Oliver nodded. “I try to do one every few months or so. I ran a lot at university. I thought I’d become a personal trainer. Funny that I work with books now, yeah?” He leaned closer and smirked conspiratorially. “Don’t tell anyone here, but I don’t actually read very much. I listen to maybe two audiobooks a year, and that’s because they’re free through M&M’s audiobook app.”
Lily laughed, a mixture of delight and intense relief. She realized part of her had still been ridiculously suspicious that Oliver not only looked like Strick, but that he was Strick. It made no sense because she’d already accepted that Strick was most likely someone on N.R. Strickland’s team who’d thought it had been a funny joke to string Lily along. But now she could confirm that Oliver and Strick were very separate people. The Strick she knew wasn’t an athlete. Well, at least he’d never mentioned anything about running. And Strick had been a lifelong reader. At least, those were the things he’d told her. They could be completely false. Either way, Strick and Oliver couldn’t be more different.
“Your secret is safe with me,” Lily said.
“Thanks.” Oliver smiled, and Lily blushed, glancing down at her drink. He was very cute. He almost made her forget about her troubles with Nick. Almost.
Dani returned to the bar, downed her glass of rosé and handed Lily some cash. “Lily, I’m so sorry, but my roommate wants me to meet her at a gallery downtown. Free food and drinks, can’t pass it up! Please don’t hate me. I’ll make it up to you.” She hugged Lily and batted her eyes at Oliver. In a terrible British accent, she said, “And we’ll have to get lunch soon, gov’na.” Then she bid them a rushed goodbye and hurried out of the bar.
“You two are mates?” Oliver asked.
“Sort of.” Lily grinned. “Dani is friends with everyone.”
“Well, she’s the opposite of me. I kind of wonder what I was thinking moving here completely alone. Most of my family are on the other side of the country. I know maybe three people in this whole city. And one of them is my ex-girlfriend’s best mate, so it’s not like I’ll be texting her to meet up anytime soon.”
His ex-girlfriend. So . . . he was single?
“My mates dared me to make the big move, actually,” he continued. “There was no reason for me not to take the opportunity. I’m single, and I wanted to know how New York compared to London. I’ve been here for three weeks and I’m already getting tired of doing things alone. I got tickets to a comedy show this weekend because my mate’s cousin who lives in Queens said he’d like to go, but he has to attend a birthday party with his wife, so now I’ll be seeing Angela Lawrence by myself.”
“Oh, I’ve seen one of her Netflix specials before. She’s the one who has the joke about her Uber driver ex taking her to a date or something like that, right? She’s funny.”
Oliver’s eyes sparkled with sudden interest. “Would you like to go to the show with me?” Lily blinked, surprised at the invitation, and Oliver quickly continued. “We just met, so if that’s too weird, I completely understand. But you seem cool, and I’d hate to let the ticket go to waste.” He paused. “Sorry, I’m sure you’re in a relationship and your partner wouldn’t want you going out with a random bloke from work.” He laughed and focused his attention on his drink.
Lily slowly shook her head. “I’m not in a relationship.”
“Oh . . .” Oliver’s expression turned hopeful. “Would you like to go then? It doesn’t have to be a date. Unless you want it to be. Sorry, that was very forward. I’m usually much smoother, I promise.”
Lily looked at him. She actually appreciated his forwardness. It was a welcome change after the guessing games she’d played with Nick.
Nick . . . she’d have to let go of him. And their agreement to help her find a date to Violet’s wedding. In retrospect it was kind of silly that she thought Nick would actually be able to help her. If she was being honest, she’d probably just used it as an excuse to spend more time with him.
But she had to draw a line now. She could handle getting a date to Violet’s wedding on her own. And she’d start with the charming guy right in front of her.
“I’d love to go,” she told Oliver.
“Brilliant.” Oliver held up his tumbler, and Lily held up her glass. “Cheers.”
Lily smiled, hopeful and determined. “Cheers.”
15
Nick stared at his phone, willing a text from Lily to appear. it had been almost a week since their kiss at her parents’ house, and it was all he could think about. He should just call her. Or knock on her door and talk to her. But he didn’t know what he’d even say. He’d revealed the rawest parts of himself to her and she hadn’t turned away. If anything, she’d only brought him closer and that was terrifying. Because one day she’d wake up and see that she’d made a mistake by choosing him. He was trying to save her from that grief, which meant he most definitely should not call her.
It didn’t matter anyway. After the way he’d left her room, she’d most likely already realized what a fuck-up he was and wanted nothing to do with him.
“Nick, sweetheart, do you not like my carne asada? I have to say you’d be the first. My sons love this meal.”
Nick looked up from his phone at Yolanda. Fridays were usually reserved for Henry and Yolanda’s date nights, but they’d invited him over. Nick, still struggling to write his book and also looking for a distraction from his constant thoughts about Lily, had been more than happy to accept.
“It’s delicious,” Nick said. “Best I’ve ever had.”
“Then why are you frowning at it?” Yolanda asked.
“Oh, I—um,” he stammered. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“He’s having issues with his lady friend,” Henry supplied.
Nick turned to him sharply. “What?”
“His lady friend?” Intrigued, Yolanda leaned forward. Her eyes twinkled. “Do tell, Nick.”
“I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
“He does,” Henry said. “She’s the young lady we met in the hallway a few weeks ago. I’ve seen them together before. They smile and stare into each other’s eyes while walking down the street. They’re an item. Or at least they were, and now they’re not, and that’s why Nick is so forlorn. He was behaving this way in the gym earlier. It’s why I suggested that we invite him to dinner.”
At the gym, all Henry had done was jog on the treadmill and listen to his music, while Nick lifted weights. They usually didn’t talk much when they worked out, so Nick had no idea when Henry had become so perceptive.
“That’s not true,” Nick said. “She’s my friend, not my lady friend. Henry, can you please stop making these blanket statements every time you see me with a woman?”
“But I’m correct in this instance,” Henry said. “I haven’t seen you with the young lady all week and you won’t stop checking your phone.” He turned to Yolanda. “They must be in a spat of some kind.”
“Oh, Nick, you poor thing,” Yolanda said. “What’s the spat about?”
I kissed her and ruined everything between us and now I know she doesn’t want anything to do with me.