Page 45 of Their After Hours Playbook

Paige drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I’ll think about it. Okay?”

“Fair enough.”

“I hope we can be friends, Alexis.”

“Really? I’d love that.”

Paige smiled. “Good. I’d love that, too.”

Paige said her goodbye to Alexis, then decided to clear her head with a walk. She covered a lot of ground, wandering all over the place, soaking up the sights and sounds of life all around her. The sun was bright. The air was warmer than yesterday, which had been warmer than the day before that. There was so much to be thankful for. So much to look forward to. Summer would arrive soon. Another season. And yet none of it meant a thing to Paige. It all felt like a reminder that her life had become a hollow shell. She loved her work, but did it love her back? After everything that had happened with Alexis, she could say that it definitely did not.

When she got back to her apartment, she looked at her phone and rolled it around in her hand. She knew what her heart wanted, and she knew very well what her gut was telling her, as well as what Alexis had told her. She wanted Zach and she needed to try again with him. It might not work, but she’d forgiven Alexis, so why couldn’t she forgive Tom? And if she could forgive Tom, she and Zach might have a future together. As long as Zach would accept her apology.

She decided to test the waters. Just a text. If no response came, she would know her fate and she’d move on. Just like she’d moved on hundreds of times before today.

I miss you. And I need to apologize. Her heart skipped a few hundred beats before she hit Send. But eventually she did.

Her phone rang only a second or two later. It was Zach.

“Hello?” she answered, in shock.

“On the long list of things I fantasized about you saying to me, ‘I need to apologize’ didn’t make the list,” Zach replied. “Then again, I’ve never been one of those guys who needed to be right.”

Her entire body was blanketed in warmth. “God, I missed your voice.”

“Considering the fact that I wasn’t sure you’d ever speak to me again, I’d say that I more than missed yours. I’ve spent the last two days trying to commit it to memory.”

“That is so sweet. It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.” Paige plopped down on the couch, but in a different spot from the one she’d been inhabiting for the last two days. “What are we going to do, Zach? How do we fix this?”

“Funny you should ask. I actually made a plan. I thought I was going to have to carry it out on my own, but I think it would be better if you were there.”

“Plan? What kind of plan?”

“How much fun would it be if I actually told you?”

“Can I get a hint?”

“We’re going to need to go to Long Island to talk to Tom and my mom.”

Paige needed a second or two to think about that. What an uncomfortable situation that was going to be. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

“No idea. But do you want to try?”

“I do.”

“Then I’ll pick you up at your place in an hour.”

Paige looked down at herself. She was a wreck. She hadn’t showered in twenty-four hours and she was wearing sweats. “Today? We’re doing this today?”

“It’s now or never, darling. I’m tired of waiting for my life to start.”

“I was hoping to tell you I’m sorry.”

“It can wait until I see you. An in-person apology is always better.”

Paige grinned. “Deal.” She got off the phone with Zach and quickly showered, then spent a fair amount of time doing her hair and makeup. She wanted to look as good as humanly possible. The next several hours held a lot of uncertainty, but she hoped for the best. In her closet, she deliberated over an outfit. Eventually, she settled on slim black pants, ballet flats and a blue silk top. It wasn’t her sexiest attire, but she wanted to be presentable to meet Zach’s mom.

As she waited downstairs for Zach to arrive, Paige’s heart was beating so fast that she was surprised she wasn’t dizzy. The next bit was going to require quite a few leaps. Was she ready for them? She sure hoped so. When he zipped up to the curb in his Aston Martin, a car she’d heard about but had not yet ridden in, her heart sped up even more. Zach parked the car and got out. “Don’t move. Let me get your door.”

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