Page 69 of The Billionaire's Ride

Liz, Beau, and Garret’s brows rise in tandem.

“Of course, he misses you, honey.” Garret pats me on the hand, placating me with his tone and pout.

“Aargh!” I mime pulling my hair out. “Why do I miss him so much?”

“Because you’ve got it bad,” Liz says.

“Kate, I hate to break it to you, but I think you might be in love.” Beau smiles as her pupils dilate.

My stomach knots, and my face grows hot. “I’m notin love. No one’s talking about love except for you.”

“Kate likes a boooy! Katelovesa boooy!” Garret sings, dancing in his seat. Liz and Beau giggle.

“C’mon, you guys. This is serious.” The moment the words are out of my mouth, I realize just how serious it is. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. What do I do now? How do you shake this kind of thing off?” I ask, hoping this is like a cold that I can get over in a week. After all, I can’t be in love with him. People don’t fall in love after only a couple of weeks. That’s ridiculous, right?

“There’s nothing you can do. Crushes have to run their course. It’ll go away eventually,” Garret says. Yep, standard cold cure advice.

“This is more than a crush,” Beau chimes in. “They had something real.”

“Why are you egging her on? This is just like one of your foreign affairs.”

Beau looks slightly offended. “I don’t think it is. And how is she supposed to know if she doesn’t see it through and see what it can be? What if this guy really is The One?”

I shake my head. “I hate that saying, The One. There is noonefor anybody.” I glance at Liz who’s quietly engrossed in our conversation, like she’s watching an episode ofReal Housewives of Something Or Another.

Beau takes my hand and looks into my eyes. “Kate, I know you know that’s not true.” She doesn’t say it, but I know she’s talking about my parents. If my mom had lived, they would have been together forever. No one could ever take her place in my dad’s heart—not even the beautiful Lisa Lake.

“Even if I wanted to pursue him, he lives halfway around the world. What are my options, really?”

“Why don’t you invite him to join you in New York next week? Feel him out,” Beau suggests.

Garret motions a handjob. “She meansfeelhim out.”

“Stop.” Beau whacks his hand down. I laugh, grateful for the break in the tense conversation.

“Beau’s right,” Liz chimes in after complete silence. “If he comes, then you know he’s at least curious if there’s something more.”

I chew the pink lipstick off my bottom lip. A week with Drew in New York sounds like a hell of a lot of fun. Honestly, the two of us could have fun in a cardboard box. “I’ll think about it.”

When I get home after drinks, a large package with a London return address is on my doorstep. I rip open the stiff cardboard and pull out the framed photograph of the tree at Hyde Park with a handwritten note tucked in the corner.

I tried to fit inside the box, but I was too big. Here’s your one-of-a-kind Just Drew photograph.

I’ve been thinking about that night. All our nights.

–Drew

You’ve got to hand it to him. The man knows how to make me blush. It’s five in the morning in London, and I’m sure he’s fast asleep. But I can’t wait. My fingers tremble as I hit the button to dial.

“Hello,” he answers eventually with a deep, groggy voice.

“You should’ve tried harder,” I say.

“What do you mean?” Drew sounds like he’s rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“To fit inside the package. It would’ve been nice to see you. But thank you for the photograph. I love it.” And I love him for sending it. For being Just Drew.

He chuckles. “Oh, you’re welcome.”

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