Max laughed. “You are going to have to find someone else that can stand to be around you for longer than twenty minutes. I know it’s going to be hard, but there are four million people in this city. It should be doable.”
“What-the-fuck-ever. Everyone wants to be around me. I’m the one that can’t stand people.” I sat up and kicked off my shoes. “Come to think of it, I could be around Jada for more than a few minutes. So why don’t I take her out tomorrow night?”
“Because she doesn’t like you?”
“Fuck you. Seriously—let’s do something tomorrow.”
“First—you need to ask her, not me. Second—did the Cane Alexander just offer to take a girl on a real date? And third—she starts work tomorrow. So I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be a good day, even if she did like you. And I have serious doubts about that.”
“What does she do?” Suddenly, I was all ears.
“She’s a realtor. Kari said she’s going back to work for their dad in the morning.”
I smiled devilishly. “That I can work with.”
JADA
I threw on a purple shift dress and a pair of nude heels the following morning, twisting my brown locks into a quick knot on the top of my head. I had overslept after a fitful night’s sleep and being late was not something I was comfortable with.
I had tossed and turned the entire night. Each time I closed my eyes, Cane’s face flashed repeatedly through my mind. I could hear his laugh, see that sexy as hell smirk.
He’s having an adverse effect on my life and I barely had a conversation with him!
Cane’s words echoed through my mind as I tried to sleep that night. “We will see each other again.”
I slammed my mascara wand onto the vanity.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him. But, by his own admission, he was exactly what I had to avoid. I had no business thinking about a man that admitted he took the player role to a whole new level. If I were able to separate things, to block off my heart and operate on a purely physical level, there wouldn’t be an issue. I could get his number from Max and have a good time. But that wasn’t me—it never had been. Even before Decker, I had dated a few guys and wrapped my heart up in the relationship way too soon. I wasn’t sure if that was because I was too caring or because the guys I chose were all the same. Regardless, I couldn’t afford to go that route again. I had to guard my heart and pick a different type of guy.
And Cane was the same as the rest of them.
I jumped into my Jeep Compass just a few minutes behind schedule. Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” album blasted through the speakers, her girl anthems distracting me from the Adonis who had taken over my subconscious. By the time I reached Stanley Real Estate, I was almost on time.
The office hadn’t changed a bit. Dad’s plaques were still on the eggshell-colored walls. The same plant was in the corner, although it was much bigger than I remembered, and the lamp and magazines on the corner table were still in place. All that was missing was Alice, Dad’s longtime secretary.
I made my way through the building and to my old office. It had been rearranged by the last occupant, but it still felt like mine and I was relieved. Who says you can’t go home?
I tossed my things on my desk and opened my blinds, gazing out at the small grassy patch behind that building. Kari and I played on that growing up, racing around, practicing gymnastics and playing tag. Mom would pack picnic lunches on the weekends if Dad had to work. We would bring food and a quilt and eat lunch out on the grass.
The wave of nostalgia hit me unexpectedly. I had been gone for so long. I had been so caught up in my life that I had forgotten about those little moments—the moments that made me who I was.
My throat constricted as the memories flooded by, comforting and saddening me at the same time.
“You got this, sweet pea.” I closed my eyes as I remembered the line Mom always said to encourage me. I wished so hard that I could hear her say that to me one more time, to assure me as I started this new chapter in my life. Will I be okay this time? Do I have this? I wasn’t sure, but I had to keep plowing forward either way.
“It is so nice having you back,” Alice said, bringing me out of my reverie. “You were very missed around here. But you know that.”
I turned and smiled at her, pushing my memories away. She looked remarkably the same as she did when I left, her greying hair pulled tightly back into her signature bun. “Thank you. It is really nice to be back.”
“Well, everything feels right now that you are home—where you belong.” She pushed her eyeglasses up on her nose, giving me a motherly look. “Your father wants to see you when you get a chance, by the way. He has a bounce in his step this morning that I haven’t seen for a long time.”