“Shut up!” Nora playfully jabs me. “He did not! What are the chances?” She bounces with excitement.
Ever since I’d shared the story of waking up in a strange man’s bed and struggling to remember what happened, she made it her mission to get to the bottom of who he was. She’d even asked Aiden, the bartender, if he knew, to no avail.
“Apparently pretty good.” I roll my eyes, feigning annoyance with the idea of seeing the man I swore I had no desire to cross paths with again.
“What did you do?” Chloe inquires, not as excitable as Nora.
“I did what any self-respecting thirty-year-old woman in my shoes would do when facing a man whose bed she woke up in after a night of drinking.”
“You tried to hide, didn’t you?”
“Do you blame me? I hoped to never see the guy again. So I did my best to act disinterested, although… Holy hell, girls.” Warmth radiates through me as I melt into the couch, unable to contain my smile. “On a scale of ten, this guy is, like, a solid eleven. He was even hotter than I remember. Usually, it’s the other way around. And bonus, I learned his name is Julian, so there’s that.”
“What did he say?”
I stare into space, recalling our conversation in the coffee house. One thing stands out above all others. “He wanted to know why I left without saying goodbye. He appeared genuinely upset by it.”
“Aww…,” Nora and Chloe say in unison, passing each other an endearing look.
“No. Not aww. This is not an aww moment.”
“It is,” Chloe insists.
“No.”
“It’s destiny, Evie!” Nora beams as she clutches my hand, squeezing. “You get wasted and sleep with who I can only imagine to be God’s gift to the male form, can’t remember a thing, then cross paths with him two weeks later. I’m not sure the odds of something like that happening, especially in a city the size of New York, but it’s got to be unheard of!”
“It’s not destiny.” I brush off the idea, even though I’d briefly considered it. “And…” I trail off.
“And…what?” Chloe leans in, clinging to my every word.
I expect them to break out the popcorn as they take in the story I’ve kept from them for twenty-four hours. I’m not sure why I thought I could keep it from them forever. Maybe because I assumed yesterday was the last time I’d see Julian. Boy, was I wrong. Maybe it is destiny.
Returning my attention to them, I admit, “You were right.”
“Right?” Confused, Chloe’s brows pull in.
“We didn’t sleep together.”
“I knew it!” She pumps her fist in the air. “I mean, who in their right mind would have the wherewithal to put her bra back on after having sexy times? Hell, what woman would fall asleep with her bra on in the first place, unless they were completely incapable of taking it off? And there’s no way he wouldn’t take it off to get a look at those girls.” With a laugh, she gestures to my chest. “You have fantastic boobs.”
“Thank…you?”
“Start at the beginning,” Nora orders. “And don’t leave out a single detail.”
With a grin, I run them through yesterday’s unexpected events. Seeing Julian and learning his name. Dismissing him so I could work on finding August Laurent. Being unable to focus after our encounter. Running into Trevor with another woman as I left the coffee shop. Bumping into Julian again. Him telling me what happened the night of my birthday, then proposing a little arrangement.
“An arrangement?” Chloe waggles her brows deviously.
“Like a friends with benefits thing?” Nora smirks. “No strings, but you still get treated to a rocking orgasm when needed? Trust me. Those are a lot of fun.” She looks to Chloe, who nods in agreement.
“No… Well, I don’t think so. We still have to iron out the details, but if I agree to be his date to a bunch of stuffy dinner parties and events he has coming up, he’ll help me win back Trevor. I turned him down, claiming Trevor was too smart to believe I’d be dating someone like Julian, especially so soon after our own breakup, but then…”
“Julian sent flowers to you at Trevor’s while he was conveniently present,” Chloe sings, filling in the blanks.
“Exactly.”
“And it made him jealous.”
“Sure did.”
“So Julian wanted to prove you were wrong about Trevor being too smart. Now you’re considering his proposal.”
“You hit the nail on the head. But I haven’t agreed yet. I still have my doubts—”
“Despite the fact that Trevor was jealous after only a bouquet of flowers?” Chloe tilts her head at me. “Imagine if he caught you guys doing it? He’d come crawling back to you in a flash.”
“I don’t know about that. Even if he is jealous, there’s no guarantee it’ll make him want to be with me.”
Chloe and Nora share a look, shrugging.
“The reason Trevor broke up with me is because he doesn’t think I’m serious. Lying to him and pretending to date someone else?” I grab one of Chloe’s colorful throw pillows and hug it to my body. “That will most likely only solidify his original opinion.”
Squinting, Nora considers my words for a moment. “Then why didn’t you tell Trevor you weren’t dating Julian? And why didn’t you refuse to meet Julian for dinner tonight?”
I stare forward, shaking my head as I give the only answer that seems fitting. “I couldn’t say no to him.”
Chloe jumps to her feet, tugging me off the couch and into the den, which has become my bedroom, Nora following close on our heels. “Well, what are you going to wear?” She proceeds toward a hanging rack, shifting through all my clothes.
“I have no idea. I don’t even know where he’s taking me tonight.” I plop down onto the bed.
“Ask him.” She nods at my hand, which still clutches my cell.
“What? I can’t do that.”
“Sure you can,” Nora encourages.
“Then he’ll think I’m excited about tonight, and I can’t be excited about tonight. It’s strictly a business dinner. A glorified negotiation, so to speak.”
With a groan, Chloe steps toward me, taking the phone from my hand. “Then I’ll text him. While I’m at it, I’ll ask him what kind of panties he prefers. Briefs, thongs, or commando. Ya know… So you can dress appropriately…in all respects.”
My reflexes have never been so quick as I rip my cell out of Chloe’s hands. “Fine. I’ll text him.” I open my messages to see he responded to the one I’d sent with her address.
The Village? My mother always warned me about dating a village girl.
A smile builds on my face as I respond.
Well then, it’s a good thing I’m a Nebraska girl. Is there a dress code for dinner?
She warned me about Midwest girls, too. And wear something nice. A dress. Nothing too formal, but nothing too casual, either.
What will you be wearing?
Are you sexting with me?
I blush at his comment, drawing a blank as I try to come up with a witty response. Normally, I’d have an entire arsenal of possibilities. But something about Julian unnerves me, like I’m not myself.
If I were sexting, you’d be squirming in your seat, itching to drive over here and see me. I’m simply asking as a point of reference. And so I don’t pick out the same Brooks Brothers’ suit. It’s happened before, and it was the embarrassment of the century. So I made Trevor go home and change.
Chloe bursts out laughing. I glance over my shoulder to see her and Nora peering at the screen.
“You’re horrible,” Nora comments.
“Everyone uses comedy in awkward situations.”
“But you use it in all situations.”
“What can I say? I live an awkward life.”
When my phone buzzes, we all fling our eyes back to the screen.
Oh, Guinevere. I do enjoy your wit. No need to worry about us wearing the same Brooks Brothers suit. I don’t own any. Most of mine are Tom Ford, which I’ll be wearing tonight. I think slate gray. I’ll see you at seven.
I’m about to type a response when Nora snatches the phone from me. “Don’t.”
“What? Why?”
She blows out a breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You’ve been out of the dating world for too long.”