“I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you’,” her friend offered helpfully. “Anyway, I just did what you should have done all along. I called Alex. And it just so happens he’s free tonight and would be more than happy to escort you to the Save the…” Olivia could easily picture Chloe on the other end of the line, racking her brain for the name of the ambiguous charity, “whatever-it-is event.”
“Chloe, what have I told you about setting me up?” Having weeknight drinks with Alex and pretending to be oblivious to Chloe’s blatant matchmaking attempts was one thing. Going on an actual Saturday night date with him was another.
“Funny thing about calling Alex,” Chloe mused. “He was really surprised you’d want to go out tonight, you know, since you haven’t returned any of his calls.”
Olivia had resolutely not told Chloe about her most recent hookup with Cole, or their no-strings arrangement. It was also one of the reasons she was still dodging Alex’s calls. How could she possibly go out with him when she’d been getting naked with another man?
“Chloe, you can’t just go around making dates for me!” she complained, ignoring the thinly veiled question about Alex’s unreturned phone calls.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s rude!” Olivia sputtered. She rinsed her toothbrush and dropped it in the cup on the sink. “Besides, I was going to call him back. Eventually. I’ve just been really busy.”
“Liar,” Chloe challenged. “You haven’t said two words about drinks with him. Did you really think you could avoid this discussion forever?”
“It’s true! Cole’s been making my life a living hell at work and I’ve been putting in a lot of extra hours,” Olivia protested. Maybe if Chloe was focused on something else, she wouldn’t have to answer twenty questions about Alex. She still hadn’t been able to decide if they should go on an actual date, which, apparently, was now the least of her problems.
“Oh, I have no doubt you’ve been pulling extra hours,” Chloe agreed, “but don’t tell me you can’t find five minutes to call the poor guy back! He really likes you, Liv, despite the fact you’ve been blowing him off. If things with Cole are one and done, then why not give Alex a chance?”
“Look, Alex is a really nice guy, but I just don’t have time right now.”
“Make time!” Chloe argued. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to find Alex? Of course you don’t,” she rushed on, “because you never leave the office. Well, let me clue you in. It took ages. Nice, normal guys of the single, thirty-something, non-serial killer type are an endangered species, you know.”
Olivia pressed her lips together. She loved Chloe to death, but sometimes it seemed they were light years apart. If Chloe applied the same energy to her job as junior associate that she spent man hunting, she’d be stiff competition. But as it was, they had vastly different priorities in life.
“Seriously, Liv. Maybe Pritchard’s wife could host a NYC man-raiser? Now that’s a charity I could really get behind.”
Olivia groaned and dragged a hand over her face. “Remind me again why we’re friends?”
“Because I have all the goods,” Chloe chirped, sounding pleased she’d won yet another argument. “Namely the espresso roast and the 411 on last-minute dates.”
“Yes, that must be it,” she relented, chewing on her lower lip. She needed a date and Alex was a nice guy. What was the big deal? It was just one date and it beat the hell out of showing up alone. “What time is Alex picking me up?”
…
Cole was making the rounds, doing the obligatory schmoozing that was expected of him as a partner and a top donor. It was just after seven and he was already bored out of his mind. Until tonight, he’d never realized what a valuable asset a date was. He hated these kinds of events, the kind where the sole purpose was to kiss ass and rub elbows. He didn’t mind making worthy charitable donations, was happy to give them, but he could do without all the other bullshit. He just wanted to write a check and move on. He usually let his dates do all the socializing. They seemed to like it anyway.
Tonight was different, though. He grabbed a passing waiter and ordered a scotch.
Cole surveyed the garden as he waited for his drink. It was a beautiful night for dancing under the stars. The sky was clear, there was a spring breeze in the air, and the trees were aglow with sparkling white lights. The party was in full swing with a live quartet spilling classical music over the crowd. Donors drank and mingled in harmony, although he would have bet most of them couldn’t even remember the cause that united them this evening. He hadn’t seen Olivia yet, but he knew she was around somewhere. Probably in that sexy little black dress. Pritchard had intimated the event was mandatory, and she wasn’t one to break the rules.
Well, most of the time.