Chapter Twelve
MEREDITH
The next morning, I practically jumped out of bed at six o'clock, even though I went to bed super late.
Guess who was full of energy for no reason?
Yep, this girl right here. I couldn't wait to start the day, even though all I had to look forward to was the same dreary routine at the office—and Cade's texts, of course.
I checked my phone before I brushed my teeth, after I brushed my teeth, before I combed my hair, and after I combed my hair, and yet I heard nothing from him.
Hmm, perhaps he isn't an early riser. Or, I thought to my horror, maybe he changed his mind. Maybe last night he was caught in a whirl of—
Oh, stop it, Meredith. Just accept it. This is happening.
Even though I had no clue what this was, I was still in a fantastic mood and checked my phone about twelve more times before I left my apartment.
It beeped for the first time when I was in the subway on the way to the office.
It was a rainy morning, and I hadn’t felt like walking.
I didn't even know I had a signal, but I got an alert that said I had a message from Cade.
I was so happy that I let out a very unladylike snort.
Then I groaned because it turned out I didn't have a signal.
I'd never gotten this notification before now: "Unable to display a message.
" Yeah, I had zero bars. Once I reached my station, I raced out onto the street.
In the lobby, I rested against the wall, nestled out of the way and read the message.
Cade: Good morning, Meredith. What time are we going to your parents’ house tonight?
My heart was beating fast. I texted back so quickly that I nearly broke a nail, then waited until I pressed Send.
Don't seem too eager, Meredith. I drew in a deep breath and then exhaled through my nose. Is ten seconds enough? Fifteen? Whatever.
I pressed Send.
Meredith: We aren’t. My parents forbid me to stop by to help tonight because we stayed so late there yesterday.
I held my breath, counting to… Yep, he replied four seconds later.
Cade: Then tell me when you finish work and I'll pick you up.
Meredith: For what?
Cade: You'll see.
Meredith: Cade!
Cade: Do you trust me, Meredith?
This time I didn't hesitate before replying.
Meredith: Yes.
Cade: Then text me when you're done with work.
Oh, this man. I didn't refuse because I knew he was even more stubborn than I was.
I headed to the elevators, smiling like a fool.
Cade: Wear something warm.
Damn. I could’ve used the warning before leaving home. At least my coat's thick. But where could he be taking me?
I considered the possibilities. It had to be somewhere outdoors, since he'd suggested I dress warm. The Christmas markets weren't open yet. There were plenty of autumn festivals, although I wasn’t familiar with any of them. Maybe a walk in a botanical garden? I had no idea.
Just let the man surprise you, Meredith.
I stayed at the office until 6:55 p.m. before bolting out the door. I was alone in our office, as Sonya didn't believe in working late nights.
I went to my favorite Starbucks, debating whether I should move on from pumpkin spice lattes to eggnog lattes. No. I had to pace myself. I didn't want to start celebrating Christmas so early.
After buying my drink, I waited outside. A BMW pulled up in front of me. It was Cade. He opened his door to get out, but I yelled over the noise in the street, "No, don't bother. I'll just jump in the car."
I literally ran toward it, making sure not to slosh my latte anywhere. Even with a plastic lid, you could never be too careful. Getting in the car, I took a slurp before saying, "Hey."
What's wrong with my voice? Why is it so high-pitched?
“That drink smells weird,” he commented.
"It's a pumpkin spice latte," I said defensively.
"Explains the smell."
"Have you ever tasted one?"
"No."
"Want to try?"
"No."
"Then don't diss something you haven't tried. If I could just find pastéis de nata in this city, I'd be happy.”
“What’s that?”
“Portuguese custard tarts. I had them when I went to a convention in Lisbon. They are delicious.” Cade had this weird look on his face. “Hey, don’t look at me like that.”
“You like pumpkin drinks. I reserve judgment.”
“Hmm…”
“Excited about tonight?” he asked as the car lurched forward.
"Yes. I've tried to make a list of the possible places you might have in mind. I’m sure I have it wrong, so what is it?"
"I'll give you a hint. Boston University."
"I need a bit more."
"We're going up on the roof."
"We're taking a night tour of the university?" I guessed.
"No. It's a specific department." He hesitated, then said, "Astronomy.”
“Oh, we're going stargazing?" My grin was huge.
“Yeah.”
“I can’t believe it.” I frowned because I remembered one minor detail. "But today's Monday.”
"I know."
I didn't want to rain on his parade—clearly he'd gone to some lengths to make this happen—but I knew for a fact that open nights for viewing were only on Wednesdays. I’d checked several times myself over the years.
"I don't think they're open today," I said.
"They are for us."
"What do you mean?"
"I booked us a private tour. A stargazing evening."
"That's possible?"
"For us, it is."
“Cade Whitley." I shimmied in the car seat, sipping from my latte. I was positively giddy when we turned onto Commonwealth Avenue, and even more so when we stopped at number 725.
The second he parked the car, I got out, taking in a deep breath.
My pulse accelerated when he came up to me.
God, he was so handsome. I couldn't believe he was taking me on the perfect date.
This sexy man who insisted he was a flirt.
Well, he might be, but clearly that didn't mean he couldn't pull together a fantastic date.
"You know your way around?" I asked.
"Yes. They explained on the phone what we needed to do, and I jotted down the directions." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
"Then lead the way."
I'd never been inside Boston University.
It felt a bit eerie to walk through it at night, like we were doing something forbidden.
It was utterly and completely empty except for a couple of night security guards.
Cade had some credentials, so we just sailed on by and headed up to the fifth floor.
The telescopes were above the astronomy department.
There were a couple domes around us, and an older man was there waiting.
"Mr. Whitley?" he asked.
"Yes. I’m Cade. This is Meredith.”
“I’m Professor Hastings. My colleague informed me that this is a private tour."
"Exactly," Cade replied.
"Allow me to take you to our telescopes. Follow me."
I looked around, mesmerized. This was so dreamy!
“I can't tell you how exciting it is to have a small, intimate group that I can share my knowledge with," Professor Hastings said
Cade didn't smile.
"Thank you so much," I said. I suspected this wasn't the romantic evening Cade had in mind. In fact, I was betting he'd imagined we'd be all alone up here. To be honest, so had I.
"Come here. Look through these telescopes. You can each take one. A perk of your private tour is that you don't have to wait your turn."
Once again, Cade said nothing. He was shooting daggers at the professor with his eyes, as if he wished Hastings would vanish into thin air.
I looked through the telescope and sighed. "The sky's beautiful."
“It is, isn't it? Now, let me tell you all about constellations."
For the next hour, he yapped nonstop. I had no idea how he even had time to breathe, but I loved every minute of it.
"Any more questions?" he asked once we stepped back from the telescopes.
Cade looked at me, so I offered the professor a polite smile. "No, I think that's everything."
"Really? I'm yours for the evening. Seriously. You can ask me anything."
"As Meredith said, I think we've heard a lot," Cade replied. "It was very informative. Thank you for your time."
"Okay," he said, clearly disappointed.
He walked with us through the university building, right out to the parking lot, where he got in a small Honda and drove away.
Cade groaned as we reached the car. I laughed. "The evening didn't go quite as you expected, huh?"
"When I booked a private tour, I expected us to be alone."
I narrowed my eyes. "What exactly did you expect we'd be doing at the astronomy building?"
"I wanted to have you all to myself, Meredith."
He moved to stand right in front of me. Instead of opening the door, he pinned me to the car and drew his thumb just under my jaw. "I want…"
"What?" I whispered, leaning forward.
"You." Then his lips were on mine.
Heat blasted inside me, gripping my body instantly. Holy shit. How can he make me explode just by kissing me? I lost all sense of time and space.
He explored my mouth shamelessly until I was shuddering.
"Meredith," he groaned.
"Let's go to your place," I whispered. "Or mine. It doesn't matter. I just want to be with you. I don’t care about taking it slow."