Read Online Things Remembered (Accidentally On Purpose Companion Novel #3) by L.D. Davis - Free Book Online Page B

to do with the man whose arms were still tight around me, pressing my back into his body.
    He let out a heavy breath before bending slightly to whisper into my ear.
    “I really want to get you to work in one piece, Baby Girl.”
    I shivered—not just a little bit, no. It was a full body shiver that left me slightly breathless. I was angry that he had that effect on me after so much elapsed time, but what made matters worse was that I knew he had felt it. My suspicions were confirmed when he chuckled softly just before releasing me.
    “Do not call me that,” I snapped.
    Then, with as much dignity as I could muster, I safely crossed the street without waiting to see if he followed. Of course, he did, but we didn’t speak again until we were standing in front of Sterling Corp.
    “You didn’t spill any of your coffee, did you?” he asked, looking at the cup still clutched in my hand.
    “Not very much, no.” I checked my watch, noting I only had a few minutes to spare before I’d run into The Mommies.
    Seeing my impatience grow, Grant cleared his throat and finished explaining himself. All his earlier humor was gone and was replaced with a quiet solemnity.
    “I have looked you up many times over the years,” he admitted. “After a while, I was able to do it without feeling anything. It was you, but it was just you on paper. You can’t really know a person like that. It’s impossible for me to know that you drop all your spare change into the same homeless guy’s cup every morning before you leave your block. It’s impossible for me to know that you avoid walking on the grates in the sidewalk so that your heels don’t get stuck. I can’t know that you order a coffee and chocolate croissant every morning or the satisfied look on your face when you step out of the coffee shop. Looking at plain facts on paper, I can’t see you .”
    He looked away briefly as he gathered his thoughts, but I couldn’t stop staring at him. I knew the minutes were ticking away, but I wanted to hear what else he had to say. I could not possibly move on my own before hearing it all.
    Finally, he turned back to me.
    “After I moved back to the east coast, I waited until I was settled to look you up again. By that time, you had moved out of New Jersey and into the city. When I saw that you didn’t live too far from me, I started looking for your face in every crowd. I began to imagine scenarios where I’d bump into you on the street. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. The Sterling building isn’t too far away from my place, and I have to walk in the general direction of your apartment to get to work. But you’re right; we could have gone on that way forever and never run into each other in a city this size.”
    “But you sought me out,” I said impatiently. “You’re killing me here, Grant. I’m riveted by your heartfelt story, I truly am, but there are only so many hours in the day. I don’t know what you do for a living or where you work because I didn’t stalk you, you see, but I have to get into this building.” I pointed to the skyscraper. “You’ve totally disrupted my entire schedule over the past few days. I would like to get inside my office, avoid the clusterfuck of mommies that want to show me pictures and videos of their snot-nosed children, and enjoy my croissant and hot coffee. So, can you please just tell me why you shadowed me for three weeks like a fruitcake before revealing yourself so dramatically?”
    Grant laughed hard. It was one of those laughs that started belly deep and left a person trying to catch their breath. I didn’t see what was so damn funny, but I had to clamp down on the fleshy inside of my bottom lip to keep myself from smiling. The sight and sound were so familiar and comfortable, but I had to remember that as familiar as it was, things were different.
    We were different.
    Straightening my back, I gave him a reproachful look and started to walk away, but he caught my arm and