My Heart Turned Upside Down

By Christine Lasorella

When Natalie Arcabascio is first introduced to Nicholas DiStefano, she passes him off as only another blind date, fix-up nightmare, courtesy of her best friend, Tina. But as Nick infuses himself into her life, Natalie realizes this handsome lawyer may just be what she wants, and more importantly, what she needs.

Being with Nick brings not only expensive gifts and trips, but also an exorbitant amount of love and attention. Concerned that things are moving too fast, Natalie discovers there’s more to Nick than he leads on. His desire for her goes much more deeply than she’d expect from the opposite sex.

Unable to ignore her heart, and their fiery compatibility, Natalie lets go of her preconceived notions of how love should happen, and accepts Nick’s affections...and returns them just the same. In My Heart Turned Upside Down, Natalie and Nick begin an intense, pulsing romance that only two soulmates can create. But when put to the test, will their love beat stronger or need some resuscitation?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christine Lasorella
• Release date: Sep 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310224713

Christine Lasorella

Christine is a wife and mother of one amazing daughter living in Southern New Jersey. Between working a full time job and raising her daughter, she enjoys party planning, cooking, crafting, volunteering at her daughter’s school and finding time for all things fun. She finds her inspiration through music, daily life and an avid imagination. Look for more titles by this author in the coming year.

Book preview

Sitting in my office on this gloomy Monday, I watch as my co-workers come off the elevator down the hall. Not one of them smiles as they pass my office. I get the occasional head nod of acknowledgement, but I’m still half-asleep myself so I don’t even respond. It’s nothing against them, or me, for that matter, none of us are morning people. I’m just lucky my eyes are open; my boss, Tony, yells up a fury when he catches someone sleeping. I’ve heard people request revised office hours; some even suggesting we open around noon. That’s a little late for me, but when you’re taking clients out until two in the morning, I can understand the lack of morning enthusiasm.

Everyone at The Hillegas Advertising Agency works extremely hard and plays even harder. It comes with the territory, I suppose. Creativity doesn’t always come when you want it to. When you spend three days coming up with the perfect three-worded tagline, you deserve to blow off a little steam. I myself was a little tired after a dinner ran late with a new client last night. Instead of meeting us at six, he showed up at eight-thirty and then wanted to have drinks afterwards.

I got home around one this morning so I was in no mood to see Tina, one of my best friends, coming down the hallway with a smile on her face. Tina was in our accounting department and we hit if off the minute she started working here. Her husband, Rob, worked in the law offices on the tenth floor of our skyscraper, which is how she found out we were hiring. She was overqualified for the job but she didn’t really need the money and the carpooling was convenient. I would probably kill my husband if I had to see him first thing in the morning and first thing after work. If I had a husband, of course. I need my alone time to wake up and then decompress.

As Tina approached my office, I took a sip of my large iced coffee and prepped myself for whatever she was going to say. As an unspoken rule, no one talked to anyone in the office before nine (ten on a Monday). Tina either had really bad news or extremely good gossip. Either way, she was not getting much from me. She was wearing a too-fancy-for-Monday maxi dress and her usually pin-straight brown hair was curled up at the ends; probably going out after work. We had a casual dress code in the office when clients weren’t here, so it was rare to see anyone in anything other than jeans. She entered my office, took a seat in the chair opposite my desk and folded her arms.

She looked me up and down, made a face of disapproval, and said, You look terrible, didn’t you get any sleep last night?

It’s a pleasure to see you too, Miss America. And no, I didn’t get much sleep last night, I answered sharply.

I’m sorry, today is important and I wanted you to look good.

Why, what’s going on? I asked as I double checked my calendar to make sure I didn’t forget any appointments.

No, it’s nothing work-related, she continued. Rob and I want to take you to lunch.

Since when do I have to get dressed up for that?

Well…no reason at all, you’re right. I’m just used to you always looking so stunning, she said, adding a sarcastic tone to the word stunning.

As tired as I was, I knew she had to be up to something. What’s going on?

She smiled at being found out. I’ll tell you. But you have to promise not to be mad, she requested.

Well isn’t that a great way to start off a sentence? I rolled my eyes knowing whatever she had to say would frustrate me anyway. Tell me.

And you won’t be mad?

Tina, I’m running on very little sleep. Please don’t make me any more annoyed then I already am.

Alright, alright, she interrupted me. A new lawyer started today, he’s a friend of Rob’s. He’s going to come out to lunch with us too.

Okay. I let out a big yawn before continuing. I’m missing why this is such a big deal.

Well, it’s not, it’s nothing. Don’t worry. Just…try to look less dead by lunch time.

I was going to tell her I’d try when it hit me. God, I was slow this morning. Tina, if this is another fix-up you can count me out. I’m not in the mood today.

Well get in the mood, missy. This guy is a good catch.

Just like how Todd was a good catch? The one who still lived with his mother at the age of thirty-three. Or how about Simon, the boring accountant who was two feet shorter than me?

Wait a minute now. Simon’s a great guy and you had heels on that day.

I fell back against my chair like a moody teenager. You act like I’m an old spinster, desperate for a man. I am so over these little setups you guys put me through.

Natalie, this is just a little lunch, nothing big…barely a meet-n-greet. She flitted her hand in the air as if to dismiss my crazy idea. I know you don’t enjoy being fixed up. This was Rob’s idea not mine.

Great, so now your husband is trying to find men for me? Really, I don’t need it.

Calm down, we’re going to lunch. That’s it.

Ugh, I grumbled and gave up. Fine. But this is really the last time. I’d said that before but this time I really meant it. And, to be completely honest, I was getting hungry and wanted this conversation over so I could run to the lunch room and grab breakfast.

She smiled a huge smile and started to get up. Oh! What time is it? she asked.

Almost nine, I replied with another yawn. And with that she sat back down. She didn’t say anything and I was too tired to ask. I got back to replying to my emails when I heard a light knock at the door. As if on auto-reply, I said, Come in.

Before I had the thought to look up and see who it was, Tina performed an overly-obvious clearing of her throat. I looked up at her then scanned over to the left to see her husband Rob with another man behind him. Great, we were having a morning and afternoon get-together. I don’t enjoy lunch fix-ups let alone surprise morning visits, especially after hearing how horrible I looked. I let out a frustrated, yet quiet, exhale and forced a smile as the two men walked into my office.

Morning, ladies, Rob began as he bent down to kiss Tina on the cheek. Nick, this is Natalie. And you remember Tina, of course.

Hi, I said, as my fake smile faded.

Nick was attractive, especially standing next to plainer-than-plain Rob, and it caught me off guard. He was a little taller than Rob, probably just six feet. Most of the guys they set me up with were of the homely variety, as were most of the lawyers that worked on the tenth floor. I’m not a horribly judgmental person, just an honest one. As I got caught up in my fix-up nightmare, Nick came over to shake my hand.

It’s so nice to meet you, Natalie. Tina, I hope you’re well. He smiled and kept his eyes on me.

He had a really nice, warm smile with extremely white teeth. And he was either tan or Italian. Judging by his facial features I was betting on Italian. He had thick dark-brown hair and, I think, brown eyes. His hair was nice for a guy his age; no gray hairs, no receding hair line, and a really nice cut. I was actually amazed the law firm hired a decent-looking guy. After a few seconds, I remembered it was rude to stare so I looked away. They just stood there; Rob staring at Tina, Tina smiling at me, and Nick oddly staring at me.

Uncomfortable silences were not welcome in my office.

So, I began, hoping to end the awkwardness. I hear we’re going to lunch today?

Rob answered. Yea. Nick hasn’t been in Philly for a while, so I was thinking some place in Rittenhouse square or Morimoto’s. Do you girls have a preference?

I looked at Tina since she usually had a place already picked out for my demise, I mean fix-ups.

It’s up to you guys, whatever you’re in the mood for, Tina said, much to my disbelief.

I glanced over to see Nick was still staring at me. Our eyes met and he didn’t look away, he just smiled. Weird guy. I smiled back and quickly looked at Rob. Well, you guys decide. If you want me to make reservations let me know. Is anyone else coming?

No, just the four of us, he answered with a smile.

I smiled back a smile that was not intended to be a pleasant one and I’m sure he was smart enough to know that.

Alright, Rob said, and looked away from my glare. We’ve gotta get back up there and start working. Nick brought some really big clients with him, so we have a lot of work to do.

If you’re too busy, we can reschedule lunch, I offered innocently.

Tina shot me a look and opened her mouth to interject but Rob beat her to it. No, no. It’s nothing Nick can’t handle. He’s the best lawyer I know, he said quickly as he put his hand on Nick’s shoulder.

I loved messing around with them. Tina’s face was hilarious, stunned and angry at the same time. I almost started to laugh but when I looked over, Nick was still staring at me. Okay, this guy is real close to getting added to the Creepy Guy list.

Nick came out of his trance and said, I appreciate the concern, but lunch won’t be a problem. Rob overestimates the work that needs to be done.

Ok, then it’s settled, Tina piped in. Natalie and I will be waiting for you both around twelve-thirty. Sound good?

Tina was great at wrapping up a conversation when she wanted to. Rob and Nick agreed, said their goodbyes, and left the office. Tina was trying to sneak out with them but I called for her before she cleared the hallway.

I pointed at door then her chair, indicating she needed to shut it when she came back in. What the hell was that? You come in here, telling me I look like crap, knowing that the guy is coming in here anyway?

I knew if I told you, you would have left the office. Everything is such a production with you, she complained.

Don’t turn this around on me. You’re the one who planned this whole thing.

Natalie, I’m not going to sit and argue with you. We’re going out to lunch. We’ll talk, eat, and it will be over. Now, you need to get to work. She nodded and walked out of the office.

I debated walking after her but I didn’t feel like fighting either. I wasn’t happy about it, but I had run out of the little energy that was keeping me awake. I gave up and went on a hunt for breakfast.

The rest of my morning went by rather quietly. The biggest problem I had to deal with was a client of mine calling in and wanting to change the colors in his magazine ads, which were already in production. No matter how many clients we collected, how successful our campaigns were or how much money we made, we always got a few people who thought they, too, were professional art directors. Not that we always walk around thinking we’re God’s gift, but advertising is what we do and we’re good at it. We don’t need some guy who crunches numbers all day changing colors last minute because his wife said she doesn’t like them. Of course, we can’t say that to the client. I have to talk him down from the ledge and explain to him that hot pink is not a very professional color for an investment firm. The call went smoothly enough and I had time to focus on my next looming disaster, a.k.a lunch.

I went through my emails, reviewed some artwork that was due later in the afternoon and played on my iPhone. Like I said, creativity doesn’t always come when you want it to and I surely didn’t have any right now. For whatever reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about Nick. I had only met the guy for five awkward minutes, so why did I keep trying to remember his face? Sure, he was really good-looking but I’d seen plenty of cute guys before. I had no idea what he was like and furthermore, why did I care? I was going through an anti-men phase after a messy break-up last month anyway. Better to keep him off my radar.

I told myself to focus on the game of Suduko I was playing. The game timer was clocking in at over twenty minutes and I only had two numbers filled in. I put my iPhone down and did a head roll. I tried to stretch out my neck side-to-side in the hopes it would loosen me up. As I rolled my head to left, I saw Nick getting ready to knock on my door. A shot of nerves went through me. I stared at him, not really knowing what else to do. Why couldn’t I think to tell him to come in?

He slowly took a step into the office and smiled as he said, I got a call from Rob asking me to come get you. He’s busy finishing up a call and Tina was unavailable as well.

Snap out of it, I yelled at myself. Yes, I’m sure they’re both extremely busy, I said as I started to regain some consciousness. Are they at least joining us for the lunch they planned?

He looked puzzled. Yes. Rob said he’d be right down, he was almost done. He asked us to meet him in the parking garage.

Did my heart just flutter when he said ‘us’? Alright, that is enough, I told myself. I do not know this person; there is no reason to get excited about anything. This is just lunch. What was going on with me? I think the lack of sleep was doing crazy things to my head. I needed to get some food in me and then I’d be back to normal; not getting excited over some guy that I just met.

Okay, sure. I managed to say as I grabbed my purse and sunglasses from the drafting table behind me.

I headed out of the office and Nick put his hand on the door and indicated for me to go first. Okay, well, at least he had some manners. We got to the elevator at the end of the hall and he did the same holding-the-door-for-me thing. I hit the elevator button for the garage level and the doors shut. As soon as we were inside I could feel the tension building. I kept my eyes forward because I didn’t really want to start a conversation. I wasn’t being rude I was just getting annoyed with all of this. Not only had they surprised me with a morning meeting, I was having lunch with him and they sent him down to fetch me. I do not like surprises, especially with the mood I was currently in.

I glanced over to Nick, which was a bad choice on my part. He had his hands behind his back, leaning against the wall and he was staring at me. At first I thought, he looks like a model standing like that. But that thought was quickly replaced with, why is he staring at me? He was probably waiting for me to make small talk with him since that’s what a normal, nice person would do. I just smiled and looked forward again. Thankfully, the ride down didn’t take too long. We stood in the waiting area for a few minutes in silence. I heard Nick clear his throat, which made me look over to him but, he didn’t say anything so I looked away. The doors opened shortly after and Rob and Tina came out of the elevator in a hushed conversation. They both walked right passed me so I shook my head in frustration and followed them to Rob’s SUV.

We drove for a few minutes in silence. I didn’t want to be labeled as the girl who never let it be quiet but I cannot stand awkward silences. And this was as awkward as they got. Did you guys pick a place? I asked, because no one had said a word about where we were going. I waited for an answer looking back and forth from Rob to Nick.

Finally, Nick spoke up. Rob picked a place he said you all liked. What was it called, Rob?

The Melting Pot, Rob grumbled from the front.

The Melting Pot was a fondue restaurant that I loved, but it really was for more intimate settings. Some place to go with your girlfriends or the person you’re dating. The seating was so close and you had to share food. Not a great place to go on a first date, or first lunch or whatever this was. That must have been Tina’s idea; I would have to thank her for that later. I was about to make a case for going someplace more casual when Tina opened her big mouth.

Oh, Nick, we’re having a birthday party for Emily this weekend. She’s turning five! Can you believe it? My baby isn’t a baby anymore! She turned around with her pretend sad face, but then continued looking at Rob. We’re doing a petting zoo for the kids, but we have a bunch of adults staying for the party. You should come. Rob could use your help on the grill.

The grill and I work fine together. There’s no need to put the man to work, he told her. Natalie will be there along with a few other people from the office. Just come and enjoy yourself.

I glared at Rob as he looked at me through the rear-view mirror.

Nick cleared his throat quietly. Thanks. I’d be happy to come. Just email me the time and address.

Tina piped in. Don’t be silly, Natalie can pick you up. She passes through your part of town on her way to our house. You don’t really know your way around yet. She twisted around to look at me. Right, Nat?

Now what was I supposed to say? No, he’s a stranger and I don’t want to be inconvenienced like this? Be a total bitch and tell him he should buy a GPS? Yea, sure, no problem, was all I could muster up.

That’s really not necessary. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you, Nick told me.

It’s really no trouble at all. You’re on her way, Rob answered for me, because apparently my opinion of being inconvenienced was not important. I’ll tell Natalie where you’re staying and she’ll pick you up a little before noon. Good? Great, we’re here.

CHAPTER TWO

I couldn’t remember the last time I was so speechless. I sat there not knowing what to do or say. Would it matter what I did or said? I could have not even been in the car at all and the conversation would have been the same. This had to be addressed with Tina and Rob, but I knew mid-afternoon in the middle of a city street was no time for a hissy fit. As we got out of the car, I shot Tina a look that was intended to let her know she was in trouble. She either ignored it or didn’t notice.

I love this place, don’t you Natalie? she asked with a smile.

Yea, it’s great, I replied with as little enthusiasm as I could politely get away with.

We entered the restaurant with Nick holding the door (I was seeing a pattern starting here) and the hostess led us to our table. The restaurant had booth seating and each table had a large hot plate placed inside the table top. Servers put the fondue pot on top of the hot plate and you cooked and ate your food at the table. The restaurant smelled of sharp cheese and sweet wine, and the lighting was dim, giving us a completely unwanted romantic setting.

Of course, Tina and Rob sat together on one side of the booth and left the other for Nick and myself. We had a short back and forth of who wanted the inside seat. He offered it to me and I just slid in wanting to get the lunch over with as soon as possible. I was mad, tired, annoyed, and hungry all at the same time. Probably the worst combination of feelings to deal with, but here I was.

Nick, have you ever been here before? Tina prompted the conversation as we reviewed the menus.

No. I don’t usually eat anything other than Italian, he answered, sounding as uncomfortable as I felt.

Well isn’t that funny? Natalie is Italian and she is a great cook! Tina smiled as if she hadn’t planned on bringing that point up.

I just smiled at her and tried to control the anger that was bubbling up inside me. This was more annoying than the usual fix-ups. Usually I knew the guy wasn’t right for me, so there was no pressure and their little comments didn’t annoy me. They usually weren’t this aggressive with the guy either.

Her family even makes their own tomato sauce every year, Tina went on.

Really? I didn’t think anyone did that anymore. My dad does that, too. Nick sounded like he was actually excited about it.

Everyone looked at me and I figured it was my turn to say something. Yea, um, my dad has this really old tomato grinder that’s been in my family for years. It usually takes a whole day to get it all done. I smiled, realizing what a random statement I just made.

Is your dad from Italy or was he born here? he asked.

He was born in Sicily actually, uh, he came over here when he was in his twenties. I squirmed slightly under his intense stare.

Is your mom from Sicily, too? Nick asked.

No, she was born here. She’s a mix of Irish and Polish.

You look Sicilian though, he observed.

I looked up quickly at him and smiled. Yea.

The tension broke slightly as the waitress took our orders. Again, my opinion was ignored as Rob ordered for all of us. I did get to pick what kind of salad I wanted; lucky me. Tina managed to get in a few of my other key selling points. And Rob continued on about Nick. I kind of felt like I was at an elementary school’s show-n-tell. I was Tina’s little toy and Nick was Rob’s; each of them bragging to the rest of the class. The awkwardness eventually eased up a little as our conversation turned to easier topics.

So, Natalie, I was thinking for Emily’s party that I would have each of the little kids’ names on their cowboy hat. What do you think? Tina asked me randomly.

Uh, sounds cute. But I thought you had badges with their names on it? Tina had been planning this cowgirl party for the past six months. I’d helped her because I am a party planning fanatic, so I knew everything was planned, paid and partially set-up already.

Oh, I don’t know. I’m just rethinking some things now that it’s close. She smiled and took a sip of her water. Oh! That reminds me, she sounded surprised at something. I need to call her teacher and see what treats I can send in on Friday. They’re nut-free, cupcake-free, and fun-free, it seems. I’ll just be a minute. I’ll go outside so I don’t bother anyone.

Tina grabbed her phone and went outside without waiting for anyone to respond to her departure. I wondered why she needed to make the phone call now, I was positive the call could have been made any other time on any other day.

Then I realized what was going.

The most awkward part of the lunch date was on its way. I had almost forgotten about this piece of the set-up. God, I really needed to wake up already. Usually I timed them to see how long it took. I’d been too busy in conversation to realize the usual course of events. In about two minutes, Rob would get up to check on what was taking Tina so long.

The waitress came around to clear our salad dishes from the table and Rob gave his watch a hard look. Yep, the usual clue he was about to abandon me.

You know, I’d better go call the office and let them know to push back my meetings a little, he told me. It looks like lunch will run late. I’ll be right back.

Lunch was, in fact, not running late but I guess it was the only excuse he could come up with at the moment. They really were getting sloppy about this stuff. Rob excused himself and left the table. And then there were two. Nick and I looked at each other and we both had nervous smiles on our faces. I really should say something. I hated silences and our chaperones’ absences were probably going to be a while.

I’m sorry about them. They’re, uh, a little too much sometimes, I admitted.

What do you mean? Nick asked.

Oh, well, this whole fixing us up thing. They do it to me all the time. It’s really not fair to you. I thought the situation was pretty obvious. He was supposed to be a brilliant lawyer; he should have a grasp on what was going on here.

He looked a little confused. They do this to you often?

I nodded. More often than I’d like to admit. It’s always the same thing, though. They ambush me with some guy they think is perfect for me and then they leave half-way through the meal to check on the kids or whatever excuse they think of. I’ve asked them to stop but they don’t. Obviously.

He looked down at the table. We didn’t mean to ambush you. I didn’t intend to upset you.

He sounded defensive, like I hurt his feelings. Weird. No, it’s not your fault. You didn’t realize what they were doing. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to sound like I was complaining. I’m just exhausted today. I felt bad, he looked like I had upset him. I had no idea why though.

No, you’re right. I didn’t realize they hadn’t asked you. It’s presumptuous to assume you would want to meet me. He looked out into the restaurant.

Oh God, why did I open my big mouth? And why did I feel bad about it? Why was he taking this all so personally? This was too much for a supposedly casual lunch on a Monday.

Sorry, was all I could think to say. When in doubt, apologize.

Don’t be sorry. If you want to go, I can get a taxi to take you back to the office.

Was he trying to make me feel worse? I would be the rudest person in the world if I walked out. The least I could do was to stay and have lunch with the guy. It wasn’t hurting me. But I needed to change the topic, something light and not riddled with guilt. No, really it’s fine. I promise. So, um, Tina said you and Rob went to school together? My attempt to change the topic was terribly obvious but he seemed to relax a little bit and a slight smile appeared on his face.

Well, I went to school, Rob occasionally made an appearance, he explained, although I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or honest.

I smiled, happy that we were on to less awkward topics. Was it undergrad or law school?

We had a few undergraduate classes together. When we both stayed at Harvard for law school, we became roommates.

Ugh, living with Rob? What was that like? I didn’t know how Tina managed to be in the same house with him and his messiness.

He laughed a little. Actually, not that bad. He wasn’t around the apartment much. I think Tina had something to do with that.

Oh, yea, that’s right. Tina told me he used to come home a lot to visit her.

His smile grew a little more as he shook his head. He wanted a career and a family all at the same time. I was surprised when he proposed to Tina during our first semester. I thought he would have waited until he graduated so he had time for the wedding and honeymoon. But Rob is impetuous at times.

I nodded remembering the Rob and Tina story. They got married a year before he graduated and got pregnant a few years later. Rob had the good luck to find a job that paid very well and Tina was able to stay home with Emily. Two years later, they had their second baby, Zachary, and their family was complete. A few months later, Tina wanted more than being a stay at home mom, so she came to work with us. That’s when I got thrown into this crazy mess.

Rob tells me you’re an account manager with the advertising agency in our building. That has to be an exciting job.

He seemed interested enough, so I continued with the conversation. It is. It’s fun and creative and I get to work with some great people. I tried to stay as positive as I could, I didn’t want him thinking I was a Debbie Downer. I made a mental note not to say anything negative or sarcastic for the rest of the lunch.

How did you know you wanted to be in advertising? He asked and turned his upper body into the booth so we were talking to each other face-to-face.

Uh, I initially majored in business but when I took a few marketing classes, I just fell in love with it. I felt like advertising was a good mix of art and business. I like being creative but still having some sort of structure.

I’m the opposite. I want all structure.

I chuckled. Well, the law is definitely that. Were there any lawyers in your family?

My father is. Well, he’s retired now. But it was an easy choice for me growing up around his work. I was always in his office.

Don’t you have any siblings?

No, it’s just me and my dad. My mother passed away when I was younger, he told with just the smallest hint of sadness. She must have passed away a long time ago.

Oh, I’m sorry. That must have been horrible.

He shrugged slightly and looked at the table. She was sick for a long while. She had cancer. We had time to prepare ourselves, although it was hard to not have her around anymore.

How did we keep getting on these heavy topics? And where the hell were Tina and Rob? The waitress was making her way over with our lunch. I took the opportunity to change to subject again. I guess Rob and Tina are gonna miss lunch, I noted.

Do you think I should go get them? I don’t want to be rude and eat without them, he said and made an effort to look around the room to locate them.

Uh, no. They’ll be fine. I didn’t care if they ate or not at this point.

Okay. So how does this thing work? He nodded to the plate of raw meat that was placed before us.

You just take your skewer and take whatever piece you want, put it in the fondue pot and wait a couple of minutes until it’s cooked.

His eyebrow rose slightly in confusion or annoyance, I couldn’t tell. "So you come to a restaurant and pay to cook