Stiletto Safari by Kate Metz Read Free Book Online Page A

spare five minutes, I’d love to buy you a coffee. No pressure, though; I understand if you want to head back up.”
    To my alcohol-addled brain, coffee sounded like a good idea, so we headed to a small Italian restaurant on the corner. It was nondescript and the tired staff were packing up for the evening. Nick had taken off his jacket and put it around my shoulders. The warmth felt good and my body started to relax.
    We sat at a tiny table next to the window, and while the staff cleaned around us, I told Nick about Africa and he updated me on his case. Apparently his attorney was confident he’d escape a criminal conviction on the basis that he hadn’t had actual knowledge that Teddy and Josh were insider trading. It looked like Teddy and Josh, on the other hand, would be facing serious jail time.
    When I told Nick my Africa trip wasn’t entirely voluntary, he lost it. “Bastards! I can’t believe that you were stalked by the press or that Harvey & Rose is forcing you to take a sabbatical. They know you had nothing to do with it.”
    Looking down at his hands he added, “I know it doesn’t help, but I’m just so sorry about all of this, Zara. I’ve put you through so much and it’s incredibly unfair. You loved your job and…”
    Something about Nick’s mournful manner made me laugh. “You know, taking six months off work is not all bad! I’m going on what should hopefully be an amazing adventure, and I still have my old job at the end of my trip. After the initial shock of everything, I’m actually feeling okay about things. Funny, isn’t it?”
    It was hard to tell if Nick believed me. Still, he was genuinely interested in my trip and asked a lot of questions about what I’d be doing (most of which I couldn’t answer, which panicked me a bit).
    We stayed talking like old friends for about half an hour. Eventually a harried waiter gave us the wind-up signal and we left.
    Nick walked me back to Emi’s. He was still insistent about not coming up to the party. As we approached the building, I started feeling very awkward about how we were going to part. Seeing him had left me feeling confused and unsettled. If he tried to kiss me, I didn’t know whether I’d be really pleased or upset.
    Nick solved my dilemma. He didn’t try to kiss me at the door. Instead, he brushed my cheek and said earnestly, “Zara, I just hope you can forgive me one day. You don’t know how bad I feel about everything. More than anything in the world, I just want you to be happy.”
    “I know, Nick; I want you to be happy too.”
    We reached the lobby door and he gave me a playful little nudge on the shoulder. “So you need to get back to your party. Be safe and happy.”
    “You too,” I said, giving him a little nudge back. “By the way, it has been good seeing you, Nick.”
    His blue eyes stared back into mine as he earnestly said, “It’s been really good seeing you too. Who knows, maybe when you get back and I’ve sorted myself out we can work things out?” He gave a helpless little shrug.
    “You know, Nick,” I said softly, “I’ll always have feelings for you, strong feelings; you’re a great guy in so many ways. But I’ve had a lot of time to think, and honestly, I don’t think getting back together is very likely. After what happened, I just don’t think I could ever completely trust you.”
    Nick looked abjectly down at his feet.
    “Definitely friends, though, okay?”
    “Okay.” His attempt at a smile looked quite half-hearted.
    As I entered the lobby, Nick called after me: “Zara, one last thing. The check: please bank it.”
    “Uh-huh,” I called out over my shoulder.
    That bloody check. I still hadn’t worked out what to do with it.
    My party was in full swing when I returned. From the looks of things, everyone had had way too many Zartinis. There was some crazy dancing going on and Sal and Craig were looking quite cozy on the couch.
    As I surveyed my happy friends, I couldn’t help but feel a