"I didn't choose Nova for our celebration dinner because of my fiancé." She picks up her coat from where she slung it over a chair. "I chose it because the food is the best in the city."
She's right about that. "I'm going to have the striped sea bass."
"You should look at the new menu before you decide."
"I don't need to." I slip my arm around her waist. "It's my favorite meal and I'm going to enjoy it with my favorite person in the world."
She wraps her arms around me. "I love you, Soph. I've never been more proud of anyone. By this time next year, everyone is going to know exactly who Sophia Reese is."
"Sophia?"
His voice sends a shiver down my spine. I haven't heard it since that night at Hibiscus. I've missed its textured nuances. I've missed him.
I turn on my heel. He's less than a foot behind me. "Nicholas."
"I saw you leaving Nova with Cadence." His gaze jerks from my face to my hands. "I had dinner at a place down the block from there."
I don't ask who he had dinner with because it doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters except the fact that he called me a thief.
"I don't think we should be talking to each other." I fish in my purse for my phone. "I have a lawyer. I can give you her number. I think you should be talking to her."
"Why would I need to talk to your lawyer?"
I scan the contact list of my phone, searching for Zoe's number. "I have the right to remain silent."
He huffs out a laugh. "I'm not arresting you."
"I know. You're suing me. My lawyer would tell me not to talk to you," I shoot back, annoyed that he's finding humor in this.
"Your lawyer doesn't know what I want to say to you," he says smoothly.
I roll my eyes. "It doesn't matter what you want to say; you need to say it to my lawyer. That's not hard to understand, Nicholas. Her name is Zoe Beck. Her number is…"
"I don't want her number." He steps even closer. He's so close that I can smell the scent of his skin. "I want to tell you that I'm sorry. I need to tell you I regret everything I said to you that night and I want you to understand that I'll do whatever it takes to make this up to you."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Nicholas
She bitesher red stained bottom lip as she stares at me.
"I'm sorry, Sophia," I continue since she's not saying a word. "I was a royal asshole to you that night. I did shit I'm not proud of. I look back now and I can't believe I accused you of that."
"I can't believe it either." She sighs. "I'm not capable of stealing anything from anyone."
"I realize that." I want to reach out and touch her, but I stop myself. It's not just because we're in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. It's because her body language is screaming at me to fuck right off. "I wasn't thinking clearly."
"I appreciate the apology." She takes a step closer to the curb. "I'm going to find a cab and head home now."
She's as cold as ice. Her expression hasn't faltered, her voice hasn't given away anything about what she's feeling inside.
"Can we talk more about what happened?" I move toward the curb too. "I need you to understand where my head was at."
She glances over my shoulder at the oncoming traffic. "There's nothing to talk about."
"There's a lot to talk about," I argue. "I fucked this up. I want a chance to make it better."
A smile tugs at the corner of her lips. "I don't want to discuss anything with you."
