Page 79 of Mr. Romantic (Mister 2)

“Dinner is ready!” my mother calls.

My father rubs his hands together and pops up out of his chair like he can’t wait to get to the table, and then rushes to the dining room to help my mom.

Richard grabs my arm and leans into my ear before I can follow. “Nora called me. Told me all about this, Ivy. She said you were up to something.”

I will kill her if she mentioned my plan to lose my virginity to Nolan. Kill. Her.

“And she asked me to check on him using the database at work. I had to call in a favor to get this info—”

“What info?”

“You have something in common with a girl he hired and fired several months back.”

“What?” I’m so annoyed that he’s here.

“Both your fathers were on the board of Brown when he got expelled. And she was an outspoken advocate for the girl they—”

“They didn’t do it. Why is everyone conveniently forgetting that fact?”

“How do you know?”

“He wasn’t found guilty, that’s how. You’re a lawyer, you know what that means.”

“He never went to trial because that poor victim was killed. It does not mean he was innocent. You’re the one who’s innocent, Ivy. And naive. I’ve seen the evidence. I went into the office today and it would make you sick to know what they had on him. I’ve seen it all and you’ve seen nothing. You wouldn’t know the difference between a predator and a peacock if they were standing right in front of you. He’s setting you up for something. He called you in for that interview with some kind of sick revenge plan in mind. Just like he did with that last girl. I did some digging and she tried to file a sexual harassment complaint and he shut her down. He’s going to do the same thing to you, Ivy. He’s going to ruin your life to get even with your father for that expulsion.”

I shake my head and huff out some air of disgust. But I gather myself and straighten my spine as I lean into his ear and whisper, “I’m not as innocent as you think, Richard. And thanks for the vote of confidence in my marketing abilities. You know what I’m capable of and yet you are standing here insulting me, my intelligence, and my sensibility. So you can take your advice and shove it up your ass. And if you bring this up again tonight, I will ask you to leave and tell my father that you tried to pressure me into fucking you and that’s why we broke up.”

And then I pat him on the chest and walk off.

Richard excuses himself as my father sets the table, claiming he has to get back to Boston for an early day tomorrow. I smile and make a big deal about missing him as he squints his eyes in fury at me.

But I get my way. I get rid of the ex-boyfriend, have a lovely Sunday meal with my parents, and find some clarity about this whole Nolan Delaney experience.

I’m going to get that job. Even if it only lasts two weeks, I’m going to show Nolan Delaney what I’m made of and he’s going to stop seeing me as innocent.

When I’m done, no one will call me naive again.

*******

After dinner I help my mom with the dishes and then go upstairs, still exhausted even though I slept all day.

The first thing I notice when I get to my childhood room is my buzzing phone. It stops buzzing by the time I pick it up and that’s when I notice thing number two.

I have seven missed calls from an area code in California.

Nolan has been calling all evening.

I smile. Because he’s chasing me now, probably regretting letting his sister say all those awful things about me. Or maybe he really does want my help with the resort marketing? At any rate, when the phone buzzes again, I answer with a cocky, “I knew you’d call again.”

“I’ll be in Providence on Wednesday. Make sure you clear your schedule. We left a lot of things unfinished.”

The call ends.

And that’s when I know—am one hundred percent sure—that Nolan Delaney has no professional interest in me at all.

He still wants me to help him live out his sick fantasy.

Chapter Thirty-One - Nolan