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ran from his office earlier that day.
    Finn set his napkin down and pulled out his phone. Nine o’clock. This meeting was lasting forever. A sudden feeling akin to panic filled his body. He needed to get to her. He needed to get to her now to explain how he felt. He needed to beg her to take a chance on a washed-up ballplayer from the wrong side of the tracks.
    “I’m sorry, I’m being called away on more business. Kane can take it from here. I’ll see you on set in the morning.”
    Finn pushed his long legs back and stood up. He reached over the table and shook the hand of the advertising exec before shooting Kane a look of pure determination. Kane smiled back, and Finn knew he understood.
    He strode from the restaurant with more determination than a player at the bottom of the ninth, needing a home run to win the game. He was not a quitter, and he was going to fight for the woman he loved.

     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    “What do you mean she’s not in?” Finn said angrily to the doorman at Allegra’s condo.
    “She left just a little while ago for a dinner meeting. I’m sorry, Mr. Williams. She’s not here, and I can’t let you in her condo to wait. You can wait in the lobby if you’d like,” the man said without a hint of remorse. Didn’t he know how desperate Finn was to see her?
    Finn ran a hand over his short, neatly trimmed black hair and let out a long-suffering breath. The doorman’s face softened and he cleared his throat. “I don’t know how long she’ll be at François. Could be for another hour or two.”
    Finn’s head shot up. “Thanks, man!” Finn shot from the lobby and whistled for the first taxi he could find. He had a woman to find . . . his woman.
     
    Allegra got out of her private car and looked at the glowing restaurant. She couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching her. Ever since her dream, she’d felt dirty. She looked around slowly and took in the streets of SoHo. The lights cast a yellow glow on the gray cement sidewalks. Shadows stretched liked fingers between the buildings, edging a step closer to the brightly lit restaurant.
    Allegra blinked a couple of times. She would have sworn a shadow moved, but then the hair on the back of her neck stood up and she whipped around. Across the street—was that man watching her?
    “OMG! We’re totally late,” Josh Rose yelled as he waved his hand at her. He and his partner, David Bell, got out of a car and hurried toward her. “I’m so sorry, we got stuck on site and didn’t realize how late it was. But the good news is the set looks amazing. The runway is beyond dramatic.”
    David smiled at his more exuberant other half and leaned forward to kiss Allegra’s cheek. “It’s good to see you again. You’re going to love the show tomorrow.”
    The shadows were forgotten in the bright light of Josh and David’s smiles. Allegra clasped their hands and walked with them into François for dinner. “I can’t wait to see it. I saw the mock-ups of the set, and they are breathtaking. Are you really having the models walk through a waterfall of crystals? Aren’t you worried they’ll fall?”
    Allegra, Josh, and David sat down at the table and ordered a bottle of champagne. “Honey, I’ve had these girls practicing since we cast them last week. They know if they fall they won’t have a prayer of being picked up to walk at Milan or Paris. That will keep their stilettos sure and steady,” Josh told her with certainty.
    “Well, I think the jewels theme is fantastic. Your clothes are amazing as always.” Allegra smiled as they toasted.
    “What about your show?” David asked. “I saw it on the schedule. You’re hosting it on Wall Street?”
    Allegra smiled. It had taken a lot to talk the city into allowing her to shut down a block of the street outside the business district. “It’s just a small show—simple elegance for working women during the day and party attire for night. It’s a small line, but a luxurious one. I have