An Agreement (Summer in New York Book 3) Read online

  “Hey.” I leaned back and held her face in my hands. “Wanna get out of here?”

  She nodded, all sweet and innocent. Bailey was adorable.

  She collected her things and I took her out for gelato. I was friends with Tony, the guy who ran the place. And he was nice enough to let us in even though he’d already closed for the night.

  “This is amazing.” Bailey licked her spoon like a little girl. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

  I sat there and watched her, eating a whole cup of gelato. To tell you the truth, I could’ve sat there all night.

  “What flavor did you get again?” I asked.

  “Passionfruit,” she blushed. “Do you want some?”

  “Nah, I’m fine. You eat all you want.”

  She smiled and took another bite. “So how do you know him?”

  “Who?” I looked at the empty shop.

  “The manager.”

  “When I first moved to New York, I had a hard time finding work. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. He gave me a job. Years later, I helped him open this place as a way of saying thank you.”

  She stuck her spoon in the gelato. “You’re a really great guy, Carter.”

  “I don’t know about that. But I’m tryin’.”

  “Thank you.” She looked into my eyes. “I really needed this tonight.”

  “What happened?” I put my cheek against my hand. “With that guy?”

  “To be honest, I think he just wanted to get me into bed.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “He wanted me to go home with him tonight. It just felt a little fast to me.”

  I nodded.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  I grinned. “Always.”

  “At what point do guys expect sex? Is it two weeks? Two months?”

  “It depends on the guy.”

  “Yeah but—”

  “I think you’re trying to generalize. I thought you weren’t looking for just any guy.”

  She mixed the gelato with her spoon. “Well, I’m not.”

  “All that matters is the kind of guy you’re looking for. Yeah, some guys expect it on the first date. But that doesn’t apply to you because you don’t want someone like that anyway.”

  “Then when does he expect it?” she asked.

  “Who?”

  “The kind of guy I’m looking for.”

  I furrowed my brow and frowned. “The right guy won’t push you into anything you don’t want to do. I think it will just happen naturally. When it feels right for both of you.”

  She stared at me, almost like she didn’t completely understand.

  “Look, all I’m saying is, you can’t just throw all men into the same boat. Because men want different things. They’re not all the same. But when you ask me questions, I’m giving you the honest answer of how a guy would feel who really cares about you. Isn’t that the kind of man you’re looking for?”

  “Yeah.”

  Too bad he couldn’t be me.

  “Then don’t worry about that jerk tonight. Every guy is not like that. Yeah, there are players out there who just want one thing. But there are real men out there to who would love to be with you.”

  “You really think so?” she whispered.

  “Yeah. The right guy is out there, Bailey. Don’t give up. He’s going to adore you.”

  She brushed a few tears away and wiped her mouth. When she looked at me, my eyes were already on her. They always were. Every time I saw her, I couldn’t look away.

  “You’ve been really sweet, Carter. But I have to be honest about something.”

  Great. Here was the part where she said she couldn’t see me anymore. Again.

  “I hate not having you in my life. These past few weeks, I’ve been miserable. And I think it’s because I’ve missed you. I’ve missed seeing you. And, I know what I said before. But I’d like to be friends again.”

  Just friends. I’d put my heart on my sleeve. And she’d put me in the friend zone.

  “I’d like that too,” I said. Because it was better than nothing at all.

  “Really?” She sounded surprised.

  “Yeah.” I reached across the table and touched her hand. “Don’t you know I like you?”

  She looked wistful, almost sad. “I like you, too. And you’ve been such a great friend.”

  “Then let’s start hanging out again,” I suggested. “I’ll even be your body guard if you’d like.”

  She giggled. God, I’d missed that sound. It made my stomach twist with warmth.

  “Okay.” She finished her gelato. “I should probably go. It’s getting late.”

  “Let me walk you home.”

  WE TOOK OUR TIME ON the way back to her apartment. Bailey opened up to me in ways she never had before. And as close as I felt to her now, I’d always want to be closer.

  “When I was a little girl, I guess I was living in some sort of fantasy.”

  I slid my hands in my pockets, walking beside her. “What do you mean?”

  “I kind of thought that he would just show up.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “My future husband, I guess. I really believed in the whole knight in shining armor bit. I thought if I was good enough, he would come and find me. Ride up on a white horse. It’s stupid, I know.”

  “That’s not stupid, Bailey.”

  “It’s just that I had everything planned out. And when it comes to my career, I couldn’t be happier. But romance is something entirely different. Finding a soulmate is nothing like I expected.”

  “Maybe it’s not supposed to be easy.”

  “What do you mean?” She furrowed her brow.

  “If true love came easy, no one would appreciate it. It’s the hard things in life that are really worth somethin’.”

  “You’re right,” she sighed. “But I still wish I’d found him already. I’ve been alone for a long time.”

  So have I, I thought to myself.

  “Well, here we are.” She stopped in front of her building. “Do you want to come up?”

  I thought about it and hesitated.

  “I have ice for your battle wounds.”

  I looked at her and chuckled. “Not tonight. It’s late. I should head back to my place.”

  “Okay.” She watched me. “We’ll have to hang out soon.”

  “Yeah, I’d like that.”

  She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Thanks for being my knight in shining armor tonight.”

  “Anytime.” I stood there like an idiot and watched her walk away. She went through the glass doors and looked back at me. We gave each other a little wave. And then she was gone.

  I’d only turned her down because it would be impossible for me to keep my hands off her. All she wanted right now was friendship. So I was going to be a gentleman and a good friend.

  Even though I wanted to be so much more.

  Chapter 8

  Bailey

  My days were different now. I woke up with a smile on my face. I hummed in the shower. And I couldn’t stop giggling about things that weren’t even funny. I’d turned into a sap overnight. There was only one reason why.

  Carter was back in my life.

  I knew he couldn’t handle anything more than being friends, for whatever reason. But instead of getting upset about it and walking away, I’d been getting a little creative. Maybe it had been wrong to shut him out completely. After all, having him in my life under any circumstances was better than nothing.

  That’s why I’d adopted another approach. We were going to stay friends this time. No matter what happened in the future. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t show him what he was missing.

  He had agreed to help me find my soulmate. And so far, he’d covered a lot of ground. Styling tips. Cooking lessons. Personal training. But we’d never delved into the most important stuff.

  I wanted to learn more. And there was plenty left for him to teach me.<
br />
  All I had to do was be a good little student. And teach him a few lessons of my own.

  We started going to the gym together again. Five days a week. And I’d never enjoyed exercising so much. He touched me in a million subtle ways. I just had to figure out how to get under his skin.

  That’s why I invited him over for dinner at my place. I’d wear the dress he loved. Cook his favorite meal. Exude the confidence and energy he swore men loved. And then I’d ask him to school me on one last thing. The art of seduction.

  There was a knock on the door. I bit my lip and checked my reflection in the mirror. Then I took a breath and answered the door. Carter was standing there with a bouquet of white roses.

  “Hi.” I leaned on the door. “Are those for me?”

  “Yeah.” He handed them over.

  “Thank you.” I made room for him to enter. “Come on in.”

  He crossed the threshold and slid his hands in his pockets.

  While he wasn’t looking, I closed my eyes and smelled the roses. They were heavenly.

  “I figured you didn’t like the red ones.”

  I furrowed my brow at his odd comment and shut the door. What was he talking about?

  “Somethin’ smells good.” He rubbed his stomach. “I’m starved.”

  “Good.” I grinned and found a vase for the flowers. “I hope you like what I made.”

  He stood behind me as I poured water in the vase. I felt the warmth of his presence and it made my skin tingle with delight. The roses were a nice distraction. So I cut the stems and arranged them in the vase.

  “I like your dress,” he said. “You wore the red one.”

  “Yeah.” I turned around. “Don’t you like it?”

  “It’s my favorite.”

  “I know.” I narrowed my eyes. “That’s why I wore it.”

  He smoldered and put his hand on the couch. “I just figured you’d save it for special occasions.”

  “This is a special occasion.”

  “Oh.” He looked frustrated, like I’d made him mad or something. “Need help with anything?”

  “No. Everything is ready if you’d like to eat.”

  “That sounds good.” He hovered while I stood in front of the stove.

  “Why don’t you let me serve your plate?” I asked.

  “Bailey, you don’t have to wait on me. I can fix my own plate.”

  “Please.” I put my hand on his chest. “I really want to.”

  He stared at me for a few seconds. “Okay. Sure.”

  While he took a seat, I served our plates at the counter. Then I put them on the table and grabbed a couple of glasses. I’d already set the table with silverware and napkins before he arrived.

  “Bailey, this looks great.” He sounded amazed.

  “Thanks.” I opened the fridge. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Water’s fine.”

  “Ice?” I dropped a few cubes in my glass.

  “No thanks,” he said.

  I sat down with our drinks. “Do you like it?”

  “I haven’t tried anything yet. I was waiting for you.”

  That was sweet. And one of the many reasons why I liked him.

  “Well, I’m here now.” I picked up my fork. “Help yourself.”

  For dinner, I’d made chicken and dumplings, fried green tomatoes and steamed vegetables. I held my breath as he took the first bite. Probably because I was so worried he wouldn’t like it. He’d taken the time to help me learn a new recipe. I wanted to show him how beneficial he’d been to my cooking skills.

  Carter ate some more. “Wow. This is awesome. You cooked all this by yourself?”

  “Well.” I cut a fried green tomato into pieces. “I had a little help.”

  “From who?”

  “My uncle. He wasn’t here. But I did call and ask him some questions.”

  “He’s the one who owns Geraldo’s?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “He’s a chef. I think he’d like to open his own restaurant one day.”

  “But I thought you just said he already owns a restaurant?” he asked.

  “He bought those locations from the original founder. But I think he’d really like to start a new restaurant of his own. Something that no one else has ever done before.”

  “So would I.” He ate heartily, and it made me smile.

  “Really?” I said.

  “It’s one thing to take over somebody else’s dreams. It’s another to invest in your own.”

  “So why don’t you?” I asked.

  “What?”

  “Start your own restaurant. You have the experience.”

  He tore into his vegetables. “I don’t have the capital.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Money,” he snapped. “Do you have any idea how much it takes to open a brand new restaurant?” He stabbed at a friend green tomato. His fork screeched against the plate. “Not to mention, getting enough investors interested to finance the thing. And if it didn’t work, I’d owe all that debt.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to—”

  “Yeah, well, money doesn’t grow on trees.”

  I set my fork down and swallowed. It was the one problem that always creeped up when I was least expecting it. Just because my father was a billionaire, everyone assumed I had some trust fund with my name on it. But I’d worked for every penny I had. And while my father had helped me start the business, I’d already paid him back plus interest. I’d also held up my end of the bargain we’d initially made, which meant he got a piece of the profits. A way to hold his vested interest should I run into a problem.

  But Carter thought everything came easy to me. That I’d never had to work for anything. That I didn’t know how hard running a business was. That money was only a phone call away. Thanks to Daddy.

  “Excuse me for a moment.” I stood up and went to my bedroom. Then I shut the door and felt tears running down my cheeks. I’d put so much into this night, wanting it to be perfect. But Carter would never want to be anything more than my friend. That much was clear.

  All the grand plans I’d conjured up. It was all a waste.

  I’d lost my nerve. I didn’t feel brave anymore.

  How could I ask him to teach me the art of seduction now?

  “Bailey.” He knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”

  “I’ll just be a minute.” I wiped my tears away.

  “Please.”

  “Okay,” I sniffled. “You can come in.”

  He opened the door and I sat down on the bed, looking away from him.

  “I’m a jackass. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s no big deal.” I picked at a tiny hole in my blanket.

  “Yeah, it is.” He stood there and stared at me. “Will you forgive me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How can I make it up to you?” he asked.

  Now would be the perfect time to make him date me out of guilt. But I didn’t want a relationship rooted in pity. I wanted to be with a man who wanted to be with me. Bonnie Raitt said it best. I couldn’t make him love me.

  “Give me some more dating advice. More advice about men.”

  He sighed. “Okay. What do you want to know?”

  “What do they like to talk about?”

  “I’ve already told you. On a date, just be yourself.”

  I pierced his gaze with mine. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “He’ll just want to get to know you. And you’ll discover things you have in common. Hopefully.”

  “And after that?” I asked.

  “After what?”

  “What happens after talking?” I gave him the most seductive look I could muster. Then I brushed past him and sauntered into the kitchen. I’d left him wanting more. If he even wanted me at all, that is.

  I heard his footsteps behind me. They were slower than normal. Like he was hesitant.

  “Teach me how to be
seductive.”

  He stared at me in shock, blinking several times.

  “I want to know how to seduce someone.”

  “Someone?” he questioned.

  “A man I might find desirable.” I took a step towards him. “One who feels the same way about me.”

  “I’m sure you already know how to—”

  “No,” I said. “I don’t.”

  “Well, umm.” He turned away. “Why don’t we sit on the couch?”

  “Okay.” I grinned and walked to the couch, sitting down beside him.

  He put his hands on his knees and looked at the black TV screen.

  I tucked my feet beneath me on the couch and snuggled close to him. He smelled good. And he felt so warm. I would’ve given anything to be with him. But for now, I’d have to take what I could get.

  “I’ve never kissed anyone before,” I whispered.

  “What?” He whipped his head around to face me. “You’ve never been kissed?”

  “I didn’t say that.” I looked into his eyes. “I just meant that I’ve never kissed a guy. Because they’ve always kissed me first. I’d like to learn how to take charge and initiate it. Who says I can’t make the first move?”

  “Well, you need to make sure it’s someone you actually want to be kissing.”

  “Oh, it is.” I touched his shoulder and got a little closer. “Am I doing this right?”

  When he looked at my lips, I put his arm around my back. He was still, quiet as I gazed into his eyes. I’d spent long nights fantasizing about what it would be like to kiss him. It made my heart beat faster.

  “I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” he said. “If you just want to be friends.”

  “Who says friends can’t have a little fun?” I leaned in and brushed my lips against his. It was a soft kiss. His scruff tickled my delicate skin. But I loved the way it felt. If only he had some sort of reaction.

  His eyes were closed when I looked at him. But his hand tightened around my waist.

  “How was that?” I asked.

  He opened his eyes and stared at me, his face solid as stone.

  “I’m sorry.” I turned bashful. “I’m not a very good kisser. But you can help me get better if you just—”