Ana Takes Manhattan

Contents
 
 
 Cover
 Title Page
 Copyright
 Dedication
 Chapter 1
 Chapter 2
 Chapter 3
 Chapter 4
 Chapter 5
 Chapter 6
 Chapter 7
 Chapter 8
 Chapter 9
 Chapter 10
 Chapter 11
 Chapter 12
 Chapter 13
 Chapter 14
 Chapter 15
 Chapter 16
 Chapter 17
 Chapter 18
 Chapter 19
 Chapter 20
 Chapter 21
 Chapter 22
 Chapter 23
 Chapter 24
 Chapter 25
 Chapter 26
 Chapter 27
 Chapter 28
 Chapter 29
 Chapter 30
 Chapter 31
 Chapter 32
 Chapter 33
 Chapter 34
 Chapter 35
 Chapter 36
 Chapter 37
 Acknowledgments
 Discover More
 About the Author
 Don’t Miss Lissette’s Next Book
 
 
 Navigation
 
 
 
 
 
 Table of Contents
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
 Copyright © 2023 by Lissette Decos
 Cover design and illustration by Holly Ovenden
 Cover copyright © 2023 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
 Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
 The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
 Forever
 Hachette Book Group
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 First edition: February 2023
 Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. The Forever name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
 The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 Names: Decos, Lissette, author.
 Title: Ana takes Manhattan / Lissette Decos.
 Description: First edition. | New York : Forever, 2023.
 Identifiers: LCCN 2022042093 | ISBN 9781538706756 (trade paperback) |
 ISBN 9781538706763 (ebook)
 Subjects: LCGFT: Romance fiction. | Novels.
 Classification: LCC PS3604.E26 A85 2023 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
 /eng/20220902
 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022042093
 ISBNs: 9781538706756 (trade paperback), 9781538706763 (ebook)
 E3-20221207-DA-NF-ORI
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Para mi madre
 
 
 
 
 
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 Chapter 1
 
 Now would be the perfect time to turn into someone else. Doesn’t have to be someone completely different. Just a chilled-out, easier-going version of myself would be nice. Someone whose shoulders aren’t way up by her ears. Or whose right eye doesn’t feel like it’s about to start twitching.
 Why does it have to be him down on one knee? I can think of at least three other guys who could be doing this right now. And he’s way closer than he needs to be. With little effort, I could run a hand through his thick brown hair with all those natural golden streaks.
 “Marry me, Ana,” he whispers calmly.
 The words shouldn’t surprise me, but they do. Especially the way he says my name. Like he’s holding a small bird. I tuck a stray, frizzed-out curl behind my ear just as the cool mist from the fountain reaches my face.
 Come on, Ana. Loosen up. This is the perfect day for a proposal. It’s still early in the summer. Not too hot. Mostly clear blue sky. Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain and the small lake nearby look both luxurious and welcoming.
 “Thanks again for volunteering to do this…” I never even got his name after he delivered our generators this morning. Maybe it’s Chad. Or Jack. He looks like a Jack. Jack from the Midwest. Corn-fed but also a little bit savage. Like one of those young Abercrombie & Fitch models who should be able to afford food but always looks famished.
 “You’re probably wondering why I do the rehearsal myself,” I say to help ease the tension between us. I hope I’m not the only one feeling tension. “I just think it’s not much of a camera run-through if the cameras don’t get the chance to actually run through things exactly the way they’re meant to go. When you’re dealing with a surprise proposal, the rehearsal is really critical. And as the producer, I’m responsible for all the details—know what I mean?”
 He licks his lips but doesn’t respond. His scent is intoxicating. Like bubble gum and the sea.
 I force my shoulders down and shake my head around like a boxer about to enter the ring. Problem is, the clock is ticking and my mind has gone completely blank. Mostly because his V-neck T-shirt is exposing a beautiful triangle of smooth, tan skin.
 “So…what do ya think?” He sounds playful but also a bit worried.
 There’s an undeniable heat between us. It’s like we’re in a warm bubble and the world has stopped and nothing is happening. Wait, why is nothing happening?
 I look around and realize he isn’t the only one waiting for my response. The entire production crew is waiting. My response is everyone’s cue to begin this rehearsal.
 I have no idea how long I’ve been out of it, but now I’m very much back in it—and no doubt visibly flushed.
 It’s fine. No biggie. But if I open my mouth right now, I’m pretty sure a high-pitched YESSS will come out. So I nod.
 Finally, a smile spans his square cheeks just as a Spanish guitar glides into the silence. I look up at a dozen or so rowboats dotting the lake behind him. On the boat nearest us, a young man wearing a white tuxedo struggles to stand. He steadies himself, takes a deep breath, and begins belting out “O Sole Mio.”
 A wave of activity ripples across the other boats as men and women put down their oars and reveal