Page 64 of Strictly Business
“And? I’ve known you for over a decade. If you wanted to kill me, you would’ve done it by now.”
“The jury is still out,” she joked and I rolled my eyes but pressed the key into her hand. She continued to stare at it for about five minutes before she finally shoved it inside her clutch and followed me to the bedroom. Despite my lack of sleep the past week, I suddenly found myself wide awake.
That first date was perfect, and so were the two others since then, but I’m still struggling with having to hide our relationship from Josh. Michaela wants to tell him in person, and I respect that, but sometimes it feels like she’s putting it off. She’s been waiting for him to come into town instead of inviting him to visit or making sure to see him before coming home from Bridgeport. I get it, sometimes schedules don’t align, but you’d think she would want to tell him about the divorce and start dropping hints that she is seeing someone new.
I don’t push, though. I can never understand what she’s going through, not really. When I broke up with Amanda it was much easier than I thought it would be — for me, anyway. This is going to sound terrible, but I’d grown tired of her. Don’t get me wrong, I used to love a good party, but she was addicted to it. Eventually, it turned into something more sinister. I tried to get her help, I did, but she didn’t want it. You can only lead a horse to water. It’s up to them to drink it. Amanda didn’t want anything to do with it. Everyone thought she was a good, wholesome girl — the girl I’d end up settling down with — and they were upset when I broke up with her after three years without an explanation. But, I knew they’d blame me for bringing her into our world, introducing her to this world of unlimited access with limited repercussions.
I blame myself too.
“Dude, get your head in the game!” Colin shouts towards Josh pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Okay, Wildcats,” I snicker shoving Colin back a step. “Take a breather.” I can’t blame him, we’ve been getting our asses handed to us every time Josh goes anywhere near the ball today. It’s pretty obvious something is on his mind, keeping him from being anywhere near the court and the other team is taking advantage of it. I’m curious what’s eating at him because I know what it’s not.
“Did you just make a High School Musical reference?” Knox looks appalled.
“Shut up,” I laugh pointing a finger at him.
“Don’t let him fool you,” Nick chuckles. “He was a secret Disney kid.”
“You’re one to talk, Mr. Call Me Maybe.”
Nick shrugs, “It’s catchy, sue me.”
“What is going on with you?” I ask Josh.
“Nothing,” he snaps.
I share a look with Nick who subtly shakes his head. Now is not the time to get into this, whatever this is. My watch dings, a message. Shortcake. The name appears and I quickly dismiss the notification. The last thing I need is for Josh to see his sister’s name in my notifications. I don’t even want to think of how to explain that when we’re not working together anymore, and he still thinks we hate each other.
“You got somewhere else to be?” Colin asks. I look up from the dramatic gif she had sent in response to meet four curious stares.
Thanks, Colin.
“You’ve been checking your phone a lot,” Josh adds with a knowing smirk. He knows me better than most and I’m sure he already has it figured out why I’ve been so preoccupied. The problem is, I don’t want to be the one to tell him the who. “Something you want to share with the class, Sheff?”
“Nope.” I offer a tight-lipped smile locking my phone.
“It’s my mom,” Knox says quickly. I’m grateful the kid is quick on his feet. “She’s wondering when I’ll be home since she got off early today.”
“You just said you could come to Benny’s with us,” Colin looks between us.
“Yeah, I can. He was confirming that with her.”
“Why didn’t she text you?” Colin motions towards Knox’s phone in his hands.
“I wasn’t answering,” Knox shrugs. “C’mon, we gonna finish the game or what?” He returns to the court and yells the same thing to the other team. I follow him, ignoring the questioning stares of my three best friends.
Chapter Thirty-Two
MICHAELA
I POUR A CUP of coffee and lean back against the counter with a small sigh. In less than three weeks, this condo has become more of a home to me than my own. If you had told me when we started working together that I'd sorta-kinda-actually be in a relationship with Finn Sheffield, let alone sleeping with him, I would have called you crazy. Absurd. Delusional. The thought would have made me sick. Now, I can’t believe I never thought about it before.
I have two hours before I meet with a new vendor, so I decided to sleep in and enjoy a slow morning with Finn before going to work.
The coffee warms my body against the slight bite of the air conditioner. It’s the first week of October, and we’re finally seeing the first signs of fall, each morning waking up to a chill in the air. However, by lunchtime, it feels like summer again. It’s that awkward phase when you have to embrace being uncomfortable one way or another, and I’d rather be a little cold than too hot.
Sipping the steaming liquid, I step up to the windows and take a moment to appreciate the view. The condo sits twenty stories above SoHo with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase the beauty of Manhattan. You can see from Tribeca to the Freedom Tower with full-on views of the Hudson. This view is everything I've ever dreamed of in a New York City home. And now, I can call it mine (kind of). It's obvious Finn didn't do the decorating. There's a hint of a woman's touch in it. Mahogany wood floors stretch through the open floor plan of the condo. The cabinetry and doors throughout match the rich mahogany color, a contrast to the stark white of everything else. White walls. White furniture. White rugs. White marble island. White backsplash. Hell, even the bathrooms are almost entirely white marble. When he buys something of his own, we’re gonna have a conversation about adding a little color to his life.