He hadn’t quite hit the mark with the brand positioning she’d established at Joy Delivered—discreet, sexy and sensual being the watchwords. Nonetheless, she admired his gumption, so she fired off a quick reply: Love the concept! Really appreciate you thinking of us. There’s so much I like about this proposal, but we are in the process of finalizing a deal with another hotel, so we’ll have to pass at the moment.
Then, because it was always best to leave future partnerships open, she added a final line.
Looking forward to exploring possibilities with you! Drinks soon?
The idea did have some merit though. Maybe not for Joy Delivered, but perhaps for another company. Casey was friendly with one of Joy Delivered’s competitors, Good Vibes, and could envision Ethan’s concept working better for that firm. So she typed once more: I actually have a great idea for this. Let me make some calls and I’ll get back to you.
When she gathered up her purse a bit later to head out for her meeting with Grant, she clicked on her text messages. Laying it on the table with Nate could start with this level of honesty—the one hundred percent kind, so she hit reply on the note he’d sent her before he left.
Hi. Grant Abbot is in town. I’m meeting him for drinks to discuss our deal. I plan to let him know as well that I’m taken these days. Speaking of taken, perhaps you can take me tonight.
She hit send. There. It wasn’t so hard taking that first step.
When she reached Speakeasy, she said hello to Julia behind the bar, then gave a quick hug to her husband, Clay, who was enjoying a scotch and chatting with his wife as she mixed drinks.
“Didn’t think we’d see you until the flight next week,” he said, since he and Julia, along with Michelle’s brother and his wife, would be sharing Nate’s plane to the Maldives.
“You know I can’t resist Speakeasy,” Casey told him, then gestured to a booth. “I’m meeting a business associate. I better go grab a spot.”
“See you soon.”
A few minutes later Grant strolled in, scanning for her, then grinning widely when he spotted her. She waved, and soon he was wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. He was, as always, a handsome devil. And though she’d been keen on him for a year, whatever had been there was gone. She felt nothing—no spark, no zing, not even a frisson of attraction. That was good. After all, she was downright crazy for another man, and she didn’t want to feel anything for anyone but Nate.
Even so, she felt a bit like a first-class jerk knowing she was about to break up with the guy before they’d even started.
“Such a delight to see you again,” he said, and then slid into the booth. He signaled a waiter, ordered a vodka, then shot her a smile once more. He’d always been an outgoing guy, but oddly enough he seemed less flirty this time, and more . . . friendly. As they chatted about their deal, she noticed his innuendo was gone, and he was simply being straightforward.
Which was exactly what she needed to be with him.
“Grant, I’m so glad you’re here and that everything is all set for our rollout. I do need to be upfront though about the other matters we talked about in New Orleans—the possibility of us getting together,” she began, keeping her voice as business-like and cordial as she could.
He held up a hand to stop her, shaking his head, and grinning.
“Actually, I need to be direct with you too. And I need to say I’m sorry if I led you on,” he said, his Southern charm shining through in his tone. But the words surprised her.
She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean, Grant?”
He took a deep breath. “You see, I have a natural tendency to be flirty, and I should truly curb that habit. I’ve been told, in fact, that I’m too much of a flirt. I would never cross the line with a business partner, so I hope you’ll forgive me if I made you think otherwise in New Orleans. I remain, as ever, completely committed to our business deal. But I wanted to make it abundantly clear that I should not have been trafficking in so much innuendo that evening. Do forgive me.”
Casey was in the twilight zone. Up was down, down was up, and inside was out. While she came here to be up front with him and tell him that her heart was elsewhere, it turned out that he hadn’t even thought of her that way. And though she never regretted any of her nights with Nate and where those lessons had taken them, she couldn’t help but feel like a stupid idiot for having misread Grant so badly.
However, she had no intention of revealing that her man radar was this faulty. Better that they have a good laugh about it than he take her for the fool that she was.
She forced out a laugh, hoping it sounded legitimate. “Grant, you have nothing to apologize for. I’ve looked at you as a solid and dependable business partner and I couldn’t be more thrilled that everything is all set for launch. As for being a flirt, who isn’t every now and then?” she said, in the best flirty voice that she could muster in that moment, hoping it covered up all the embarrassment she felt inside at having been so far off the mark with him.
He mimed wiping his brow. “Whew. I’m just glad we’re all good.”
“We are all good,” she said, flashing the biggest, brightest smile she could. “Now, let’s talk about how things are going to work as we rollout in a month,” she said and they focused on business for the rest of the time until she said goodbye and walked away from Speakeasy, weaving through the evening crowds in midtown, keeping her chin held high, until she finally let a few stupid tears fall. She should be happy. This was what she wanted. A clean break from any complications, and the chance to move forward with Nate, having taken care of the Grant Abbot problem.
But Grant Abbot had never truly been a problem, and once again Casey was left feeling like she had no clue what a man wanted from her.
What if she had it all wrong with Nate too?
She stopped in her tracks, grabbing onto the doorframe of an apartment building to steady herself as her heart plummeted. If she had misread the situation with Grant that badly, was she misreading things with Nate? He hadn’t said how he felt about her.
Just like Grant had never said it either.
Sure, she knew Nate enjoyed the sex, but had he ever remotely suggested he wanted more with her? The same kind of more that she wanted? The sidewalk swayed beneath her, and her stomach roiled with the answer—no.
He hadn’t breathed a word about more.
She was about to put her heart on the line, but she’d learned that she had a bad habit of reading men completely wrong. As she resumed her pace, walking through a sea of New Yorkers, she had no faith in her own instincts anymore.