Aiden was not a hunk of coal. He was crude oil. Rich and complex. Crude oil could be split into several different products and Aiden’s personality was similar. When it came to work, he was serious. Nothing came before work, definitely nothing in his personal life. When he was with me, he was with me. He was relaxed and had a sly sense of humor that was subtle and unpredictable. His default was solemn, but I didn’t think it was innate. I think he’d made himself that way, and considering the way he’d lost his mom and how he’d dedicated his life to his family’s legacy, I couldn’t blame him.

My heels pinched my feet, but we weren’t going to walk far. I had to work tomorrow at noon and Aiden was cognizant of my schedule. Another admirable trait. The biggest financial responsibility I had at work was spending our budget on reference items for the library. Aiden controlled billions of dollars and hundreds of workers’ livelihoods. Despite the difference between our work roles, he never acted superior.

In the center of Times Square, he led me past a woman in orange boy shorts with pasties on her boobs. She strummed a guitar next to a guy in nothing but an orange Speedo as he held another guitar.

Aiden tugged me close. His long coat was secured around him, but his heat still seeped through me. “Are you enjoying tonight?”

“Are you kidding? It’s Broadway.” My smile was wide, but sheer grit kept me from wincing. These shoes. It was the third time I’d worn them. After our third date at a restaurant where I was the only woman not in stilettos, he’d asked me out again and I’d gone shopping. Dating Aiden meant a new wardrobe that included fewer cardigans and more A-line skirts and heels. Anything to suggest I had an ounce of flair in my body. “It’s amazing.”

He stopped and faced me, searching my gaze like he sensed the blisters I wasn’t mentioning. Were expensive heels more comfortable or were my feet just heel intolerant?

People swarmed around us. Fluorescent lights of all different colors scattered over his hair, managing not to get absorbed by his dark glossy strands.

He took both my hands in his. “Kate, I’ve really enjoyed being with you.”

I waited for someone to jump out and tell me it was a lie. That was the feeling I’d had for the last two months. Aiden’s name popping up on my phone. Aiden picking me up from work or my apartment. Aiden taking me to his magnificent house, a place that would be my dream home if it were possible on a librarian’s salary.

He squeezed my hands. Was I supposed to respond? I echoed him. “I’ve enjoyed being with you.” Understatement of the century.