Page 260 of One More Kiss
Was that a flicker of hope in her chest? What are the odds that he would be moving his business in the same state she currently resided? She had to remind herself Washington was large. There was a good chance he could be clear across the state from Seattle.
"That's cool," she tried for nonchalant. "Any place I would know?"
She wasn't native to Washington. When she had chosen to attend the University of Washington, she hadn't known she would stay in the state forever. But meeting Ash had changed things. She had found a forever friend whom she couldn't live without.
"Mill Creek."
She nearly fell out of her seat when he answered a town she not only knew but one that was barely more than twenty miles from where she lived.
"Are you pulling my leg? How long has this plan been in the works?" Her suspicion was at an all-time high. What were the odds? Had he known about her for a while? Was their meeting last night really a coincidence?
"I can see the concern in your eyes, so to answer the questions I'm sure you have right now, no, I'm not pulling your leg. The plan has been in place for over a year, but we only purchased the office three months ago. I knew nothing about you at the time. In fact, I only learned your name this morning when Caden filled us in on the information he learned. The contract we received was strictly for Alexander Fletcher. We had no idea who he was meeting until we got in Rome or that he even had a meeting. We were hired when he resurfaced to see what his motivations were, so we came to Rome. Surveillance only. When we found out he was here to meet someone, Caden was tasked with finding out who. I didn't get that information until this morning."
She watched his face to gauge the validity of his statement. What she found was sincere. She believed him when he said he hadn't known who she was when they met last night.
"So, where do we go from here?" she asked.
She was trying hard not to get her hopes up. Her life was still complicated; she had a career that required her focus and she had no idea if Alexander would heed her warning to back off. She didn't have time to dedicate to a relationship, but even with all that, a small part of her really hoped that his response would be that they would give this a shot. She didn't want her one-night stand to end. She had lied to herself before. She had known it was more when it was hard to leave him sleeping.
"We have that second date. And another after that. And another after that, until you either kick me to the curb or realize we have something amazing together."
She didn't hide the smile this time. She let it spread across her entire face. They would get their shot at a relationship. Her time in Rome wasn't a complete waste. She hadn't been looking for much from this trip, but what she got in return was something truly amazing.
