signed, she poured herself a glass of wine. As she took the first sip she remembered that it had been a minute since she’d last eaten. Her yogurt and granola breakfast had been her last meal. She finished off her glass of merlot before rising from her cushioned seat and moving to the kitchen pantry and then the refrigerator. With a box of table water crackers and a block of pepper jack cheese in hand she returned to her seat and poured herself a second glass of wine.
Her Manhattan penthouse was quiet. Nothing stirred. The only sounds echoing around the space were her heavy breathing and a ripple of paper as she flipped through one document after another.
Being alone had never bothered Catherine. She had always enjoyed solitude, no one else’s noise intruding on her quiet. Alone had never been synonymous with lonely. She swallowed the last bit of her snack and followed it with another swig of the wine.
Business had always come first and being alone had been the consequence of that. She could barely recall her last official date let alone any relationship she’d been involved in. A coy smile suddenly pulled at her thin lips. She stared down to the lined paper she’d been jotting notes on. In three separate spots she’d written down Noah Stallion’s name. She’d been intrigued seeing him again. He was no longer the scrawny kid she barely remembered. The man had presence, his stance strong and magnanimous. He was the sweetest eye candy, intelligent and good-looking. In their very brief encounter he had grabbed her attention and held it. Noah Stallion was the kind of man women longed for in their lives. Catherine was no exception.
She had breathed a sigh of relief when her friend Crystal had assured her no one in their circle of friends had dated the man.
“He didn’t date anyone at Bountiful,” Crystal had proclaimed. “Not one soul.”
“I know he had to have dated someone in high school,” Catherine had persisted.
“Nope. He worked part-time after school. He had brothers and sisters to help take care of. From what I remember about him he didn’t have time to date. Hey, do you remember...”
Catherine had gotten lost in the reflections as the two women caught up on old times. Crystal’s last question had brought her back to reality.
“So, do you plan to hire him or seduce him? Because I don’t think you can do both.”
With a deep sigh, she rose from her seat and headed to her bedroom. As she disrobed, slipping into a red silk nightie, she couldn’t help but think about her life and the many difficult choices she’d made. Crystal was right. She couldn’t do both. She couldn’t become romantically involved with any employee of Fly High. She had signed Noah’s formal offer of employment just hours earlier. With luck, Catherine thought, maybe he wouldn’t take the job.
Naomi Stallion laughed as Noah stood in front of the mirror trying on neckties. He was trying to determine which one would best complement the dark suit he was planning to wear to his high school reunion.
Noah narrowed his gaze as he turned to stare at her. “What’s so funny?” he questioned.
“You are. Why are you wearing a suit? This is not another interview.”
“No, it isn’t, but I do want to dress to impress.”
“Impress who?”
He shot her another look. “Why are you here?”
She shrugged her narrow shoulders. “What? I can’t visit anymore?”
Noah rolled his eyes, tossing yet another tie aside. “Have you talked to Natalie?”
His sister nodded. “She and Tinjin are getting ready for fashion week. He’s introducing his new clothing line. She wants us all to fly to Paris to be there to support him.”
“I’d like to go but if I take this new job it might not be doable for me.”
“So what’s stopping you from making a decision?”
“I like what I do and I’m good at it. I’m not sure I want to give that up.”
Naomi nodded her understanding. “Did you talk to Nathaniel?”
“Yeah.”
“He told you about Nicholas?”
“They were both here. They flew out this morning.”
“Did you tell him that he needs to stop playing?”
“No, I didn’t. I told him he needed to do whatever is in his heart.”
“I’m sure that pissed Nathaniel off.”
“Maybe, but it’s not his decision to make.”
A moment of silence swept between him and Naomi.
Naomi let out a soft sigh then changed the subject. “Are you ready for me to style you so that you can actually make it to the reunion? Because at the rate you’re going you might make it to one five years from now.”
Noah grinned. “I’m not doing well, am I?”
“You’re making a hot mess of things is what you’re doing.”
Naomi rose from her seat on the bed and moved into his walk-in closet. Minutes later she exited with a pair of Diesel steel-gray denim jeans, a black-and-gray-striped knit sweater and his black leather blazer.
“This says you’re accomplished but not boasting. It’s casual, comfortably stylish and gives you just enough of a bad boy flair to get some attention. Pair it with your black Timberlands.”
Noah nodded. “How do you do that?”
“You usually do it yourself when you’re not overthinking,” she said as she began to rehang the neckties he’d tossed onto the bed. “So are you going to tell me why you’re so squirrely about going to your reunion?”
He shrugged, trying unsuccessfully to maintain a neutral expression on his face.
Naomi laughed. “Enough said. For your sake I just hope she’s worth it!”
Noah shook his head. “Get out of my room, please, I need to get dressed.”
Naomi was still laughing as she moved toward the door. “I know her friend Crystal. Do you want me to put in a good word for you?”
“Excuse me?”
“With Catherine. Do you want me to put in a good word for you? The twins said you were asking about her.”
Taking two good strides toward the entrance, Noah pushed his sister out and closed the door in her face. He could hear her laughing all the way back to the family room.
He shook his head. Of all his siblings, he was closest to Naomi. The twins were two years younger than he was but always had a unique bond that naturally came with sharing the womb with someone. He’d been six, almost seven when their baby sister, Natalie,
