This Tangled Thing Called Love: A Contemporary Romance Novel (6 page)

When it came to men, Amber had always been eclectic: one month she could be dating an investment banker, the next a marketing executive, and the next, a struggling comedian. Good looks were the only requirement that Amber’s exes shared. But a modeling philosopher was a first, and Amber had always been a sucker for originality.

“I think I might be falling for this guy,” Amber announced after they had placed their orders with the waiter.

“Excuse me?” Claire’s drink almost spurted through her nose. “You’ve only just met him. How could you possibly fall for him? You don’t know anything about him.”

“Come on. Are you telling me you don’t believe in love at first sight?”

“No,” Claire’s voice was firm. “I don’t. I believe in mistakes at first sight.”

“What about David, though? Didn’t you fall for him right away?”

“Absolutely not. Well, sure, I liked his looks. You’d have to be crazy not to, but I wasn’t going to start liking him until I got to know him better.”

“Are you telling me that you’re rationalizing love?”

“You could put it that way if you’d like.” Claire nodded, deciding not to mention the fact that for someone who had a new boyfriend every month, lust would be a more appropriate term.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Amber frowned, after the waiter had brought their appetizers.

“What?” Claire innocently dug at her pate.

“You’re thinking that I don’t know what I’m talking about. You’re thinking that I’ve never really been in love.”

“Well, have you?”

“Once.”

“When was that?” Claire frowned. Given the fact that they had been friends since middle school, she was fairly certain that she had witnessed all of Amber’s relationships, and all of them had been brief.

“In my senior year, during study abroad.” Amber looked away. “And I never felt the same away about another man since. But I think that Adam just might be a game-changer. Here’s to love.” Amber raised her glass, making it clear that the subject was closed for now.

“Just don’t rush into it, okay? Get to know him first.”

“Oh, Claire, where is your sense of adventure? You’ve got to loosen up a bit.” Amber finished the rest of her drink.

On her way home, Claire thought about Amber’s words. Contrary to Amber’s opinion, she did have a sense of adventure.

Granted, she did not swing from the chandeliers, but then neither did she hide under the covers, Claire assured herself as she pressed the elevator button. Yes, maybe she did tend to play it a bit safe, but that was the way she liked things. One had to know where one stood; otherwise, all kinds of unpleasant things were bound to happen, and of all people, Claire had learned that not knowing your limitations was bound to bring you crashing down.

“Hold it!” The elevator doors were about to close when a muscular arm jammed them open.

Startled, Claire stared at the switchboard stupidly, unable to locate the “Door Open” button.

“Sorry about that.” The owner of the arm slipped inside the elevator. He was dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt that clung to his lean, muscular torso. His dark brown hair brushed against the nape of his neck. In one hand he was carrying a can of black paint and in the other a large paper bag. Two earphone wires swirled from his neck to his chest and over his taut stomach to the iPod that was tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. “Could you press twelve, please?”

“Sure.” Claire held her breath and lowered her eyes, hoping that she would not be recognized. There was no place like the elevator to illustrate the theory of relativity – an elevator ride that normally lasted only a couple of minutes now felt like an eternity.

The man pushed his back against the wall and exhaled as he unplugged his earphones, letting them hang on his neck.

“Crazy day,” he grinned at Claire. “Oh, forgive me. How rude of me. It’s Claire, right? I’m Alec – your new neighbor. We met before…”

“Hello.” Claire smiled tartly and felt her face grow warm in spite of herself.

“I hope I haven’t been bothering you with the music.” Alec smiled apologetically. “I’ve gotten these.” He motioned at the earphones.

“It’s fine, really.” Claire forced herself to ignore the distant sounds of tango that were emanating from the tiny earphones.

“I promise you it won’t happen again. I still can’t live down the fact that I woke you up on a Saturday morning. May I take you out for a cup of coffee, or better yet a drink to make up for it?”

Claire ignored the playfulness in his tone.

“No worries; it’s already forgotten.” She fumbled with her keys in order to avoid looking at his face. “So, you’re doing more painting?” She purposely fixed her stare on the can of paint.

“Just some finishing touches and then I’ll be ready to move in.”

“Good for you. Well, this is my floor. Good luck with the painting.” Claire bolted out of the elevator.

“Good night.”

Alec’s voice carried through the hallway as Claire fumbled with her front door lock. Finally, she got inside her apartment and slammed the door behind her.

God, that man is
annoying,
she thought and then bit her lip at the lie. Her new neighbor was anything but annoying, which was precisely why she was going to stay as far away from him as possible.

As he opened his front door, a smile glinted on Alec’s face. Despite her icy demeanor, he could tell that Claire was anything but indifferent about him. So maybe her current feelings for him gravitated more toward irritation than affinity, but it was still way better than indifference. He liked
a
challenge, and irritation was a good place to start.

Chapter 6

Claire stood on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifty-Fifth Street, waiting for Amber and Lindsay to arrive. Only a week remained before her and David’s anniversary, and after countless failed attempts to decide on what gift to buy her wonderful boyfriend, she had decided to summon an emergency shopping session.

“I think David would love a nice watch.” Amber air-kissed Claire on both cheeks.

“Hello to you too, Amber.” Claire shook her head. In her typical business-woman mode, Amber always zeroed in on the kill.

“What? You’re the one who called me, asking for help with ideas, so like the good friend that I am, I cancelled my morning meetings and rushed to the rescue.”

“You have morning meetings on a Sunday?”

“Not exactly; still, it was an important meeting.”

“Oh? Could it have anything to do with you missing in action ever since the Metro opening?”

“Yes, it could.” Amber giggled. “And I certainly was not missing any action – if you get my drift.”

“Loud and clear.” Claire wrinkled her nose. Amber never held back about her sexual escapades. “Adam, right? Or is there someone new already?”

“No, it’s still Adam. He is really growing on me.” Amber bit her lip, and her eyes turning dreamy. “But I pulled myself away from his gorgeous body to come and help you shop for David.”

“And I really appreciate the sacrifice.” Claire fought a smirk. There were few things Amber valued more than hot sex.

“So, getting back to the question at hand, what do you want to get for David? It’s not like you have much time. Your anniversary is only a week away.” Amber tapped her watch.

“I don’t know… He has everything a man could possibly want. I want to get him something really special, but I can’t think of anything.”

“Well, what about a nice watch?”

“David has ten watches, all top brands. I don’t think he needs another one.”

“I don’t see what that’s got to do with anything.” Amber pouted. “I have two pairs of diamond earrings, but I sure as hell would not refuse a third one.”

“David is different.” Claire smiled, thinking of her perfect boyfriend. The past week had more than made up for David’s previous absences. Since then, they had been inseparable, going out almost every night. Last night had been no exception. David had taken her to Le
Bernardin
and hinted that he had something really big planned for their anniversary. This afternoon David had an important business lunch, and Claire snatched the opportunity to go shopping. Their anniversary was on Friday, and she had to decide on David’s present today.

A cab pulled along the curb, and Lindsay hurriedly climbed out of the car.

“So sorry I’m late. Traffic was horrible.” She hugged Claire and waved at Amber.

“That’s what happens when you live in a bohemian neighborhood.” Amber air-kissed Lindsay.

“Well, not all of us have grandmothers bequeathing Fifth Avenue apartments.”

Amber shrugged. “I offered you to take over a lease on
Lex
and Sixtieth at a perfectly good price when a friend of mine was moving out.”

“I like my neighborhood.” Lindsay crossed her arms.

“Enough already.” Claire tapped her foot on the sidewalk. Bickering between Amber and Lindsay stemmed all the way from middle school. “We’re here to find a gift for David, not discuss real estate.”

Over the next hour, from Bergdorf to
Bulgari
, Claire left no
store
unturned on Fifth Avenue, but despite many yeses from Amber and occasional maybes from Lindsay, she failed to find even one possibility.

“Well, this leaves only one obvious choice.” A furtive smile played on Lindsay’s face.

“Name it.” Claire sighed with exhaustion. Anniversaries were supposed to be about romance, not frenetic shopping.

“
SoHo
.”

“Why not?” Claire jumped at the suggestion. “I could use a break from the tourist crowd, and who knows? Maybe I will have better luck there.”

“Surely we could find a suitable gift for David on Fifth Avenue.” Amber pursed her lips. “What about that gorgeous pair of cufflinks we saw at Saks?”

“How predictable,” Lindsay muttered. “Claire wants something original, so original we will help her find.” Making clear that the topic was not up for further discussion, Lindsay started signaling for a cab.

Claire noticed Amber stealing a glance at her watch.

“Look, Amber, if you have plans, it’s totally okay with me. Go, have fun with Adam.”

“Are you sure?” Amber flushed guiltily.

“Positive. At this point I’m about ready to buy David the first thing I see in the next store. I’ve tortured you long enough, and I appreciate you putting up with me. Now, go, have fun.”

“Thanks!” Amber’s eyes lit up. “Call me if you need me, all right?”

Before Claire could respond, she heard the sound of Amber’s heels clicking away.
That Adam must be really hot
, Claire mused, surprised by her own wistfulness. It was not that sex with David was not wonderful. It was gentle and sweet, just like David, but it simply was not hot or crazy or wild. Sometimes she wondered what it would feel like to go crazy with desire like Amber.

“All right, we are on my turf now, and I promise you that we will find a gift for David before the day is out.” Lindsay announced as the cab pulled over at West Broadway and Prince Street.

“So, where should we begin?” Claire smiled brightly, trying not to think about the hot sex that Amber was probably having this very second.

“Well, since it’s clear that you’re not interested in cufflinks or tie pins, I think we should try something different. Follow me.”

“Lead the way.” Claire smiled. She loved
SoHo
: the cast-iron buildings that lined the neighborhood’s streets had substance and solidity, reminding one of New York’s rich past. The unexpected cobbled streets never failed to surprise one with romantic flair, and countless galleries and boutiques guaranteed an entertaining outing.

A few moments later, Lindsay stopped in front of a glass display that contained a giant lithograph.

“Since David already has all the watches and cufflinks he could ever want, perhaps he’d be surprised with a painting?”

“Lindsay, you’re a genius!” Claire flushed with embarrassment, wondering why on earth she had not thought of this idea herself. After all, her second major in college had been Art. She hesitated briefly. What if David would misconstrue her gift as meddlesome? She knew how picky he was about his digs. He had hired one of New York’s top interior designers to furnish his loft in Battery Park. What if he hated Claire’s contribution to his perfect pad?
I’ll take my chances
, Claire thought as she thrust the door open.

The gallery space was wide open, with white-washed walls and artwork displayed on almost every available bit of space.
What would David like?
Claire mused as she surveyed paintings, lithographs, and sculptures, suddenly realizing that this was going to be trickier than she thought. Her eyes darted to the collection of Joan
Miro’s
lithographs on the far wall, and she stopped still. She knew exactly the piece she would get for David. In her mind, she could visualize the spot on the wall of his apartmen
t where the lithograph would go -
right over the bar in the living room. It would be the perfect finishing touch.