every day anyway."
He huffed. "Fine."
I was pissed, so I bid him goodbye, ending the conversation before I had a chance to lose my cool completely.
He was right to question my priorities, of course.
After all, that was one of the reasons why I'd resisted coming here in the first place.
I knew my clients wouldn't be happy. But I didn’t allow anyone to talk to me like that.
"Sir, are you sure this is the right address?" Cal asked as he slowed the car. The picture I found online must have been a few years old. In the meantime, the place looked even worse. The name plaque was chipped, and the letters Z and N had fallen off.
"That's the place."
"Do you want me to wait for you?"
"No. I'll take an Uber back to the hotel, or I'll call you later."
He frowned, looking at me in the rearview mirror. "You don't have a schedule? Betty advised that you always have strict drop-off and pickup times."
"No." This was the first time in years that I was doing something that wasn't scheduled. It was damn freeing.
“Betty also said she’s sending over your clothes today. If it’s all right with you, I’ll check with the hotel to see if they received them and make sure everything is in order.”
“That’s perfect. Thank you. Also, stop by my grandmother’s house. She needs to go for groceries, and she doesn’t drive.”
“Consider it done.”
I got out of the car, looking around. Natalie said she'd be here in half an hour. Ten minutes to go. I was surprised to see a line in front of the shop. The ice cream had to be good. In my experience, when a place looked like this, whatever they sold was worth it.
I stood in line behind a mother who had a baby in one arm and a toddler by the hand.
Soon, a couple came up behind me. The line kept growing.
Five minutes later, I saw Natalie coming around the corner.
She was moving her head slightly from side to side, and I noticed the earbuds in her ears.
She was mouthing lyrics, and she was adorable.
How had this woman gotten under my skin so fast?
She’d gathered her light brown hair on one side and kept running her fingers through it.
I didn't make any motion to draw attention to myself.
She perused the line, and then she froze.
Her eyes widened, and her mouth flew open.
She took out her earbuds quickly, dropping them into her pocket.
"Jake?" she asked, stepping up to me.
"Yes. I don't have an evil twin brother."
"Could’ve fooled me." Underneath the sass, there was a lot of confusion.
Up close, she was even more gorgeous than in that picture. This dress was spectacular on her. Looking down, I had a direct view of her cleavage. The V-neck was deep, and she wasn't wearing a bra. I even saw a peek of her nipple, and I instantly turned hard.
I snapped my gaze up to hers. There were gold and gray flecks in her dark brown eyes.
"You sold me on the ice cream," I explained.
She pressed her lips together, tilting her head.
"And I've stunned you into silence," I said, "I didn't think that was possible."
"Let's call it the day of surprises," she replied. "I didn't think you had it in you to make a joke. Or come get ice cream so spontaneously. You seem like the kind of guy who follows the same schedule day in, day out."
I swallowed hard. "I do. This is the first day in about ten years that I’ve left the office at this time and don't have anything scheduled for the rest of the evening."
"Why make an exception today?" she murmured.
"You made a convincing case for ice cream. Besides, since my move to Boston was so abrupt, I don’t have a schedule yet.”
And I wanted to see you, a voice said in the back of my mind. Just being next to her made the rest of the day seem as if it happened last week.
"This works for me. I get to cut the line and wait with you."
I looked behind me. Jesus. The line was now around the corner.
"It's a very popular place," she said.
"I believe you."
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as we waited. It dawned on me that she might be uncomfortable with the fact that I showed up here. "Natalie, is it okay with you that I'm here?" The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was stalking her.
"Sure. I just wasn't expecting it. So, you never told me what you think about that place for Jeannie's birthday."
"I'll be honest. It just looks like a garden to me. I can't tell if there's anything special about it."
She wrinkled her nose. Clearly my answer displeased her.
When our turn came, she ordered pistachio and lemon. I did the same.
She narrowed her eyes. "You mocked me earlier.”
“I think it's an odd choice. But I like getting out of my comfort zone."
"That's an interesting way to look at things."
I took out my wallet.
"No, no, no. You're not paying for my ice cream."
I stared at her. "Yes, I am."
"No, Jake. Really?"
"Yes, really. I am." I put money on the counter before she could argue some more and then took both our cups outside. I handed hers to her as we stepped into a corner. There were a few tables, but they were full.
"I have a favorite tree where I sit when I come here to enjoy my ice cream. I don't share it with just anyone, but I’ll make an exception for you."
"Let’s go, then."
I was pleased that she wanted to share something special with me. We walked for about five minutes and glanced around the neighborhood. I hadn't been here before, or at least not that I could remember.
"Here it is." She pointed at a bench in front of a shop selling all sorts of bath products. As we sat down, she crossed her legs, and I realized her dress had a slit. I took a good peek, noticing her legs were tan and so damn long. My fantasies instantly lit up my mind. I’d lick this woman from head to toe.
She fidgeted in her spot, exhaling sharply. My perusal of her hadn’t gone unnoticed.
"So, what do you think?" she asked.
I took a spoonful of the pistachio and lemon. "This is delicious."
"Don't sound so surprised."
"I didn't expect it. I thought they might be good at best. I've never had decent pistachio, and I don't think I've ever tried ice cream with lemon flavor."
"So, you just tried them because I told you they're my favorites? Who are you, and what did you do with Jake?"