After All Read online

  “Starving. What did you bring me?”

  “Pastrami on rye,” he says as he pulls the sandwich out of the bag and passes it to me. “Your favorite.”

  “God bless you.” I unwrap the wax paper and sink my teeth into the still-warm goodness. “Smph gmph.”

  “You’re such a lady,” he says with a laugh.

  “I know.” I swallow the bite of goodness and take a swig of water. “Where’s yours?”

  “I already ate it. You’ve been working late a lot lately.”

  “Work’s busy. It’s not a big deal.”

  “You have bags under your eyes. But you’re in luck because I brought eye patches.” He pulls the patches out of his back pocket. “And they’re still cold from the freezer. Come here, I’ll put them on for you.”

  “You come to me, I’m eating.”

  “Such a diva,” he says as he circles the island and opens the pouches, then arranges the cold tabs under my eyes. They’re strangely soothing. “There, these will get rid of the bags. And the dark circles.”

  “I think you just told me I look like shit.”

  “That’s not at all what I said.” He kisses my cheek then returns to his stool. “You’re always beautiful. But you work too hard, and your eyes are tired.”

  “What would I do without you here to take care of me?”

  “I shudder to think about it.” He shivers dramatically, because just about everything he does in life is dramatic, and makes me laugh.

  “How’s Alonzo?” I ask before taking another bite of my pastrami.

  “Who?” He frowns.

  “The dude you were dating two weeks ago.”

  “Oh. Right. I have no idea.”

  I raise a brow. “What happened?”

  “He’s an idiot. Took one and a half dates to figure it out.”

  “Faster than the last one.” I shrug and polish off the sandwich, then sigh in happiness. “Should I be this in love with a sandwich?”

  “It’s a pretty good sandwich,” he says. “What else is going on with you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Christopher rolls his eyes. “I’m your best friend, Nora. Something’s been up with you, I just haven’t been able to put my finger on it. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were having man issues, but we got rid of that issue last year.”

  I sigh and toss my garbage in the recycle bin and then lead him to the living room where we sit on my incredibly comfortable couch. “Okay, I’m just going to be blunt.”

  “That’s the way we do things, honey.”

  “Why do I suddenly think Carter’s hot?”

  “Uh, because he is hot. Duh.” Christopher tilts his head. “Please don’t tell me you’re just now figuring that out. I mean, I understand that you were married, but you weren’t dead.”

  “I’ve always known he’s handsome, but he’s my boss, and up until a year ago, I was married.”

  “To an idiot, and like I said, not dead,” he says, but I ignore him. I stand and pace the living room.

  “But lately, I’ve noticed things. Like the dimple in his left cheek, and the way his ass looks in slacks. And he’s started turning that charming smile that he usually aims at clients on me, and I’m not sure what to make of it.”

  “Sounds like your hormones are recovering from the divorce. And for the record, it’s about damn time.”

  “But not with my boss,” I reply, shaking my head fiercely. “This can’t happen. I can’t have an affair with Carter. I love my job, and I have opportunities there. I’m not going to throw it all away because Carter has a nice ass. I’m not an idiot.”

  “You’re definitely not an idiot,” he agrees. “And workplace romances are typically disastrous. Remember me and Stephan?”

  “Who?”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re right. It can only end badly. So stop looking at his ass and focus on work. We’ll find you a suitable man somewhere else.”

  “Why do you sound like my grandmother?”

  Christopher laughs. “I’m way cooler than your grandmother.”

  “Besides, I’m being a little presumptuous. Just because I think Carter’s hot doesn’t mean he feels the same way. In fact, I’m sure he doesn’t. He’s always perfectly professional.”

  Except when he almost kisses me in the employee lounge and walks me to my car and tucks my hair behind my ear. But I don’t tell Christopher that part.

  “You’re totally right. You’re beautiful, and he’s blind as a friggin’ bat if he doesn’t see it. I’m telling you, I think you’re ready to get back out there, and that’s great news. So now you just have to redirect that energy to dating.”

  “Gross.” I stick my tongue out and gag. “I don’t want to date. I don’t know how to date. It just seems like too much energy.”

  “Well, where are you going to put this sexual tension if you don’t date, Nora? Besides, you’re too pretty and too much fun to die alone.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  “You could date online.”

  “I would literally rather pluck every hair from my body than online date.”

  Christopher nods in agreement. “You just need to get out more. Go to the gym. The grocery. Central Park.”

  “I’m not looking for a serial killer.”

  “Honey, they all frequent the same places. It’s a crapshoot.”

  “Awesome.”

  It’s been five days since Carter walked me to my car after work. Three workdays and a weekend. I spent Saturday with Gabby, shopping for new throw pillows for my apartment, and I think I can safely say that I’ve shaken off the weirdness from the past few months.

  It was just hormones, that’s all. I mean, I am not interested in Carter. I know him too well. I work for him.

  The thought of it is just silly.

  “Good morning.” Carter sets a Starbucks mug on my desk and I look up in confusion.

  “Good morning. You brought me coffee?”

  “Sure. I stopped and got me some, so I grabbed you one, too. Well, a chai because that’s your favorite. Oh, and a muffin.”

  He pulls the muffin, in a small paper bag, out of his pocket and sets it next to my tea.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” He winks, that dimple making an appearance in his cheek again, and turns to his office. But before he disappears inside, he turns back to me. “Do you need anything?”

  “Wait a minute, that’s my line. Do you have a fever? Do you need me to make an appointment with Dr. Hansen?”

  But Carter just laughs and disappears into his office, leaving me with a chai, a muffin, and complete confusion.

  Since when does he fetch me coffee? And ask if I need anything?

  He must be sick.

  I check his appointments and see he’s scheduled for his annual checkup in two weeks. Maybe I should move it up.

  “Hey, Nora,” Quinn says as he walks past my desk. “How’s it going?”

  “I can’t complain,” I reply. “Is he expecting you?”

  “Yep, he called me in,” Quinn replies.

  “Would you like anything? Coffee? Breakfast?”

  Quinn stops next to my desk and smiles kindly. His new wedding ring shines on his left hand.

  “How’s Sienna?” I ask. I like Quinn’s new wife. She’s kind, and an excellent attorney.

  “She’s amazing. And moving into her new office today.”

  “Awesome. Good for her. I’ll go see if she needs anything.”

  “You’d better watch yourself, Nora. I might just try to steal you away from Carter.”

  I smile. All three of the partners are handsome, funny, and kind men. Working for any of them would be great.

  “I’m afraid I’m stuck with Carter. I know too much. He’d have to kill me before he’d let me quit.”

  “You’re probably right,” Quinn replies with a nod. “Have a good day, Nora.”

  “You, too.”

  With Carter busy, I hurry down the
hall to Sienna’s new office and knock on the doorframe.

  “Hey,” she says with a smile when she sees me. “Come on in.”

  “I just saw Quinn and he said you were here, so I thought I’d check on you. Do you need anything?”

  “A stiff drink would be great,” she says with a laugh. Sienna has amazing red hair that’s currently pulled into a tasteful knot. “I’m really fine. We’ve been talking about me coming to work here for months, so I shouldn’t be nervous.”

  “Starting a new job is always nerve-racking. Have you hired an assistant yet?”

  “It’s on the list for this month.”

  “Would you like me to weed through the résumés and schedule interviews for you?”

  She stares at me for a full fifteen seconds before answering. “Holy cow, Nora, are you serious?”

  “Of course, I’m happy to help. We’ll ease you in. And in the meantime, just let me know if you need anything.”

  “You already have a full workload—”

  “It’s fine,” I insist. “And temporary. I’m happy to help.”

  “I owe you lunch.”

  “I’ll collect.” I smile and turn to leave.

  “Oh, Nora?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I know where everything is, and I think I have all the supplies I need, but I could use help figuring out the online scheduling.”

  “No problem. I’ll stop by this afternoon while Carter’s in a meeting.”

  “Thanks.”

  I walk back to my own desk, nodding at colleagues as I make my way down the hall. In the employee break room, I hear two female voices, which isn’t out of the ordinary, but when I hear my name, I stop and listen.

  “I mean, Nora’s been here forever. And I’m sure she’s great at her job, but you’ll never convince me that Carter’s kept her around this long for her scheduling skills. You know they’re fucking when no one else is around.”

  “I don’t know, they never give off that vibe.” That’s Stephanie from payroll. The other voice is Mary from HR. Both have only been here for about a year.

  “Well, of course not. There’s a no-frat policy here,” Mary continues. “But she literally handles everything for him. She even picks Gabby up from school sometimes.”

  “She’s his assistant,” Stephanie says. “And honestly, I don’t think it’s any of our business.”

  “If you two have time to stand in here and gossip about your coworkers, you don’t have enough work to do,” I say from the doorway, making them both jump and flush with embarrassment. “And if you have a problem with me, you can come to me to voice it.”

  “No problem,” Mary says immediately and swallows hard. “I was just going back to my desk.”

  She slips past me and hurries down the hall, and I turn to Stephanie and raise my eyebrows.

  “She has a crush on Carter,” Stephanie says with a sigh. “And she’s catty about it.”

  “That’s a nice way to put it.”

  “I’m going back to work, too. I should have known better than to come down for a third cup of coffee. I don’t need that much caffeine.”

  “Pour a fresh cup. Something tells me you need it.”

  She shrugs. “I hate office gossip.”

  “Me, too.”

  Chapter Two

  ~Carter~

  “Do you have a fever?” I mutter and rest my forehead on the closed door of my office. “Smooth, Carter. Real fucking smooth. I’ve clearly lost the charm I’m known for in the courtroom.”

  I walk to my desk and fall into the chair, rubbing my lips in agitation. What the fuck is wrong with me? Why is this so hard?

  I’ve always known that Nora’s great. I would be crippled without her here at the office. She’s an extension of me here, and usually knows what I need before I do.

  But four months ago, after the encounter in the lounge where I almost kissed the hell out of her, my feelings toward her have changed.

  Or, if I’m being honest, my eyes have opened.

  She’s not just a fantastic assistant.

  She’s a fascinating woman. Intelligent, funny, and so damn beautiful it’s hard to look at her. My fingers itch to plunge into her thick, blond hair. Her body, with luscious curves in all the right damn places, is a siren’s call, and with each day that passes, I’m finding it harder and harder to stay away.

  Only two other people know how I feel. My best friends in the world, Quinn and Finn.

  Finn’s out of the office today, so I pick up the phone and dial Quinn’s number.

  “Yo,” he says, distracted.

  “Come to my office, please.”

  “On my way.”

  We hang up and I stand to pace my office. The space is three times as big as my first apartment, and none of the furniture came from IKEA. No, we had an expensive firm come in and do the place up right.

  I was afraid to sit on the leather couch situated in front of the fireplace for three months when I first moved in.

  “What’s up?” Quinn asks as he saunters into my space and flops on the couch, one leg propped on the other. “Issues with the Sanduski case?”

  “No, the Nora case,” I mutter and shove my hands in my pockets, the way I always do when I’m agitated.

  “Did you finally ask her out?”

  “No.”

  “Carter, none of us are getting any younger,” Quinn says with a heavy sigh. “For the love of God, just ask the woman out to dinner.”

  “There are several reasons that this is a bad idea,” I remind him and sit across from him, holding up a finger. “One, she’s my employee. Not only that, she’s been with me for almost ten years now. She’s been through pretty much every aspect of my career in New York. The death of Darcy. Everything. If I screw this up, we don’t just go our separate ways and chalk it up to dating experience.”

  “Great, you don’t have to explain your baggage to her. She’s already up to speed.”

  “Two,” I continue without acknowledging his comment. “We have a no-fraternization policy in our firm. It’s not ethical, and completely cliché, to start a relationship with my secretary. She could sue us.”

  “I don’t think she’ll sue us, unless you ask her out for dinner and it doesn’t go well. Besides, I won’t tell if you don’t.” Quinn’s lips tip up in a smirk. “I met my wife at work. Hell, for workaholics like us, this is the only place to meet people. Unless you want to try online dating.”

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  “Well, then, this is your only option.”

  “How in the hell do you flirt?” I ask bluntly.

  Quinn stares at me for a long moment and then replies with “Do you have a fever?”

  “Jesus.” I rub my hands briskly over my face. “No, I don’t have a fever. I’ve been out of this game for a long time, Quinn. I met your sister in college, for God’s sake. It was easier in college.”

  “Are you calling my sister easy?”

  I glance over at him. He’s smiling at his own joke.

  “Is this weird?”

  “Yes, you should have asked her out months ago.”

  “Not that. This. You’re giving me dating advice and I was married to your sister. How are you and Finn so cool with this?”

  “I love my sister,” Quinn begins, his face sobering. “And I miss her every damn day. If she were alive, and you were talking like this, I’d kick your ass all the way to Miami and back, but she isn’t, Carter. She’s been gone for five years. It’s okay for you to move on and be happy.”

  “I know,” I say softly. “But I just want to make sure you know because my life is forever tied to your family. Not just because of Gabby, but also because of our business and the fact that you’re my family. So I need you all to be cool with me dating someone new.”

  “You’re not a monk,” Quinn replies easily. “You’ve grieved long enough. Find a girl who makes you happy. And if that’s Nora, I say go for it. We own the damn company. We can change the no-frat policy if
we need to.”

  “She might say no.”

  “She might say yes. So just ask her.”

  “Okay. You’re right.”

  “Of course I am.”

  “Thanks for coming over so I could talk it out.”

  “No problem. Oh, don’t forget, that blizzard’s coming in later today. You’ll want to get out of here early.”

  “What in the hell is up with the weather this year?” I grumble. “We never get this much snow.”

  “Well, we do, just not often. It’s supposed to dump tonight. I’m leaving soon to go check on Mom.”

  “Tell her I say hi.”

  “Will do.”

  Quinn shuts the door behind him and I turn to the windows, looking out on a white New York.

  “Carter?”

  I turn to find Nora in my doorway. Her hair is down today, golden around her shoulders. She’s in one of her power suits, red today. And as always, she’s in heels.

  Let’s not even discuss how many times I’ve imagined those heels propped on my shoulders.

  I’m losing my mind.

  “Your nine o’clock is here.”

  “Thanks.” I nod. “Send them in.”

  She smiles and turns away, speaking to my client.

  Flirting with Nora will have to wait for later.

  “Hello.”

  “Happy birthday, Mom.” I immediately begin rubbing my forehead. I hate this annual phone call and waited until the end of the day to make it.

  “Thank you. How are things with you, Carter?”

  “Things are going well. New York is under a bit of snow right now.”

  “Well, if you were in Georgia where you belong, you wouldn’t have the snow problem, would you?”

  And there it is. Not even five sentences into a call and she starts laying on the guilt trip.

  “How are you and Dad?”

  “As well as can be expected, of course,” she says with a dramatic sigh. “Your father is still working long days at the hospital. I stay busy with charity work and my volunteering opportunities.”

  I wonder how many men she’s slept with this year that constitutes her volunteering opportunities.

  “I’m glad to hear you’re both staying busy.”

  “Your father should be retiring now.”