Billion Dollar Stranger - Stephanie Brother Page 0,57

way, it’s hard to imagine it could ever be possible. All my thoughts about love seem childish in the face of Jessie’s story. Love isn’t the fairy tale. It doesn’t sweep you off your feet into a perfect sunset. But when it finds you, it has the power to shine new, healing light on old wounds, to make everything feel possible. For all my fear, I think Aaron could be the person to do that for me, and I want to be that person for him.

“I met someone,” I tell Jessie. I wasn’t intending to reveal anything about Aaron in case he doesn’t come, but I think I need to. “He might be coming here tomorrow.”

“Might be?” Jessie arches an eyebrow as her eyes scan my face.

“It’s complicated.”

“Isn’t it always.” It’s her turn to pat my hand. “But you like him despite the complications.”

“I think I like him because of them,” I say. “He’s been through a lot. Similar things to me.”

“So you have a shared starting point,” Jessie says. “That can be good. You understand each other, like me and Ryan.”

“I think so.”

“Why do you think he might not come?”

I sigh, fiddling with my bracelet in my lap. “I think he’ll want to, but maybe it’s a step too far.”

Jessie smiles kindly. “Although this might feel like a really tough situation, it’s actually good. If he comes, you know he’s taking a big step forward to be with you. It’s symbolic in a way. And if he doesn’t, you know that he wasn’t capable of being the person you need. Either way, you’ll know soon enough.”

It’s true. I will know. The butterflies settle just a little in my belly. I want Aaron to take that step so much, but I’ve done all I can to let him know how I feel. Now the ball is in his court.

As hard as it is to wait, it’s all I can do.

Tonight, at least I have my cousin here to keep me company.

26

AARON

It’s Thursday at 5 pm, and I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do. I suspect Nicole is already at the hotel, but I haven’t called to check. I’m sitting at my desk, and I haven’t done anything productive for at least an hour. My PA will be going home soon, and I think I’ll probably leave at the same time. As I’m getting ready to pack up my briefcase, there is a soft tap at the door. When I call out “Come in,” Sandrine enters, holding a large envelope. She looks nervous, shifting from foot to foot in her black flats. She’s renowned for being a formidable woman, so this behavior is unusual. Her eyes dart from the envelope to me behind her new, thick-rimmed glasses that I still haven’t gotten used to.

“What is it, Sandrine?” I say, curious.

“I…I’m not sure how to say this,” she says, grasping the envelope with both hands.

“What?”

“Well, I was expecting you to ask me to arrange your travel plans,” she says, chewing her lip nervously.

“What travel plans?” I frown and then realize what she’s alluding to. Sandrine reads all my emails except the ones marked with a high-security classification. She’d read Nicole’s email. “Oh, you mean to Rhode Island?”

She looks decidedly uncomfortable. “Well, yes.”

This whole conversation is uncomfortable as hell. “I haven’t decided whether I’ll go.”

“I thought that might be the case,” she says, bringing the envelope up and hugging it to her chest. “This is awkward.”

It is, but I’m not going to show her how embarrassed I am at the idea of her knowing things about my personal life. Other than buying gifts for family birthdays and Christmas, I’ve kept my PA away from anything non–business related. I’m sure she’s discreet, and she’s signed an NDA, but I don’t like the idea of being anything but professional with her.

“It’s okay, Sandrine. It’s your job to read my emails. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“It’s not that,” she says, taking a step forward but still looking as though she is holding something in her hands that might explode if she lets it go.

“Well, what is it then?” I say impatiently. Sandrine is usually efficient and forthright, and I find her new hesitancy annoying.

“I think I may have overstepped my role, and I’m hoping you’re not going to be angry about it. I had Security run a risk assessment on…Whiskey Rose.” She tenses, bracing herself for my anger, holding out the envelope, and stepping backward when I have taken hold of it.

“You did what?”

“When