Chapter Fifteen
NATALIE
I grinned as the call disconnected. A bout of adrenaline coursed through me. Holy shit. Am I going out on a date with Jake? It kind of sounded like one. Oh, who cares what this was?
Full of giddy energy, I took out my keys and then froze. There were three Post-its on my door. With Vince’s handwriting. My insides turned to stone.
Call me
Don’t play hard to get
I need to talk to you
I yanked them down, bunching them in my hand before unlocking the door. Shaking, I threw the papers into the kitchen trash bin. I put down the box that held the ice cream before pouring myself a glass of water. I drank it in huge gulps, trying to calm myself.
The man didn’t know how to take a hint. I was toying with the idea of calling the police, but I didn’t have a case. He’d sent me a letter, text messages, and came to my damn door to put Post-its on it. God, I didn’t want to let him ruin this evening too. I took in a few more deep breaths.
Vince was contacting me more now than after we’d broken up, but he’d never been this aggressive before. Then again, maybe I was blowing this all out of proportion and letting my nerves get the best of me.
It’s going to be an amazing evening, Natalie. Now, forget Vince even exists and pick out a killer outfit.
Usually I would simply dress in jeans and a polo shirt for a lazy evening out, but guess who was putting in a lot of effort in her appearance?
Yup, this girl here. I put on a summery yellow dress with butterflies along the waistline and lace straps also in the shape of butterflies.
Twisting my hair into a careless ponytail, I applied minimal mascara as well as lip gloss.
I looked fresh-faced and not overly made-up.
I took a step back, looking at myself in the mirror. It was a casual outfit. Oh heavens, was I trying too hard to be nonchalant so he didn't think I wanted to, what, seduce him?
I was being ridiculous. He kissed me. I wasn't doing any seducing here.
Half an hour later, my doorbell rang. I grabbed my purse and slid on flat shoes before opening the front door and stepping right outside.
"Hey," I said. Did I sound breathless? I certainly felt that way.
He was wearing jeans and a dress shirt. I would've teased him about wearing one on a Sunday, but he looked so delicious that I remained silent, simply drinking him in.
"Right on time," I said as I locked the door behind me.
"As you pointed out, I like keeping to a schedule."
Warmth coursed through me as I went down the steps along with him. I felt his nearness. It was impossible to ignore his cologne. He smelled fresh, like the woods early in the morning.
"What were you supposed to do before you called me?" I asked. I was genuinely curious. The more I found out about him, the more a mystery he seemed to be.
"I planned to read up on the memos for tomorrow morning's meeting."
I burst out laughing. "Now tell me what you were really up to."
He frowned. "That was the plan."
I stared at him. "This is what you do on Sunday evenings?"
"If it's necessary, yes."
"I feel bad now. I've never had such a work ethic. Not that it would have helped."
“What do you mean?”
“My boss fired me because he couldn’t stand how much my ex and I were fighting.”
“He just showed up at work?”
“No, worse. We worked together. That’s how we met.
It actually took us a while until we started dating.
Three years, to be exact. Then I was promoted to the senior position over him, and he didn’t take it well at all.
He started putting me down and yelling a lot.
I broke up with him, but that only made the fighting worse.
Eventually our boss was fed up and fired us both. ”
“That’s fucked-up. Why the hell wasn’t he proud of you?”
“Thought he deserved it more, I guess. I don’t know.
He was a very angry person, almost controlling, and that side of him showed up more after I got promoted.
I was very good at my job. But because of how things ended, my boss refuses to give me a recommendation, which makes the search that much harder. ”
“That’s not right. I can fix it.”
“Jake—”
“I mean it.”
“So do I. Just drop it, okay? Let’s change the subject.”
I didn’t like the idea of him fixing anything for me. It was important for me to do things by myself. Although, I was sure any help from Jake would make things easier.
We walked along the Freedom Trail, starting with King’s Chapel.
I loved the building’s architecture—the majestic columns and the attention to detail.
I congratulated myself on choosing flat shoes, as the sidewalk was very uneven.
Because it was so late, most of the attractions along the Freedom Trail were closed.
But that was a good thing, because it wasn’t crowded.
“I haven’t been here in some time,” he said.
"Oh, so you can enjoy life," I teased.
He looked straight at me, tilting in. "Yes, when I'm with you."
Holy shit, way to be direct! I swallowed hard, fiddling with the straps of my purse. I racked my brain for a safe topic of conversation.
“I can’t wait to go to the Boston Public Garden sometime this summer. They have a stand that serves delicious oysters. Oh, and speaking of gardens, do you think Jeannie is likely to change her mind on the location?"
“No. Once she decides something, there is no changing her mind.” Jake seemed a bit out of sorts, like that annoyed him.
"And that upsets you for some reason," I stated.
His eyebrows shot up. "How could you tell?"
"Your demeanor instantly changed."
He nodded as we walked in the direction of the Boston Latin School.
“My half brothers will be at the party.”
"Oh, I didn't even know you had any. Did either of your parents remarry?"
He stared at me. "You really don't know the story?"
"No." I wasn’t sure why he thought I might know about his family.
"We found out—that is to say, I found out—that our father had a second family."
I gasped. "Oh my God. That sounds terrible."
"It was. I discovered it when I did an internship at Whitley Advertising during college.
He was running it at that time. I found some checks he was mailing to a woman.
When I confronted him about it, he told me a bogus story about her being an ex-employee who was disgruntled enough that she threatened to sue the company if he didn't continuously send her checks. The story sounded fishy. He was nervous when he told it.”
I couldn't look away from him. He seemed so tense, like he was reliving all of it again. “So, I did some digging, and I hated what I found."
"How old were you?" I asked.
"Twenty-one."
"Oh, wow."
Young adulthood was a terrible time to find out that one of your parents wasn’t trustworthy at all. Not that there was any good moment to find out, but still.
"I'm sorry. How did your mother take it?"
"Badly," he said. "She couldn't cope. God, she couldn't cope at all. She was simply devastated. I think, for the next few months, she only got out of the house to go to therapy. Then she found out she was sick. Passed away a few months later." His voice broke.
"So, what happened?" I asked.
"Gabe was seventeen, so he moved in with my grandparents. Cade, Spencer, Colton, and I were all of age, adults. My grandparents tried to do as much damage control as possible after my father left."
"Where did he go?" I asked, confused.
"Appearances were very important to him." He sounded bitter. "As soon as this was news in his social circle, he headed off to Sydney. Nancy, the mother of my… half brothers… didn’t want anything to do with him either. She hadn’t known he was married to Mom.”
I blinked rapidly. My brain could honestly not comprehend the magnitude of this.
"Australia? That’s where he is now? And that's why you left Boston," I concluded.
He nodded. "Yes to all. I moved to New York. I didn't want anything to do with any branch of Whitley Industries."
"It's your legacy," I murmured.
"Not as far as I'm concerned. My legacy is what I’ve built myself, not anything my father touched."
“But your grandparents started the legacy, right?”
He nodded. “Yes, but that’s beside the point.”
Was it, though? He didn’t want anything to do with the Whitley name, and yet he'd come to his grandfather's aid. I wasn't sure if he cared about a legacy, but one thing was for certain: he would do anything for his family, and that made him incredibly attractive.
“At any rate, my schedule is insane while I’m here. I wake up every day at five.”
“Holy shit. I can barely wake up at seven. I need three alarm clocks.”
“I can call you in the morning if you want, make sure you’re up.”
“Hmmm… I’ll take you up on that. But back to your schedule. You know what you should do?" I said, wiggling my eyebrows.
"You'd better answer fast because otherwise my mind is coming up with all sorts of scenarios." He lowered his voice. "Sexy scenarios."
Heat pooled between my thighs. His flirty side was insanely delicious.
"You should go out to all your favorite places. Find things you like in Boston, rediscover them. Find your glimmers.”
“My what?”
“You know how people always talk about stuff that triggers them?"
"I've heard that term."
"I once read that the opposite of triggers are glimmers of hope. It can be anything that brings you joy, you know? A walk in nature, going for a run, hearing a bird sing. You should do that. I think it would help." I dropped my voice to a whisper because he was staring at my mouth intently. Oh God, if he kissed me, I’d kiss him right back. I only had so much self-restraint. But what was the point of this? Even if we would have fun together, he was probably going to go back to New York as soon as he flipped the company around. As for me, I’d go wherever the job took me.
"I'll do that, but with one condition."
"Oh, there are conditions with it?" I asked.
"Yeah." He flashed me that charming smile. "I want you to be my guide, Natalie."
I licked my lips. His blue eyes grew even darker. I shuddered. Oh my God. He wasn't even making a pass at me, and I was already melting in front of him. How could I possibly spend even more time with him?
"Hmm. I'm not sure," I murmured.
"Why not? We can even make it a work arrangement. Grandmother says you’re looking for clients. You could consider me one of them."
I took a step back. "Wait, what? You want to pay for my time? Why?"
"You need money. I’d love to have your company."
"You think you have to pay for people's company?" I asked, stunned. "Or you’re taking pity on me?" I was getting pissed now.
"No, Jesus. That was not what I meant."
"Well, what exactly did you mean? You offered money for my company. I'm starting to get really bad ideas."
"Natalie, stop," Jake said. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"No, you shouldn't have."
"Fine. Consider it forgotten."
"You think I'm letting you off the hook that easy, huh?
" I asked. I was still a bit pissed, which was insane.
Obviously I knew he had good intentions, but still, I didn't like being a charity case.
"I think I'm the one who needs to put conditions on now.
" My tone was playful, but I kind of meant it.
"I see. You want to do this on your terms?" he said.
"Exactly."
"News flash, Natalie. I’m stubborn."
"What a coincidence. So am I."
He looked at my lips again, and before I could add anything, he closed the distance and kissed me.
I was utterly lost in him—the way he explored my mouth felt out of this world. He moved his hand from my cheek down to my neck, gently pushing my long hair back. My skin turned sensitive when he moved his fingers in small circles over the side of my neck.
"Jake," I muttered as we pulled apart. His breath was ragged. I licked my lips, rocking back and forth from my toes to my heels. I felt both his hands steadying my arms. Drawing up my courage, I opened my eyes, only to find him looking at me intently. Sometime during the kiss, I’d threaded my fingers through his thick hair.
Up close I realized the dark brown was interspersed with black strands.
"I don't stand a chance, do I?" I whispered.
"Not even one."
“So, you need a guide, even though Boston is your home?"
"No, I need you, Natalie. I was just looking for an excuse."
The air between us seemed to thicken by the second. I felt his touch as if I weren’t wearing any clothes.
"Where do you want to start?" I asked.
"I'd kiss your lips first and then work my way around your whole body."
Oh my God. A small explosion went off inside me, starting between my legs and spreading everywhere.
"That was not what I meant. Where do you want to start in the city?"
He laughed. "My bad. I guess my mind is in the gutter, and you know all about it now. You take the lead on that, Natalie."
I took a step back because being too close to this gorgeous man was making it hard to think.
"Oh, I like your style, Jake Whitley. You pretend to let me be in charge, but all the while you're leading me exactly where you want to go."
There was a playful glint in his eyes. "I will neither confirm nor deny that."
"At least tell me what you want."
"Besides you?"
The explosion started again.
"Yes." My voice was uneven.
"Okay. I'll give you a hint. Take me to a place where you’d like to go on a date."
My breath caught. "You're asking me out?"
"No, I'm simply telling you to take me to a place you’d like."
"You're very clever and sneaky about it," I remarked.
"Natalie."
Oh God, he couldn't keep saying my name like that. It felt like he was ordering me to strip naked right here in the street. And if he kept doing it, my clothes might spontaneously combust anyway.
"Fine. I'll think of something."
I liked the playful glint in his eyes and that he'd so openly spoken about his family tonight. When I first met him, he seemed so distant. I thought he’d always be out of reach and would keep those around him behind a wall.
Perhaps he still was. Clearly he wasn't happy about having to deal with his half brothers, but he’d opened a door for me, and to my surprise, I wanted to pass through.
Even though I had a lot going on and couldn't trust my heart—now less than ever.