“Yeah.” She gave me a nod and turned around.
Placing my hands in my pants pockets, I watched her walk away. She said it was no big deal, but the look in her eyes told me something different.
“Sorry I’m late,” I spoke to Noah as I sat down across from him.
“No worries, bro. I just got here myself. Traffic is terrible.”
“It’s always terrible.” I chuckled.
We ordered our drinks and then placed our dinner order for a couple of burgers and some fries.
“How is the job hunting going?” I asked.
“It’s not. The company I interviewed with today already called and offered the job to someone else.”
“I told you, you can come work for me.”
“Thanks, Asher. I appreciate it, but—”
“I know. I know.” I put my hand up.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I had to wire a bunch of cash to Eloise today for my half of the bills we shared. I’m running out of funds quickly without having a job.”
“What about your savings?”
“Right.” He rolled his eyes. “Eloise was high maintenance, and we didn’t exactly live the subtle life in Paris. That’s one of the reasons why I broke up with her. She was costing me too much money and it became a constant fight. I’m in some serious debt.”
“Women can do that.” I sighed as I bit into my burger. “How much do you need?”
“Nah, man. You’re already letting me stay in your hotel for free. I couldn’t—”
“Yes, you can. You’d do the same for me, and you know it.”
“True.” He smiled.
“Just let me help you until you find a job. Can you wait a couple of days? I’m in meetings all day tomorrow.”
“Of course. God, Asher. You are one hell of a friend. Thanks, bro.”
“You’re welcome.”
“So, what’s new on the lady front? You’re not going to sit there and tell me you haven’t been having sex with some hot chicks.”
I sighed as I threw back my bourbon.
“Actually, there is someone I met. We both agreed to keep it strictly casual.”
“Casual is good. You’re thirty-two years old, and way too young to settle down. Do tell me about this casual woman.” A sly smile crossed Noah’s face.
“Her name is Everly King, and she’s a life coach.”
“A life coach. Okay. What else? How old is she? Younger, older?”
“She’s twenty-eight, and she’s—” I paused. Even though he was my best friend, it was best to keep my mouth shut about her gift.
“She’s?” He cocked his head.
“She’s beautiful.” I smiled.
“No duh. You wouldn’t date anyone less than beautiful. Do you have a picture of her?”
I pulled out my phone, brought up her website and showed him her photo.
“Damn, Asher. She’s hot as fuck. Way to go!” A wide grin crossed his face.
“It’s a temporary thing. She’s only in New York for a couple of months and then she’s heading back to Rhode Island.”
“Better yet. I’d like to meet Miss Everly King before she leaves. Let’s all do dinner one night.”
“Sure.” I gave him an unsure smile.
When I arrived home after my dinner with Noah, I went upstairs to my room, turned on the TV and started to get undressed. The news was on and my attention was quickly caught when I walked by the TV and saw they had captured the man who murdered those call girls. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched as a photo of him appeared on the screen while the newscaster reported the news of his arrest.
22
Everly
“Any chance you’d want to help us out at the police station?” Daniel asked.
“You know I keep a low profile. But if something comes to me. I will always let you know.”
“I know, Everly.” He gave me a hug. “Thanks for your help in catching that guy. You saved that woman’s life.”
“I’m happy she’s okay.”
Daniel kissed Diana goodbye and left for the station. I grabbed my coffee cup from the table and took a seat next to Diana at the island.
“What are your plans for today?” she asked.
“I’m meeting up with a client for lunch and then I have to get back for a zoom call with another client. Don’t you have your first doctor’s appointment today?”
“Yeah.” She grinned. It’s at three o’clock. Daniel is going to meet me there.”
“I’m so excited for you two.” I placed my head on her shoulder.
“Have you considered moving to New York?” she asked.
“I can’t. I need to stay with Grandma and help her with the shop and things.”
“I know.” I detected a sadness in her voice. “It would just be great to have you here permanently. I know Daniel feels the same way.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here a lot. Especially when the baby comes.” I smiled.
Diana left for work and I did some computer work before I had to leave for my lunch meeting with a client. I couldn’t stop thinking about Asher and our conversation yesterday outside his office building. If he didn’t want to see me anymore, he just needed to tell me. I was used to this. It happened all the time. But somehow, I felt this time, it would hurt a lot more than it ever did before. As much as I tried not to let feelings get in the way, it was too late. I liked him a lot and I was possibly falling for him.
Getting out of my own head, I called for a cab and met my client for lunch at the Burger Bar in Greenwich Village. As we were sitting at the table eating lunch and having a conversation, I noticed a man sitting at the bar kept staring at me. As much as I tried not to notice, he made it difficult. My client had to cut our lunch short by fifteen minutes because her son’s school called, and she needed to go pick him up. I hugged her goodbye and stayed back to finish my salad. Just as the waiter re-filled my glass of water and walked away, the man from the bar approached my table.
“Excuse me. I apologize for staring at you, but I wasn’t sure. Are you Everly King?”
“Yes.” I cocked my head at him, not knowing who the hell this guy was.
A smile crossed his face as he sat down across from me.
“My name is Noah, and we have a mutual friend in common: Asher Remington.”
“Oh. You must be the best friend who just moved back from Paris.” I smiled.
“Yes. I’m the one.” He chuckled as he extended his hand.
Placing my hand in his, I froze as images and scenes infiltrated my mind.”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Taking in a deep breath, I let go of his hand.
“I’m fine. It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you as well. I just had dinner last night with Asher and he told me about you.”
“Really? What did he say? All good I hope.” I nervously smiled.
“Of course. He showed me your picture on your business website. So when I saw you walk in, I thought it was you, but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure. My apologies for staring the way I did.”