Taming Blake (A New Adult Romance): The Complete Trilogy (41 page)

Late on Saturday morning, I found myself back once again in my now fully-decorated studio. And actually, despite still being just as tiny as ever, it was actually looking okay! I felt a small flush of pride. It was perfect. But there was one
drawback. It
was
perfect ... for one.

This was definitely a single girl’s pad.

I’d spent all that morning talking to Blake about how we were going to spend more time together, and not just on his terms, either. So here I was, trying to throw out some more of my clutter, so I could clear just a drawer where he might be able to keep his things when he came to stay.

But it was proving difficult. I’d already gotten rid of so much of my stuff, just to fit
myself
in here, I was already down to basics.

And we’d still not come to a conclusion about where we were going to spend our time, before he’d had to race off to complete a ‘Very important secret errand’ which, by the cheeky, enigmatic smile on his face as he said it, I guessed had something to do with me …

Or us?

And as I was busily trying to convince myself that there was enough room here for us both to spend at least one or two nights a week, my cell began buzzing in my jeans pocket.

I pulled it out and checked the screen: it was Elizabeth O’Connor calling.

“Jessica,” she began as I picked up, “I’m so sorry I’ve not been in touch for a while. Things have been crazy busy here, as per. I hope it’s okay calling you on a weekend like this?”

“Sure, Elizabeth,” I insisted, “it’s always great to hear from you.”

“Good, good,” she replied. “Well, it was just this morning that it struck me that I never actually
formally
offered you the job for my summerhouse.”

There was a pause, as what she was saying finally dawned on me.

“You mean … You mean I’ve got it? I’ve got the commission?” I asked, trying to keep the mounting excitement out of my voice, trying to remain at least somewhat professional.

“Of course! The job was always yours. If you still want it, that is?” she said happily.

“That’s fantastic, Elizabeth!” I gushed. “I promise you, I won’t let you down.”

“I’m sure you won’t,” she said. “I think you’re an extremely talented designer, Jessica, and I’m excited to see what you do with the place.”

By now I was grinning from ear to ear.

“Say,” she continued, “why don’t you drop in one afternoon early next week and we’ll finalize the details. I’ll have my assistant set up a meeting with you.”

“That would be fantastic,” I replied. “In fact, that reminds me, Elizabeth. There’s something
else
I’d like to discuss with you, too, if you don’t mind? It’s about Southampton again. I need to ask your advice about something.”

“Of course, dear,” she said. “Sounds intriguing …”

§

“This better be worth it!” I laughed, sat there on the plush leather seat of Blake’s town car as we drove …
somewhere
.

What’s it going to be this time?

Another roof terrace? Another private hot tub?

Because once again, here I was, blindfolded and bursting with curiosity about whatever surprise Blake had in store for me. And it seemed like we’d been in the car for an absolute age too, Nathaniel obviously navigating us as best he could through the busy New York traffic.

“Almost there,” Blake said eventually, taking my hand, his thumb brushing gently against my skin, sending a flash of fire up my spine.

And I did my best to swallow back my questions and just let the moment unfold, knowing that soon enough my curiosity would be answered.

“Okay, here we are!” he said excitedly, as I felt the car pull to the curb.

I heard the door open, and then felt Blake’s hand taking mine once again, guiding me gently and carefully out of the car and onto the sidewalk.

Where are we?

I heard him walk around behind me, felt his fingers brush the back of my neck, and then a moment later the blindfold slipped away.

I was standing in a leafy street, before a tall, brownstone building in …

“Wait a moment, is this
Brooklyn
?” I asked, confused.

“Sure is,” Blake replied. “So, what do you think?”

“What do I think about
what
?” I asked, still totally baffled.

“Your new project.”

“Huh? I don’t understand.”

“I can tell how much you’ve been missing Brooklyn lately,” he began. “I know just how important this area is to you. Well, as luck would have it, I came across this property. It was a good investment. But it needs a lot of work. Think you can handle another project?”

“So what’s the idea?” I asked as I took another look up at the absolutely gorgeous building, eager to see around inside. “Is the plan to do it up for a quick resale, or is this a longer term investment? Do you already have a buyer?”

“Maybe,” he said with a smile, ignoring my questions, instead taking me by the hand and leading me up the steps towards the glossy black front door. “I’ve lived on the Upper East Side for too long now. Hey, it’s not like I was born there, after all. Maybe it’s time for me to see a bit more of New York, too. And while I was looking at this place, I noticed that there was a really great cafe on the corner. Ever been to Workshop? It’s totally your kind of place. I think I’m gonna enjoy getting to know this area a lot better …”

“Oh, I get it!” I gasped excitedly. “There
is
no buyer! This is yours, to live in, isn’t it?”

“Kind of,” he replied, reaching into the pocket of his pants and pulling out a fob of keys, holding them out towards me. “Actually, the house is in your name, Jessica. This place is yours if you want it. But when you’ve worked your magic, I was hoping that you might invite me round for a cup of that English tea you love so much.”

I looked with disbelief at the set of keys, dangling from his hand, then up into his warm, smiling eyes.

Oh my God.

He was being totally serious.

And I was totally, seriously, head over heels in love.

§

The following afternoon, I went round to Gina’s. She was finally well enough for visitors, and to my relief she looked
so
much better. And even though she was still recovering at home, she was back to her old style again: dressed in an outrageously revealing negligee, her hair blown out, her red lipstick so perfect.

And the makeover didn’t stop there, either.

“This place looks
awesome!
” I gasped, when she let me into the apartment.

She’d obviously had the decorators in. There was a brand new hot pink chaise longue in the living room, and a zebra print rug to go with it.

Okay, it wasn’t quite to
my
taste, but it totally reflected her personality.

I sighed as I remembered that doing this place up was supposed to have been
my
job. But then another thought popped into my head: as I realized I’d found a home for at least
some
of the old furnishings from Elizabeth’s summerhouse!

As she clicked off into the kitchen to pour us some mugs of herbal tea, so expertly balanced on her huge heels, I took a seat on the couch, overwhelmed by another surge of relief at the simple fact that we hadn’t lost her that night — and that more than that, she actually seemed
okay
, as if the whole sorry experience had even taught her a valuable lesson. I just hoped she liked what I was about to suggest next. I was still trying to decide how to say it when she came back in, carrying our mugs, and took the seat next to me.

“I love what you’ve done to the place,” I began.

“Oh honey!” she replied. “It’s about time I stopped pretending I’m just passing through. I need to start settling down somewhere.”

“About that,” I said. “I’ve had an idea, and I want you to listen to me.”

“No, no,” she said. “Please listen to me just for a second. I need to say sorry for how I behaved. I was totally unbearable, I realize that now. I wish I’d just told you how I was feeling instead of trying to chase away my problems with drugs. I should
never
have gone down that route. After all, I’ve seen way too many people lost to it. I still can’t quite believe it happened to me, too. Oh I don’t know, maybe it’s time for me to get out of this city altogether. I’m so
tired
, honey. Nobody can be a party girl forever.”

And there it was: the perfect opportunity to make my suggestion.

“That’s exactly what I was gonna say!” I began, excitedly. “Now hear me out on this, and promise me you’ll at least
think
about it, okay?”

“Okay …” she replied, intrigued.

“Well,” I continued, “you’ve told me before about just how much you’d like to start up your own boutique. And it turns out, I’ve got an investment opportunity for you …”

At this I reached down into my bag and pulled out the brochures I’d picked up, for an empty shop I’d noticed while Blake and I were out walking in Southampton. I handed them over to her and she began leafing through the pages with her long glossy fingers. As she looked it over, I continued.

“I saw this place while I was out there researching a project,” I explained, “and immediately I thought of you. It would be
perfect
for you …”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a sad smile. “I mean, have you seen the freaking price tag? This place is
expensive
. It’s totally out of my league.”

“I know,” I persisted, “but I’ve checked it out with people who know about these things. It’s an amazing investment opportunity, Gina. And if you’re really interested in making a go of this, you won’t have worry about the money.”

At this I thought back to my last meeting with Elizabeth — because
this
had been the other thing I’d wanted to discuss with her.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve already got a couple of angel investors interested,” I added. “People who know you. People who totally rate your style and think you could make a real go of it. So? What do you think?”

“What do I think?” she said quietly, turning to face me, fanning at her big blue eyes in a vain attempt stop them welling up. “I think you’re the loveliest friend I’ve ever had.”

“So you’ll give it a go?” I asked excitedly.

“Just you try and stop me,” she laughed, a big tear rolling down her cheek.

And with that, she threw her arms around me and gave me the biggest damn hug of my life
.

§

And then from one best friend to another — I’d had a message from Fallon, you see. The tour dates had changed and she’d been granted a few days off, so she’d decided to race back to New York (“To finally do some laundry and sleep for a million years,” as she put it in her own inimitable style). But of course, she also wanted to see me, too, so I found myself dashing back across the city, from Manhattan to Ocean Hill, Brooklyn, meeting her in Workshop, that same cute little coffee shop I’d spent so much time in, back when I was first designing Blake’s place – the one that was now just around the corner from my very own house.

As I marveled at this fact, I realized just how much explaining I had to do.

“I still don’t get it,” she replied bluntly, after I’d tried my best to fully describe this new state of play between Blake and me. “So you’re going to live … what? Monday to Wednesday in Manhattan, and then Thursday to Sunday in Brooklyn?”

“No!” I laughed. “It’s not quite as rigid as that. It’s pretty simple, really. Whenever we want to be in Manhattan, we’ll stay at his. And when we want to come here, we can stay at
my
new house. The main thing, Fallon, is that we’re
living together
now, and you know what? I’m totally, totally happy.”

“If you say so,” she sighed, obviously still unconvinced.

“He’s not quite who you think he is,” I urged. “Who
anyone
thinks he is. Honestly, you just have to trust me on this one.”

“I just can’t imagine him, you know,
fitting in
around here,” she said.

“You’d be surprised at how much of a chameleon Blake can be,” I smiled back. “I took him shopping for a few new outfits, things a little outside his usual tastes, and you know what? He actually looks pretty good in them!”

But all joking aside, I knew I needed to make it clear to Fallon that things were really changing between Blake and I — that we were getting serious and I needed her to support me in this decision.

I fixed her with an ‘I’m not joking’ look.

“I’m really, really happy, okay?” I said.