Broken Pieces (Riverdale #2) (32 page)

Nick walked down the familiar hallway that led to his father’s corner office. He donned a charcoal suit and the finest pair of Italian loafers he owned. He knew his father would size him up and he expected the scrutiny. However, he wasn’t going to willingly give him something to pick on and showing up in a pair of jeans and T-shirt would do just that.

He ignored his father’s secretary and didn’t bother knocking, he didn’t think the pleasantries were necessary and besides, he was here to wrap this deal up as quickly as possible. He stormed into his father’s office.

Nick Foti Sr., swirled around in his chair and glanced at his son, a devilish grin working along his lips. “Son, how good it is to see you.”

Nick cocked one eyebrow towards his father. “Really, we’re going to play it that way?” He walked towards his father’s desk and braced his hands on the edge. He leaned over the desk and was eye level with his old man. “Wipe that shit eating grin off your face.”

The elder Foti leaned back in his leather chair and studied his son for a moment. “Someone seems agitated.”

“Agitated? You think I’m agitated? You ripped me from my life to come back here and close a deal for you.” Nick straightened his shoulders as he peered into his father’s eyes. “You used Erica as a pawn to get me here. That’s a pretty low blow even for the likes of you. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Mr. Foti rose to his feet, the grin falling from his face. He braced his arms on the other side of his desk, and went head to head with his son. “Watch it boy, I’m not too keen on the tone of your voice.”

“Well, that’s a damn shame isn’t it?” Nick said sarcastically as he stood his ground. “I will tell you exactly what I told Erica. I will close your deal, and probably close it before the week is over, because I’m that good, and because I’m in that much of a hurry to get back to my life. Nothing can keep me here anymore.” He waited a beat. “Be a man and give the damn girl, her job back.”

This made, the older Nick laugh out loud. “Why should I do that?”

Nick shrugged his shoulders slightly. ‘Be a man? Or let Erica keep her job?” He waited a moment and decided he could never persuade the coldhearted man in front of him to be a noble man so he chose the latter. “She doesn’t deserve to be fired because I no longer have a desire to work with you. She does for whatever reason and she’s willing to work harder for you.”

Nick’s father raised an inquisitive eyebrow towards him, but didn’t say a word.

“Another thing,” Nick started. “Don’t try using her as a pawn to get me back here after I close this deal. It won’t work. This will be the last deal I close for this company, regardless of what tactics you try to use to sway me here.” Nick declared icily before pushing off of the desk and standing to his full height. He unbuttoned the button on his suit and casually slipped one hand inside a pocket. He grinned just as mischievously as his father had. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have investors I have to meet with.” He tipped his head towards his father before turning around and with a casual stride full of confidence he left the office.

Nick had scheduled meetings throughout the afternoon with the potential investors. Apparently the deal his father couldn’t close was pretty huge. They were proposing to build luxurious high-rise apartments, along with an upscale outlet mall, in hopes to clean up the downtown Seattle’s waterfront. Meeting with these hotshot investors, it was clear for Nick to see why his father had needed his assistance. They were just as cocky and arrogant as his father, and Nick knew how to take their ego’s down a notch without them even noticing.

He forgot how grueling it was to kiss the asses of millionaires, but he had been successful and that only brought him closer to going home. He stepped into his hotel suite and quickly shed his suit jacket, throwing it over the back of the sofa. He cracked his neck, relieving the tension as he loosened the knot in his tie. The emptiness of the hotel room engulfed him, and he wished there was someone there to greet him after a long day, that someone being Sam.

He slipped the tie from his neck and draped it over the sofa, like he did the jacket. He still hadn’t spoken to her. He was too busy today to get a free moment, and besides, he didn’t want to be on a time limit when he did finally talk to her. He unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt and then the buttons on his sleeves. When they were undone, he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and poured himself a drink. He promised himself only one. There was no need to reach for a bottle when this was only a temporary situation. He didn’t even fill the glass up all the way. He took the tumbler of amber liquid and walked over to the floor length window. He stared out the window and at the city that claimed six years of his life.

He took the first sip of his drink as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He searched for Sam’s number as he took a seat and when he hit send he hoped to God, she answered the phone, at least it was ringing and not going to voicemail.

“Hello?” Sam’s soft voice filled his ears and he closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back in his chair.

“You answered.” He said relieved.

Sam lay in her bed reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”. She closed the book and sat up when she heard Nick’s voice.

“Yeah, I did.” She said softly and her teeth bit down on her lower lip. Since she had found out she was pregnant all she wanted was to hear his voice.

“Are you about ready to hear what I have to say?” Nick asked as he leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees.

“Shoot.” She said, giving him the floor. She leaned back against the pillows and absent-mindedly let her free hand rest on her belly.

“First of all, I’m coming home Sam. It’s not like the last time.” He said his voice sincere. “I tried to stop by your apartment to tell you in person, before I left but you weren’t home.”
      
“Why did you have to go back?” She asked. “Is that why Erica showed up?”

“My father’s been calling me for a while, trying to get me to come back. I’ve been ignoring his calls because he won’t take no for an answer. He threatened to fire Erica if she didn’t bring me back to Seattle to close this deal of his that’s worth millions of dollars to him.” Nick explained and put his drink down. He didn’t want it anymore, he just wanted her.

“Do you still keep in touch with her? I mean there has to be something there that would lead your father to believe that you would help her.” She hoped she didn’t come off accusingly, that wasn’t her intention. She genuinely wanted to know the answers, instead of guessing them like she had for so long.

“No, but she did try calling me too before she came to Riverdale. I ignored her calls to because I wanted nothing to do with anything associated with Seattle and my father.” He admitted before he let out a deep breath. “I was the one who got Erica the job at the firm. I know you don’t want to hear this and I don’t even want to say it, but you need to know the truth.” He swallowed and gathered his thoughts, trying to figure out the right way to tell her.

“Sam, when I came here I was a mess. I had left everything and everyone I loved behind. There was no one here. I was here three years, without a familiar face before Erica showed up. I was lonely and when I bumped into her… well, I took advantage of the situation. I latched onto the fact that she was familiar and she reminded me of back home.” He shrugged his shoulders. It was as simple as that, there were never any feelings there. “I never felt a thing for her other than comfort, but I am the reason she was hired, and she probably wouldn’t have stayed in Seattle if I hadn’t offered her the job. So I’ll close the deal, this one time, and she’ll be able to keep her job and if not, well then I tried helping her out.”

Sam was silent on her end, not sure what to say, because she wasn’t sure what she felt. Could she really blame him for reaching out to Erica? She shrugged, maybe not, but still the image of him and her hurt her every time she allowed herself to relive that heart wrenching moment.

“I was never expecting you to show up, Sam. Hell, I didn’t even think you still cared. Anytime I spoke to Luke he made it like you were off living the good life. And I was happy for you, so fucking happy for you, regardless if the good life didn’t include me.” He sighed. “If I had known otherwise, I wouldn’t have done what I did.”

“You don’t know that.” Sam said. “It was a long time ago. I was wrong to hold onto it and judge you for it. You didn’t owe me anything, and you still don’t really owe me an explanation, but thank you for giving me one.” She paused and then sighed. “I miss you.” She whispered and bit the inside of her cheek hoping she wouldn’t cry. “I’m sorry I ran out on you before we could talk.”

Nick hung his head in relief. “I miss you too baby.” He said hoarsely.

“I want to believe you that you’re coming back.” She said and he could tell her voice was cracking.

“Then believe me. I’ll be back on Saturday.” He said firmly and then he softened his tone a touch. “And Sam?”

“Yeah?” She asked and cleared her throat because her voice sounded as if a frog was caught in her throat.

“You came to me and told me I was the only constant in your life. Don’t forget that, because I haven’t. When I get home you and I will sit down and figure out this relationship of ours because I don’t want to be just a constant in your life. I’m, shooting more for the forever kind of thing.” He said huskily.

Sam’s heart fluttered at his words and she debated at that moment whether or not she should tell him about the baby. “Forever is a long time.” She said roughly and reached for the sonogram that she had already framed and put on her nightstand.

“Yeah, it is.” He whispered as he said the words he realized he had never been more sure of anything in his life. There was no one he wanted to spend forever with other than her. He wanted it all with her, and he didn’t want to wait anymore. “I want to make all your dreams come true, baby. You just have to share them with me, so I can.”

She closed her eyes and stopped herself from telling him he had already made her dreams come true. She decided not to tell him over the phone about the baby. “Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“Hurry home.” She whispered and set the framed photo back in its rightful spot. She would tell him in person when he came home, when he came home to her. She reached for the switch on her lamp and turned it off, settling into her bed, she pressed her phone to her ear.

“I’ll be home
as soon as I can.” He promised.  K
nowing she was waiting for him
was all the incentive in the world he needed. 
He let out a breath and glanced at his watch. “It’s late there. I forgot about the time difference. Get some rest and I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” She closed her eyes. “Goodnight Nick.”

“Goodnight Samantha.” He said softly. He lingered a moment before ending the call. He stood up and brought the tumbler glass to the sink. He turned the glass over and watched the amber liquid swirl down the drain. He no longer needed to escape his life. He set the empty glass down in the sink and turned around and headed towards his bedroom, one night down, one day closer to going home.

Chapter Twenty

Nick stepped out of the company car that drove him to the high rise corporate offices, dressed in a sleek fitting pinstripe suit.  He radiated a certain confidence as he buttoned the jacket of his suit and strode towards the building. His phone rang inside his jacket as he caught the door the man before him held open. Reaching inside the inner
pocket, he pulled out his phone. He mouthed thank you to the man who held the door as he answered the call.

“Hello?” He said as he tucked the phone between his shoulder and his ear walking towards the elevators that would take him to the fiftieth floor.  He was ahead of
schedule, but he would bet that the investors would be waiting in the boardroom despite his best efforts to beat them to it.

“Good morning.” Sam said, smiling as she sat in her car.

Nick stopped mid stride and his lips curved at the sound of her voice. “Good morning, beautiful.” He wasn’t expecting to hear from her and was pleasantly surprised.

“Am I interrupting any meetings or anything? I wasn’t sure what time you started your day.” She bit her lip slightly as she ran her hands up and down the steering wheel in a nervous gesture.

“No, I’m just heading into the office.” He hit the button for the elevator and leaned against the wall. “How is your day going over there?”

She stared out the window at the apartment complex she sat in front of. She hadn’t been there since Jake had passed away, but her concern for Cara was what brought her there today. “I’m actually sitting in front of Jake’s apartment trying to muster up the courage to go inside.” She frowned at herself. “You know after dinner at my parent’s things got carried away and I forgot about Cara and Luke’s little outburst.”

“Have you spoken to either of them?”

“No. That’s why I thought it would be best if I just showed up. I don’t think she could avoid me if I’m standing in front of her.” She sighed. “Luke has been avoiding me like the plague.”

Nick shook his head. Luckily for him, he didn’t need Luke to convince Sam he’d return. His friend was in a world of his own, and he couldn’t really blame him for not making good on his promise. For so long he had been the man who had everything under control. Now,
he seemed to be in a downward spiral completely out of his comfort zone.