Page 214 of The Havenport Collection

Nora

I smoothed down my skirt and asked myself for the thousandth time why I ever agreed to this shit. My mother had ambushed me at the diner and peppered me with questions about my house.

I had to distract her, change the subject, and I knew my love life would do the trick.

There was nothing my mother loved more than bemoaning my single status.

As long as I nodded and agreed with her that I was a sad spinster who should lower my standards, I had some hope of escaping the conversation with my sanity.

I knew I shouldn’t let her bully me, but I was too tired and too confused to mount a successful defense. And I was upset. I had not heard one word from Luke. I thought we had shared something significant, and despite having nothing but a wall between us, I had not heard one word from him.

My heart sank; it was clear he didn’t want more from me. And that was probably a good thing.

Despite Cece’s advice, I hadn’t exactly made an effort either. The longer I left things, the more significant everything seemed. There were feelings there. Feelings I did not want to explore at the moment. So I was seeking any opportunity for avoidance.

Fortunately, my dear mother was on top of her game and managed to rope me into agreeing to a blind date with her friend Mickie’s nephew who had just moved back to the Boston area.

The last thing I wanted was a blind date.

In fact, a root canal seemed preferable.

But the more I thought about it, the less terrible it seemed.

I needed to get out of the funk I was in. I needed to put stupid Luke Kim and his stupid handsome face and magic cock out of my mind. So why not go out and have a nice evening? I was single, and whoever this guy was, he couldn’t be that bad, right?

Sadly, I was wrong.

I walked into The Lighthouse, Havenport’s fanciest restaurant, five minutes late and cursing myself for ever agreeing to this bullshit.

I had buried myself under a mountain of spreadsheets today and was behind schedule getting dressed and doing my makeup.

The restaurant was pretty busy, and I had to park really far away, ruining my shoes with the muddy slush that filled the parking lot.

I should have known better than to rock my fuchsia suede pumps tonight. Fucking winter.

I walked through the lobby to the massive oak bar. A pianist played in the corner, and despite it being the slow season, a decent number of well-dressed people were seated, enjoying the ocean views. It was a lovely place.

Growing up in a restaurant, we never went anywhere else besides the diner.

So I enjoyed getting to see some other Havenport establishments once in a while.

And The Lighthouse did not disappoint, the wraparound ocean views and dim lighting creating a warm, soothing atmosphere that felt decidedly romantic.

I found myself smiling; maybe this date wouldn’t be so bad.

I had only walked a few steps into the bar when I heard my name.

I turned and found myself face to face with a blond guy around my age. He was medium height and medium build and had a friendly looking face. I exhaled. He didn’t look like a serial killer or a raging misogynist. I could do this.

“Nora.” He shook my hand. “I’m Chad. It’s a pleasure to meet you.

” I found my mind wandering to what would possess a woman to carry and nurture a baby for nine months only to name it Chad when it came out.

Then I felt bad. Clearly I was a judgmental bitch.

I bet Chad was a lovely person despite his eighties movie villain name.

I plastered a big smile on my face, trying desperately to quash my usual instincts.

The only way I was going to get a certain billionaire out of my head was to have a nice time with Chad.

I couldn’t pine over an asshole who didn’t want me.

I was going to put myself out there, regardless of how terrible an idea that was.

The hostess led us to a lovely table by the window, and I watched as the restless ocean crashed up against the rocks over and over again.

“The tide is coming in,” I observed, watching the bright moonlight reflect on the water.

Chad looked briefly at the jaw-dropping view. “Sure. I am not a big fan of the ocean. Love boats though. Do you like boats? Been thinking about buying one.”

I nodded, already bored by him. Chad talked about expensive boats he wanted to buy someday and then transitioned to golf as I zoned out a bit. I pretended to be interested in golf and Chad, but in addition to frequently staring at my rack, he was boring, self-absorbed, and a bit cruel.

My stomach rumbled softly. I was starving, having skipped lunch to get my work done.

I was definitely going to order the lobster bisque.

My mother had deliberately told me not to when I agreed to this terrible blind date with Chad the boat lover.

“Slurping soup is not ladylike, Nora. Don’t scare the poor boy by eating like a pig,” she had chided.

The waitress approached. I recognized her from around town and gave her a smile. Chad, however, was looking at his menu with disgust.

“We will split a bottle of the Weimar Riesling,” he said, pausing as if expecting oohs and ahhs from me over his wine knowledge. My stomach churned. I hated Riesling. It tasted like floral flavored cough syrup.

“And the lady will have the haddock, grilled, with vegetables, and I will have the tuna.”

He shoved his menu at her and grinned at me. Did he just order for me? Without even asking me? I looked down at the complicated place setting and began to contemplate how I could murder him with the dessert spoon.

But Chad was just as oblivious as he was stupid, so he didn’t seem to notice that I was fuming. “So, I hear you own a little shop in this town,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from slapping him. “It’s a pretty large women’s clothing store actually, and we have a significant online presence as well.”

“That’s cute.” He then proceeded to mansplain business to me, expounding on retail trends he clearly had no knowledge of. I let him talk, preferring to stare out at the vast ocean and attempting to be calm.

My zen was ruined when Chad reached out across the table and grabbed my hand. His cold, clammy palm made me want to immediately run to the ladies’ room to wash off any remnants of his slimy grip.

“Listen, Nora, I have a feeling about you.” He smiled, and I wanted to punch him. I said nothing, unsure how to respond. “I usually go for a different type of girl.” He gave me a knowing wink. “Your mom mentioned you were a bit chubby, but I still think you’re gorgeous.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. Was he insulting me? Did his tiny lizard brain think that was a compliment? Did I even care?

Fuck you seemed like the most appropriate and expedient way to dispose of Chad, but my brain was short-circuiting. Chad of all people—boring-ass Chad with his rapidly receding hairline and probably micro penis—thought he was entitled to weigh in on my body?

My mind instantly wandered to the one man who could keep up with me, the one man who I loved to verbally spar with, the one man who seemed to like my body just fine.

I was gazing around the restaurant, contemplating my exit strategy and calculating how quickly I could get home and into my sweats, when, as if summoned by Satan himself, Luke Kim walked through the door.

He had the audacity to look so good, wearing dark wash jeans and a crisp white shirt topped with a gray blazer.

He had an incredible body for clothes. Sometimes I wanted to dress him just as much as I wanted to undress him.

What was that fucker doing here? Walking in like he owned the place.

But it was worse. He wasn’t alone.

Right behind him was one of the most stunningly beautiful women I had ever laid eyes on. She had to be six feet tall and willowy, with trendy nerd glasses and waist-length dark hair. She wore black skinny pants with a sleeveless blouse and effortlessly looked like she had just stepped off a runway.

I almost choked on my wine.

Chad’s head swiveled, blatantly checking out the goddess as Luke escorted her to the host stand.

Fuck me. What were the odds of Luke Kim showing up at the same restaurant?

Havenport wasn’t a metropolis, but we had a couple dozen restaurants, not to mention the surrounding areas and Boston, which was only thirty minutes away.

Why the fuck was he at The Lighthouse with a woman who was far too sophisticated-looking to be from around here?

Across the restaurant I could see him talking to the host and pointing over to me. She smiled and walked them over to our corner, seating them at the table next to us. Luke sat down across from me, so I could see his smirk over Chad’s head.

Chad had recovered from spotting the supermodel in our midst and was droning on about investment banking in some attempt to impress me and make me forget about how he insulted me two minutes ago. Again, I kicked myself for not ordering a vodka tonic and the lobster bisque.

I felt tears begin to sting the corners of my eyes. Humiliation washed over me in waves. It was bad enough I had to endure Chad’s condescension and cruelty, but to have Lucas Kim and his glamazon date bear witness? It was too much. It was time to end this bullshit evening.

“I think I need to get home.”

Chad looked annoyed. “But our entrées haven’t arrived.”

I folded my napkin and stood up.

“Sit back down,” he snapped.

I glared at him. “I don’t have much of an appetite. I’ll see myself out.”

Chad looked angry, his face getting redder and redder. “But, I don’t understand.”

I suddenly felt bad for Chad. He’d probably grown up snuggled up in a thick blanket of privilege and had never been told that he was actually an asshole before. “This isn’t going to work out between us. It was nice to meet you, but I’m going home.”

He stood up and grabbed my arm as I reached for my purse. “I came here as a favor to my aunt, and this is the thanks I get?” he whispered between gritted teeth.

“I’m leaving.” I grabbed his thumb and yanked it back hard, hurting him and breaking his grip on my wrist. Krav Maga had taught me many useful tricks.

“Ouch,” he yelled, his face bright crimson.

“I was willing to give you a chance even though I only like skinny women. I was going to make an exception for you. I was thinking I’d even let you blow me tonight.

Who do you think you are?” His face was beet red, and he was attracting the attention of the entire restaurant.

I stood up straight and looked him in the eye. “Who do I think I am? I am someone who is way too fucking good for you, Chad. Good night.”

I stomped out of the restaurant, cursing myself for forgetting my coat. I walked over to the parking lot, choking back tears with each step. Not only was that deeply humiliating, but Luke had a front row seat to it.

They were probably laughing about me now while sipping lobster fucking bisque and talking about the chubby normie and her pity date.

Thankfully, I was parked at the outer reaches of the parking lot, so I unlocked my car and sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for my heart rate to slow down.

I would wait for Chad to leave and then go back in and get my coat.

I was in the middle of sending an SOS text to Cece when there was a light knock on my window.

I looked up through my teary eyes to see Luke, carrying my coat.

“Come back inside,” he said gently.

I shook my head. “I can’t.”

“That fucker is gone. I saw him get in his entry-level Bimmer and peel out of here a few minutes ago.”

I stared straight ahead, trying not to burst into tears.

Luke opened the door and held out a hand to me. “Come have dinner with me, Nora.”

“You’re on a date,” I said, refusing to make eye contact.

“Sarai is an old friend, and she would be thrilled to have someone interesting to talk to.”

“Stop being nice, please. You’re making everything worse.”

“Nora. Please come inside. It will be fun. I promise.”