I nod, chuckling softly. “It’s for real, Berlin.”
She jumps out of her seat so suddenly; she tips it over. It hits the ground with a clatter, drawing the gaze of everybody around us in the restaurant. But Berlin comes flying around the table and throws her arms around my neck, squeezing me tightly. She giggles and plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek.
“You don’t know how much good you’re doing, Sawyer.”
I take her hands and hold them, forcing her to stop bouncing on her heels, and look her in the eye.
“I need you to really understand this is a temporary delay,” I tell her earnestly. “The project will proceed once the delay is up.”
She nods eagerly. “I understand,” she confirms. “But giving the residents two years to figure their situation out is huge, Sawyer. You are doing such a good thing here.”
“Yeah well, let’s keep it between us,” I mutter with a wink. “The last thing I need is for everybody and their uncle to come around asking for favors.”
Her smile is wide, and the look on her face is one that’s nearly rapturous. It’s not everything she wants – I’m not going to cancel the project – but it’s more than she hoped to get, which is a win for her and the residents of the Atwell. And seeing how happy it makes her makes me feel good. That smile on her face, and that bounce in her step fill me with a deep and profound feeling of happiness. It’s well worth what I’m going to have to eat because of the delay. Besides, I’ll still make my money back; it will just be further down the road than I’d projected.
“Happy?” I ask.
“Ecstatic.”
“Good,” I respond. “Then let’s go celebrate.”
She chews on her bottom lip for a moment as if she’s having an internal debate. She looks into my eyes, and I feel that same sensation I felt before jolt me again. I have to fight off the urge to kiss her. As if she’s reading my mind, Berlin takes a step back, a knowing smile upon her lips. But rather than leave, she surprises me.
“Let me make a call,” she tells me. “I’d love to go celebrate.”
“Excellent,” I state. “I know just the spot.”
Chapter Thirteen Berlin
I lean against the railing and look out over the lights of Manhattan, spread out below us. Sawyer took me to up to the rooftop lounge of a swanky boutique hotel called The Midtown. The place is lively and looks like the kind of place you’d see in a movie or something. It’s glamorous and filled with people who look like they all stepped straight out of the pages of a fashion catalog.
Honestly, I’ve never seen so many absolutely beautiful, flawless people in one place before – and at the same time, I’ve never felt so out of place before in my life.
“What do you think?”
I look over as Sawyer steps to the rail beside me, handing me a flute of champagne.
“It’s amazing up here,” I tell him. “It’s not often I see the city from this vantage point.”
“I love looking out over the city.”
I scoff. “Yeah, because you own half of it.”
He shrugs. “I just think it’s beautiful,” he responds. “I think it’s the most beautiful city in the world.”
I look over at him, hearing the sincerity in his voice. “You really love it here, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
I shiver as a cold wind breezes past us – a reminder of the cold season that’s coming. I hadn’t thought to bring a heavy jacket since I didn’t expect to be out this late. When I left the house, I figured the light sweater I brought with me would be sufficient. But now that the sun is down, with winter bearing down on us, I wish I’d had the foresight to have a coat on hand.
I take a sip of my wine as Sawyer pulls off his suit jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. I look up at him and smile as I pull his coat down around me.
“Thank you,” I smile. “That was very thoughtful.”
He waves me off. “What kind of man would I be if I didn’t offer a cold woman my coat?”
“I appreciate that,” I respond. “Your mother raised quite the gentleman.”
“She did her best,” he laughs. “Can’t really say all of her lessons took though.”
“I tend to think the important ones did.”
A small smile on his lips – as if talking about his parents opened some inner wound that hasn’t quite healed yet. Sawyer raises his champagne flute, so I follow suit. He taps his glass against mine, the musical ping floating off on the evening breeze.
“To – new beginnings,” he announces.
I give him a smile and raise my own glass. “To doing the right thing.”
We spend the next couple of hours talking – and drinking more champagne than I should. But I have to say I’ve enjoyed his company. He’s been charming. Sweet. Funny. I’ve had such a good time with him, I’ve almost completely forgotten about the fact that he lied to me. Almost.
I’m doing my best to see things from his perspective. He was right when he said if he’d told me up front that Compass was his company, I would have shut him down right then and there. But the more time I spend with him, I see a different side to him than the one he presents to the world. He’s not just the cold, hard, cutthroat, and ruthless businessman he projects himself to be. He’s got a lot of layers and depth most people don’t see.
And if I’m being honest with myself, I find that I’m incredibly drawn to Sawyer. It would be easy to say I’m drawn to his money, influence, and what he can do to help with some of my pet causes. It would be easy to let myself believe that’s the reason I’m here tonight. But one thing I’ve realized is that
