“Yes?”
“Don’t forget to act like a loving daughter in the eyes of my peers. Everything is riding on this. Don’t fuck it up because of old feelings.”
Tears threaten to spill from my eyes, but I fight themoff. I have no space in my heart for someone so cruel. Tears indicate caring, and no part of me cares for this stranger. Not a single bit.
“Don’t worry. Hating you with a mask on should be no different than the one I wear proudly every day. I’ll be the daughter you always wanted,” I tell him with an edge in my voice that I know he picked up.
“See you then.” And he hangs up.
Well, the good news is—I’ll have the money to fix Mom’s house in nearly a month. The bad news? I just signed my soul away to the devil.
The question is…how much will he tarnish it?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
stetson
Handingmy keys to the valet driver, I exit the Audi I’m renting for the next forty-eight hours. I was thoroughly encouraged to avoid car rentals in this city, but I never did like to follow the rules.
“Mr. Cole.” He nods, arms tied behind his back as I lower my sunglasses. I hand him a fifty, the only spare cash I have on me, and turn toward the hotel I booked last-minute.
Chicago.
It’s been a while. Actually, I’m surprised work hasn’t led me to the lively city more times than not.
A hotel concierge rushes to my side, insisting on assisting with my bag, but I decline. I can carry my own shit.
Amidst his hustle, he mumbles something about dinner being served shortly, and my stomach growls at the thought of a hearty meal.
I’m starving. It’s as if the moment my jet landed, all I could think about was Cove and deep-dish pizza. In thatorder. This might be the one time I wish Clay were here, simply to fetch the pizza and leave.
I know it seems neurotic of me to show up. And I’d have to agree with the observation, because it is. Going out of my way to see someone I’ve known for less than a month is fucking ludicrous.
Yet, here I am. On the other side of the country, neglecting work, and pursuing a woman I’m not so confident will even give me a shot. I keep thinking back to my conversation with Abbi, realizing how quickly I placated her, but I can’t imagine a world where anyone but Cove is on my arm. We’ve chatted off and on. Truthfully, I was shocked she responded to my texts and answered my calls. Once she even initiated it herself. As much as she disagreed with me crashing her double date, I’d like to think that was the moment her feelings for me were brought to light.
Most of our conversations have been small catch-ups and nothing noteworthy to your average, but they mean something to me. It took deep thought and, unfortunately, working through some serious fear for me to decide that I want to date her. Court her. Make her mine. Whatever the current terminology is for wanting someone so badly you can’t think straight.
Fuck, do I ever.
Not just because she’s beautiful, that’s a given. Cove challenges me. She doesn’t oblige easily, making me grind for it. It’s a good thing my work ethic is strong because I’m not willing to surrender. There’s still so much I have to learn about her, if she’ll let me. But from what I’ve seen, it’s clear she loves big and doesn’t say or do things she doesn’t mean.
I like that about her. And I’m convinced those aren’t the only qualities I’ll find charming.
Lifting my head to the entrance of the hotel, I take inthe wordsThe Beverly. I’m taking a long-shot guess as to which hotel Cove is staying at. Just because I can, I called Seascape, hoping they could give me some recommended hotels in the Chicago area.
I hate to brag, but getting two and only two recommendations from the woman on the phone all but solidified my options. Cove’s either staying at The Beverly or Hotel Haven.
I made an educated guess after doing my own research. Large letters appeared almost instantly across The Beverly’s website, announcing their publication in a news article known for making the best dirty martinis in all of Chicago.
And if I remember correctly, Cove loves dirty martinis.
The odds are in my favor.
Deciding to go ahead and check in, I secure my room key and make a quick attempt at freshening up in my suite before awaiting Cove’s arrival. For all I know, she has plans, and I won’t be able to see her.
I desperately hope that’s not the case.
There have been very few times in my life when I’ve experienced true exhilaration. One of them was with Cove, hidden in the darkness of the downtown Miami alleyway. That was the exact moment in time I knew I wasn’t going to give up on pursuing her. But I knew there was a possibility that going full throttle could scare her away.
