Kismet: A Serendipity Novella Read Free Page A

dinner party Saturday,” he said,
deciding that wherever he was going, so was Lissa.
    She paled visibly. “Formal events and dinner
parties?”
    “All part of the life you need to write
about,” he reminded her. “What’s wrong?”
    “It’s just that ...” She drew a deep breath.
“I didn’t bring those kinds of dress clothes with me. But I’m
staying at the Marriott on Broadway and this is Manhattan, right?
I’m sure I’ll find something.” Her voice trembled and he couldn’t
understand the cause.
    “You sure?”
    She nodded, putting on a bright but clearly
forced smile. He still knew her well enough to pinpoint that.
    “I’ll just leave after lunch and go
shopping.”
    “Okay.” He narrowed his gaze, knowing that
as soon as she left, he’d be on the phone with his mother to find
out exactly what had gone on in Lissa’s life that he deliberately
hadn’t wanted to hear.
    Now he wanted to know everything.
    Trevor didn’t understand his sudden
turnaround, not completely. But one thing was clear. Their forced
time together would provide him with a way to get Lissa out of his
system and allow him to move on with his life.
    One way or another.

Chapter Two
    Lissa checked into her hotel room, needing
time to regroup after this morning. No matter how well she thought
she’d prepared herself, the meeting had been worse than her most
awful nightmare. She’d pictured their reunion often over the years,
sometimes in wistful daydreams, more recently since Trevor had
become her assignment. In none of them had his explosive reaction
been part of the scenario.
    Anger she’d accounted for, but one look at
his disgusted expression and Lissa’s knees had nearly buckled and
tears had threatened. Somehow she’d held herself together. Then
he’d surprised her again, going from “No fucking way” to all in—and
she had to wonder why.
    But she couldn’t worry about his motives
now. She had a full schedule ahead of her. After their initial
reunion, Lissa had sat through a typical morning in Trevor’s life,
which consisted of nonstop phone calls, paperwork, a few
confidential meetings for which she’d had to step out of the room,
and more phone calls. As a result, she’d had plenty of time to
observe him and view the man he’d become.
    Of course Lissa had researched her subject
and she’d read about Trevor’s basic background, much of which she
already knew: scholarships to Columbia undergrad and business
school, where he’d worked his way through, earning the rest of his
way while maintaining stellar grades; internships at the top
financial firms in Manhattan; and a job waiting for him when he
graduated.
    The man was brilliant—something she’d always
known—but what he’d accomplished on his own was simply amazing. She
was proud of him. So proud, she couldn’t stop the warmth fluttering
through her even now. But she’d known all about his golden
accomplishments and understood his inner drive to make things
happen. As a kid, the arrogance he projected had been an act, a
cover for insecurities about where he’d come from.
    Trevor Dane no longer needed to pretend. An
earned confidence had replaced the old cockiness. Sexiness had
taken the place of what she’d thought of as hunky hotness.
    As for his looks, well, she’d seen recent
photos on the company website, but nothing had prepared her for his
impact in person. He was gorgeous, the force of his personality
magnetic. At a glance, the changes in him were obvious. With his
jet-black hair in an expensive cut, a power suit, and a red tie, he
radiated confidence. His blue eyes were still as piercing, his
knowing gaze as raw. His face was leaner, more chiseled, and if
possible, he was even more handsome.
    She had no doubt women lined up to date the
eligible, wealthy bachelor, something she figured she’d discover
first-hand the more time she spent with him. Pain shot through her
heart at the thought, but she had no one to blame but herself. No
matter how