He laughs softly. “Or maybe me? Follow your gut, Nic. Just follow your gut.”
My gut twists anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Dominic
“You gotta be true to what you want and not worry about anyone else,” Derrick says in my ear, his motivational speech not all that motivating.
“Well, that seems selfish,” I snort, shaking my head as I stand outside the restaurant, waiting for Edward to show up. “But thanks for the pep talk.”
“I just want you to be happy, Dom. That’s all.”
“I know,” I say, letting out a sigh. “Thanks.”
“Let me know how it goes.” With that, he hangs up, and I pull my phone away from my ear. I see a text there on the screenand smile.
Nicole:Meet me in the courtyard for a late lunch? I’ll bring Cocoa.
My heart takes an extra beat as I accept her offer. Honestly, I know our time together may be cut short if she moves to Miami. If I end up staying here in LA with the Comets, that would mean I’d have to fly to Miami to see her…
But that would be fine. I’d do it for her.
I’d do anything for her.
Iwanther to follow her dreams. Even if that means moving to Miami.
“Hey, man.” A hand drops down on my shoulder, and I know it’s Edward. “You ready to talk?”
I nod, giving him a solid handshake. “Yeah. Let’s chat.” I gesture for him to lead the way, and he gives me a nod, stepping out in front of me.
As he does, my phone vibrates in my pocket again. I pull it out, expecting to see Nicole again, but it’s not.
Marcus:Good luck meeting with Ed today. Just wanted you to know that you got a place here on the Comets. Don’t disappear on us, Texas.
His message hits harder than I expect it to, and my chest goes tight. I already was starting to feel like Los Angeles is a good place for me, but getting the text from Marcus…
Yeah, it makes this decision feel even heavier.
“You coming, Dom?” Edward asks, still holding the door open. “You know she’ll still be here when we’re done talking.”
“Yeah, for sure.” I smile, shoving my phone back into my pocket without having the chance to respond.
I follow Edward through the upscale café to the very far corner. I slide in across from him, my gaze drifting out to the ocean. I can’t help but think about the night that I kissed Nicole by the water, wishing I could relive it again and again.
“You want a coffee or something?” Edward’s voice snaps me back to the present, and I look up to find the waitress waiting for me to order.
“Uh, yeah, just a plain coffee—and I’ll have water, too.” I blink a few times, doing my best to push Nicole out of my head—at least for the duration of this meeting.
“You seem apprehensive,” Edward says as the waitress walks away. “But I get it. This is a big deal. Everyone is kind of on the edge of their seat right now. There’s a lot of speculation swirling.”
“Right.” I choke out the word.
Edward chuckles and then reaches into his messenger bag, pulling out a thin folio, the kind meant for notes, not contracts. “This is what people are talking about,” he says, tapping it with his index finger. “Frameworks. Possibilities. It’s going to be hard not to think about.”
I don’t pull it closer. I don’t touch it at all, shifting uncomfortably in the booth. “Yeah, I’m sure it is. We’ve danced around this kindof thing before.” I try to laugh, but it comes out weird, and even Edward makes a face.
“This is everything you’ve talked about wanting, Dom. On paper, it all lines up.”
