Page 184 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 2

“You sold the bags.”

“My life is just . . .” I take a staggering breath, not wanting to get upset. “It’s no reflection on their lives and not jealousy, but in comparison, it kind of makes me feel like I’m a mess.”

He pulls me into a strong-arm embrace, and I rotate into the little spoon position. Jackson kisses the side of my neck. Although he gets hot at night, I love being this close to him.With him.

“You’re exactly where you should be, Marlow.”

As we lie in the dark, his words running on a loop through my head, I can’t stop thinking about how easy it is to be here. Not just in his bed but also in his life. His apartment. His hours and days. And how seamlessly we’ve come to an understanding with space and peace between us.

Just knowing he’s near has given me a new level of comfort that I’ve never experienced before. It makes me regret not letting him into my life—andmy heart—sooner.

CHAPTER 16

Jackson

“I understand, Mr. Morgenstern, but the market is not open on Saturday.” I pace to the other end of the court and turn back. Even though we’re outside, I’m heated from the basketball game.

I didn’t get to sleep in as long as I would have liked, but the only time we could score at the courts is midmorning, so we booked it. Leaving Marlow in bed naked was harder. Literally. But she shooed me out the door and pulled her silky eye mask back down over her eyes. She was sleeping soundly by the time I left.

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to stay in bed so badly before. Until I return home to her, I need to deal with Morgenstern and then show the boys how real men play the game.

Rad and Cade are shooting free throws and missing every damn shot. They’re an embarrassment. I need to end this call and show them how it’s done, but Morgenstern is going off about a drop in value and losing his shirt in stocks. I say, “I’m nota broker anymore. Even if the stock market was open, I didn’t renew my license.”

He says, “But you’re still registered. That must mean something.”

“The registration with the SEC is not current. There’s nothing I can do for you other than recommend you call your broker and have him ready to sell on Monday.”

“Is that what you think I should do? Sell? I thought you’d want me to hold on to the stocks like bonds and let them mature.”

“Mr. Morgenstern, I’m not making any recommendations. It’s not a stock I’ve been following to be in a position to give an opinion one way or the other. As I said, you need to contact your broker?—”

“He’s in Jamaica celebrating his honeymoon.”

Fuck.He trusted me when I had no clients as a new wealth advisor and was trying to build my portfolio. I owe him for taking a chance on me. “Here’s what I can do. Since you’re still a client with Christiansen Wealth Management, let me make some calls. I’ll find out who’s covering for your broker. If they’re good, I’ll have them call you. If I don’t think they’re ready to handle your transactions, I’ll bring Andrew, the CEO, on to help you. Will that work?”

“If you trust them, it works for me. Thanks, Jackson.”

Cutting across the basketball court, I reply, “No problem. Have a good weekend.”

As soon as I pull my phone from my ear, Rad asks, “You up for another game?”

We understand that business tops time on the court, so we don’t generally give each other too hard of a time when we have to take a call. It’s part of the job description when we signed up, and we all get fucked out of a game here and there. “One more game?”

“Me against the two of you?”

Bent over trying to catch his breath, Cade chuckles. “Cocky as ever, dude.” He waves us off. “I’m sitting this one out. You and Rad go ahead.”

Rad laughs as he throws the ball to me. “He can’t hang like he used to.”

I turn and shoot, banking the ball. Rad runs to retrieve it. Taking it, he does a layup. I’m thinking we’re not going to play to score but fuck around, which is probably best. I’m still thinking about the secret Marlow shared with me.

After Rad throws the ball to me again, I dribble to the bench courtside. Overheated and red in the face, Cade wipes the sweat from his forehead but looks up. “What are you and Cammie doing tonight?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“What about going out to dinner instead of brunch tomorrow?”

“It’s been a while since we’ve gone out on a Saturday night. I know she’d like that. I’ll talk to her when I get home.” Resting back against the wood-planked wall with a smirk in place, he nods. “So you and Marlow, huh?”

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