“Doesn’t matter.”

He flipped between a house renovation station and the news, ultimately settling on a stock market show.

“Feel free to change it, sir.” He set the remote in front of me and refilled my glass.

I tried to pay attention to the boring suits and their predictions, but they weren’t saying anything of value. I pulled out my phone and watched the time tick by instead.

Fifteen minutes passed, and there was still no sign of Penelope.

“We’re here with Simon Gaines of Gaines & Associates.” The reporter’s voice made me look up again. “The biggest and most successful hedge fund right now. They’ve recently moved their headquarters from Florida to New York.”

Simon smiled and shook her hand.

I squinted at the background, realizing he was at the Park Bay Cafe off the Hudson River. He was wearing another custom suit and that custom watch he’d bragged about over dinner.

I tossed back my shot and ordered another.

“How are you enjoying the Big Apple so far, Mr. Gaines?” the reporter asked.

“It’s been wonderful thus far. Already feels like home. My luxury cars have never been treated better.”

What do your cars have to do with anything?

“You have tons of high profile and big name clients,” she said. “Why do you think that is?”

“My experience and track record—especially landing on the Forbes 500 at such a young age, speaks for itself,” he said. “I was more than fine in Florida, but the clients wanted me to be somewhere bigger, so I came here.”

I started to change the channel, but the sexiest woman in the world suddenly appeared on a boat behind him.

Penelope looked ahead at Simon with stars in her eyes, dressed in a white blouse and jeans.

“You were spotted with Hayden Hunter recently,” the reporter continued talking. “Is he considering an investment in your firm, or are you investing in Cinder?”

“I can never discuss business publicly.” He smiled. “But for the record, it was a friendly dinner. He and I share a beautiful common interest, and I believe he now knows that I’m protective of the things that I like, that’s all.”

I clenched my jaw, catching the double entendre.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

I answered my phone without looking at the screen. “Yes?”

“Really?” Penelope laughed. “Am I interrupting you?”

“No.” I noticed her onscreen again, getting out of the boat with the phone held up to her ear. “I believe you’re standing me up, though.”

“How so?”

“You said you’d meet me at Tully’s.”

“Yeah, on Tuesday,” she said. “It’s Thursday, Hayden.”

Huh? I looked at my watch.

She was right.

“Sorry.” I let out a breath.

“It’s okay. I’m losing track of time these days as well.” She walked down to the edge of the riverbank, taking a seat at a table.

A waiter stepped in front of her and blocked my view.

“Are you there, Hayden?” Penelope asked.

“Yes.” I watched the waiter finally move, tried to tune out Simon’s never-ending spiel. “I’m here.”

“For what it’s worth, I like the fact that you make people schedule their interview with you in advance,” she said. “I’m literally watching a play by play of what happens when they don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some finance reporter spotted me and Simon walking and she just so conveniently happened to have her full camera crew and lighting kit ready. She begged for an interview and Hayden actually bought into her ‘what a coincidence’ nonsense.”

“He’s just new,” I said. “He’ll adjust soon. You shouldn’t be upset.”

She leaned forward on her elbows. “Why is that?”

“Because during our Cold War, I was the same way. I stopped and talked to whoever asked me. The extra attention can be quite addictive at first. Besides, if this is the worst thing he’s done, then he’s a great guy right?”

She smiled, and I honestly couldn’t believe that I’d just said that.

“Right,” she said. “This is the first time that I’ve been annoyed. Everything else has been wonderful.”

“Well, brush this off as a one-time thing and pick up where you left off. If he’s serious about you, he’ll find a way to make it up to you soon anyway.”

I need a fucking lobotomy.

“Thanks, Hayden.” Her lips curved into a smile again. “You’re the best.”

“You’re welcome.”

She opened her mouth to say something else, but the screen suddenly glitched and faded into a bottled water commercial.

“I think he’s done talking to the interviewer now,” she said. “I’ll call you later. Tonight, maybe?”

“Sure.”

Eighteen

Present Day

Penelope

Me: Raincheck on Central Park tonight? The ice at the rink is cracked around the edges again, so I’ll have to be there tonight with the staff until they finish.

Me: By the way, Simon sent me chocolates and flowers at the rink this morning to make up for it. (You were right.)

Me: What should I say to his text? (Attaching screenshot) I think he wants me to fly to Napa Valley this weekend.

Me: Sorry I missed your call! I’ll call you later. (Thank you for the advice via voicemail [smile emoji] )

Nineteen

Present Day

Hayden

I was starting to get annoyed by all the advice I was giving her to land this other guy. And by “annoyed,” I meant jealous.

Stage ten envy. Full-blown fucking jealous.

To make matters worse, the fantasies that ran through my mind were getting filthier with each passing day. Uttering the words, “Stop. She's your best friend's sister,” no longer blocked me from thinking about all the ways I wanted to see her in my bed, taking every inch of me.

The more I thought about our missed meetings at Central Park and the nightly conversations that had come to a halt, the more I started to feel that maybe, just maybe, she’d be better off with me.

Penelope: Are you at home? I need some advice on something.

I didn’t answer her.

Instead, I headed downstairs to my private gym. I’d taken five cold showers today, and I needed to take a new approach to get her off my mind.

Letting out a breath, I adjusted the weights on my bar and settled on the bench.

My phone sounded with more texts from her, but I ignored those, too.

As I was lifting the bar, I heard the sound of heels clicking against the floor. And then Penelope was suddenly standing over me. The sight of her in a tightly fitted grey dress damn near made me drop the weight onto my chest.

“You got a minute?” she asked.

“I'm clearly in the middle of something right now.” I tried not to stare at her lips too hard, but I couldn’t help it. I slowly set the weight into place and sat up.