What the Lightning Sees: Part Two by Louise Bay Read Free Book Online

good.

 
    Jake
    I didn’t like Gerald. I certainly didn’t like the thought of him having dinner with Haven. And after what would happen between them? Was he driving her home? Would she invite him in? I messed about with the food on my plate, then dropped my fork, my appetite having disappeared. I glanced across at Nicola and she was staring back at me.
    “Are you okay, Harry? You seem a bit . . . off.”
    “I’m sorry. This new business is taking a lot of energy.”
    She raised an eyebrow at me. “Really?”
    I grinned. “No pun intended. There’s a great deal at stake. I just want it to go well. Anyway, tell me about Milan.”
    “I will when I’ve been to the ladies’. I’ll be right back,” she said as she left the table.
    I took the opportunity to glance at Haven’s table. I had deliberately sat with my back to her so I didn’t get distracted. It hadn’t worked. She didn’t notice me look. She was smiling, as if she was enjoying herself. Perhaps I should offer her a ride home? Then she wouldn’t have to go home with a total stranger. I pulled out my cell and texted her, offering to take her home at the end of the evening. She must have had it switched to silent or ignored it because she didn’t check to see who was texting her. She was having a good time with Gerald and I was just making myself miserable. It was ridiculous. Haven had made her choice, and I needed to leave her to it. It didn’t matter how I felt. Beth was wrong about that.
    I resolved to make more of an effort when Nicola came back to the table. She was a nice girl and I was a dick for bringing her here.
    “So, Milan?” I asked when she got back. “How was it?”
    “Oh, you know. Full of Italians. It doesn’t seem to matter which city I’m in these days, it’s the same old, same old. You know?”
    I nodded. “You’re a smart woman. Do you not want to do something with all that brain power of yours?” I’d always liked how sharp she was—she’d made some really good decisions during her career.
    “I’ve been thinking the same thing. I’m considering doing some talent management at the moment.”
    “That sounds great. Managing other models?”
    “God no, they would drive me crazy. More like actors and musicians, maybe? I’m just talking to a few people at the moment. I’d want to set up on my own. And I can still model here and there for the time being.”
    “Well, if you want some help on your business plan, let me know,” I offered.
    “You’d do that?” She smiled. Right there was why she’d been so successful as a model. She was gorgeous.
    “Of course,” I said as I grinned back at her.
    “So, desert?” she asked.
    “You know that you’ll just have one mouthful and then leave the rest. It’s such a waste.”
    “Well, it’s better to have a taste than to miss out altogether.”
    Was that true or would it be easier to have never known Haven, never had the promise of something so sweet?
     

     
    We pulled up in front of Nicola’s building just before midnight and I cut the engine.
    “Are you sure you don’t want to come in? I could do with a little company,” she said.
    Part of me wanted to spend the night with her. To lose myself for a couple of hours, to get a break from having a head full of Haven, but I couldn’t do that to Nicola. I’d had a really nice evening and genuinely enjoyed myself, but before I started something new I needed to clear some space in my head.
    “Another time? You’re great but—”
    “Your head’s somewhere else?” she suggested.
    I nodded. Had she guessed I was distracted by another woman? I couldn’t imagine it happened to her very often. She was beautiful, clever, funny. She just wasn’t Haven. “I had a really great time,” I said.
    She leaned across and kissed me on the cheek. I watched as she made her way into her building. When the door closed behind her, I pulled out my phone. Still no response from Haven. She and Gerald had left the restaurant