Nick lifted his gaze and looked at the man for a moment before nodding. He worked the knot of his tie until it hung loosely around his neck. He caught the curious stares, but chose to ignore them. He removed his suit jacket and pulled his dress shirt out of his pants before he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. He spread his arms wide when he was done, knowing very well his appearance looked a bit disheveled. He looked at the men that gathered around the large table.
“Now that I have your attention, let me introduce myself. I am Nick Foti. I own an auto repair shop in upstate New York, with my best friend. I restore classic cars and the ones I don’t keep I sell. This…” He pointed around the room. “Is not me.” He cocked his head to the side as he saw the men scrutinize him. “I may be good at it, I am pretty sure when I stepped back into this room you were all eager to sign on that dotted line, hanging on my every word. What I didn’t know was that I was part of the deal. I will not be on board with this project if that is the pretense in which you sign, and then I advise you not to sign these papers.”
Nick Foti Senior stormed into the boardroom, breathing heavy and clutching his chest, eyes wide with rage. “Don’t pay any attention to my son. He is rebelling.” He straightened his suit and properly poised himself so that his appearance looked precise. “I assure you all that everything that Nick has proposed will happen.”
“Maybe, but it will happen without me.” Nick added and turned back to face the men. “Don’t let him assure you of anything. His word is as good as dirt.”
“You will not demean me and my name in my own office.” Mr. Foti shouted, emphasizing his words with his pointer finger.
Nick laughed. “No problem. I have a plane to catch.” Nick tipped his head towards the boardroom in a silent salute to the men that respected him as a business associate and headed towards the door. He didn’t spare another glance towards his father, the bastard wasn’t worth it. When he stepped outside of the room, he felt free, much like he had when he boarded the plane back to Riverdale over a year ago. He couldn’t wait to get back home. He couldn’t wait to get Sam back into his arms.
Chapter Twenty One
Nick had felt exhausted by the time the taxi pulled up to Rudy’s the following day. It had taken nearly twenty-four hours for him to travel home from Seattle. The direct flights to New York were booked solid, so the only way for him to get home sooner than he had originally expected was to first fly to Chicago. In Chicago he had a layover and didn’t board the plane to New York for another five hours. He didn’t bother calling Sam, even though he wanted to hear her voice. He just wanted to surprise her more.
He paid the cab driver as the man placed his suitcase on the curb. He thanked him and turned around to walk towards his apartment. He planned to drop off his suitcase and grab something he had been holding onto before he headed straight to his girl. He’d shower at her place, he just needed to see her. He scratched at the day’s growth that outlined his jaw as he searched his pockets for his keys. Once he found them, he grabbed the suitcase and started for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Suddenly he was graced with a second wind, a newfound energy. He pushed open the door, dropping his suitcase to the floor. He kicked the door closed and traveled into the bedroom to grab a change of clothes. He was still in his suit and couldn’t wait to peel it off. He considered burning the damn thing, but he might need it for special occasions, so he talked himself out of that.
He threw some clean, comfortable clothes in a duffel bag before he reached for the lock box he kept on the shelf in his closet. He walked towards his bed, setting the box down beside him. He took a deep breath and ran his hands over his hair. The entire flight or should he say two flights home, he thought of a half a dozen ways to execute his question. Nothing seemed good enough and he cursed himself. He sighed as he opened the metal lid and lifted the small velvet box, holding it in the palm of his hand.
The day his mother dropped this in his palm, he had thought she was crazy, yet still he took the ring that had been his grandmothers and brought it to a jeweler. Maybe his subconscious drove him to the jeweler maybe that had been the reason he reset the ring to suit Samantha. He snapped the velvet box open and stared at the flawless diamond that sparkled beautifully in the halo setting that it was now set in. There were diamonds wrapped around the solitaire diamond that was now raised. The band also had a row of diamonds that wrapped around the entire thing. His lips curved slightly as he pictured the ring on her finger. He snapped it shut and placed the box safely in the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
The knock on the door startled him from his thoughts. He grabbed the duffel bag off his bed and walked out of the bedroom to answer the door. He couldn’t imagine who it was because no one knew he was back. He pulled open the door, surprised to find his mother on the opposite side.
“Mom.” He said shocked and watched as her gaze traveled to his suitcase that still sat beside the door.