“Case may be your brother’s best friend, but he could be your Tommy.” She reaches to cover my hand with hers. “From my experience, what a brother wants most for his sister is for her to find a good man to love.”
“I can’t love Case.” I laugh and shake my head. “We’re very different. He lives in California. I live in Seattle. It can’t work.”
“Love can always work.”
I bite my lip. “My grandma used to tell me that.”
“We grandmas are smart like that.” She taps her chin. “Wise words from wise women will never steer you wrong.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Emma
“Miss Owens.It’s good to see you.” Lester tugs on the handle of one of the lobby doors. “How was your day?”
Long and emotionally draining.
“Memorable,” I answer honestly. “What about you? How has your day been?”
He purses his lips together. “Mrs. Fields in 3A has a new dog. Suffice it to say we are not friends yet.”
He holds out his hand. I spot a faint red spot near the base of his thumb.
“Did the dog bite you?”
“Nip.” He opens his mouth to bare his teeth. “It was a nip, but Mrs. Fields felt terrible about it. I’ll be dining on a juicy steak tonight at my favorite establishment uptown courtesy of her.”
None of this is my business, but Lester doesn’t seem to care about that.
“How is Mr. Owens?” He tilts his head. “Any word on the wedding?”
I slide my phone into my bag. I promised Lester that I’d show him any pictures Drake sent me of his wedding, but guilt is getting in the way of that.
How can I show this man the beautiful photo of my brother and Jane if my parents haven’t even seen it?
Silently cursing Drake for putting me in this position, I sigh. “They were married earlier today. Drake couldn’t be happier.”
“No one deserves happiness more than him.” Reaching into the front pocket of his pants, he tugs out his phone. “I’ll send him a congratulatory text.”
This is my cue to run, so that’s what I do.
“Have a good night, Lester,” I call over my shoulder as I hurry toward an open elevator door.
“You as well, Miss Owens,” he sounds back just as I step inside and press the button for the twelfth floor.
Wrestling with disappointment,I stand in the foyer of Case’s apartment, taking in the silence.
He’s not here.
I haven’t heard anything from him since I rushed out of his office earlier.
After spending more than two hours having coffee with Ruth, I walked with her to her apartment on Park Avenue.
We shared a brief hug before we said goodbye.
Our time together taught me a lot about the history of New York and the kindness of strangers.
She relived her youth in this city after I bought her a second cup of coffee. I sat mesmerized by the stories of what Manhattan was like decades ago.
