Wild Nights With My Brother's Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 92

NICOLE

After dinner, I get the words out. "I need to get a job."

Roman, who's sitting right next to me and actually has his hand on my thigh, gives me this look that confuses me. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I return the look. "It means what it means. I need a job."

He gestures around the space. "So, I'm just a joke to you?"

A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. "You don't get it. I can't have your money, Roman."

"Then what's all this for?" he questions, and I can tell that he's being serious. "I've got more money than I can spend in this lifetime, Nikki. What do I do with all of it if you want to work for everything you want? How can I stand by and watch you deal with shit bosses and work your was off for...I don't mean to say peanuts."

"But you already did."

He sighs and places his plate on the coffee table before taking mine from my hands. Then, he inches closer to me on the couch. "I don't want to offend you. I've been broke before. Trust me, I know."

"I like working for what I've got, Roman. That's just it. And you aren't going to change my mind."

"What about the charity?" he questions, searching my eyes. "Wouldn't you like to take it back up?"

"So you'd sponsor me? Not a chance."

"Why not? I don't have anything else to do with it. Come on, Nikki. You're killing me here."

I part my lips to say something, but my phone rings and I reach for it quickly because I assume it's Mason, but when I see Katie's name on the screen, I gulp.

"Who is it?"

"A friend," I reveal, thinking about ignoring her because the last thing I want right now is to talk about Sebastian. I already feel so guilty about how things ended. "I should get this."

It's not right for me to ignore her, especially since she's helped me so much and she's always been good to me. I stand up and walk toward the kitchen as I press the phone to my ear. "Hi, Katie."

"Nicole," she says mildly. I'm glad to hear that she's not yelling at me or anything. I know how much Sebastian means to her. "That café. Tomorrow at 12. Is that alright with you?"

"Sure. I'll be there."

"Alright, dear."

Katie hangs up, and I return to my seat. I still had some food on my plate, but I've lost my appetite. Roman gives me a questioning look and I simply tell him, "She's a friend of my mother's. She wants to meet me tomorrow."

"What for?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I'll find out."

I don't want to tell him about Katie's connection to Sebastian. I don't want him to get the wrong impression. He then tells me, "Tomorrow, when I get back from work, we're going to talk about all of this, alright?"

"What do you mean?"

I'm so nervous, and this has never happened before. I'm always comfortable with Katie.

We share two kisses on the cheek, and then we sit down. I place both my hands between my thighs and stare at her.

She tilts her head to the side comfortingly. "How are you, Nicole? Really?"

I sigh, then shrug. "To be honest? Not so great."

"Sebastian told me everything. And I don't want you to think of me as someone nosy, nor am I judging you. I just want to know what happened. You two were so perfect for each other. He was so happy, and I could tell that you were, too."

My face reddens. "Well, there were many things that contributed to our separation, Katie."

She nods. "He told me about his mother's involvement. I don't know why she's the way she is. She's always been very protective of Sebastian, ever since he was a boy."

I wonder if Sebastian told him the true reason why I broke things off with him, but the waitress shows up and takes our orders, and for the longest time, we don't say a word to each other. I'm trying to figure out what to say while she's watching me and sipping her coffee.

"You must think I'm so...problematic, right?" I question. "Something happened during the cruise. I met someone. Or rather, he walked into my life again. And it was proof that what Sebastian and I had would never have lasted. Never. He wasn't the man I needed him to be. He's great. Amazing. But I felt like an impostor around his family and he never cared. To him, it was more important to act like we got along than to actually solve the problem."

"I understand that. I'm a woman, too, Nicole. But tell me...this man...was he the one who...you know what I mean?"

I gulp, and nod. "Yes. He is."

Katie nods, and we continue our conversation.