"That's what he said," she goes on, "Maribel panicked and told him about the surprise party. He said he'd make time after his dinner but he didn't want to hit up the club so Maribel convinced him to stop by her place for a drink. We're all hanging there later."
"No one told me." A sigh escapes me. "A heads-up would have been nice."
"Blame Maribel for that," she drawls. "She said she'd let everyone know about the change."
Everyone but me, apparently.
"Hey, I'm out for a drink right now, Cadence. Do you want to meet up before we head there?"
"I need to go home to change." I look down at my dress. "I dressed for the club."
"You've got lots of time. Tyler said he wouldn't be at Maribel's until after ten."
"I'll see you at Maribel's," I say before I end the call.
"Are you getting out here or are we heading somewhere else?" The taxi driver turns to the side to look at me.
I hesitate for a beat of my racing heart before I give him the address to Tyler's building. The surprise party may have been cancelled, but that doesn't mean I can't surprise Tyler myself.
***
The doorman, bless his soul, didn't bother to call Tyler to warn him of my arrival. I probably seemed overly grateful for that when I inched forward to kiss him on the cheek. He blushed. He's old enough to my grandad, but there was no mistaking the lust in his eyes as he raked me from head-to-toe.
I step off the elevator with one of Tyler's neighbors. It's a woman, mid-forties, her hair bunched in a low bun near the nape of her neck. She's wearing a uniform, her nametag hidden beneath a sweater.
It's too hot for that many layers. It's past dusk now but the heat at this time of year hangs in the air until well into the night. She's trying to hide where she spends her days. I can tell by the fact that her left hand has fisted around the front of the sweater, pulling it taut around her.
I wish her a goodnight as we part when the doors of the elevator close before it races back down to the lobby.
I make my way to Tyler's apartment. I walk slowly to avoid a turn of my ankle on the uneven carpet that blankets the floor in the corridor.
I rest my forehead against the door before I knock softly.
I hear footsteps and then they stop. There's a hesitation so I pull back and smile at the peephole in the center of the door. It's right at my height. I feel like I'm back in grade school, sitting atop a stool while a photographer snaps a picture for the yearbook and for the faded gold frame that my mom would always display atop her television.
The picture of me may have changed yearly, but the frame never did.
The door opens then, slowly.
I peer around it. Tyler's on the other side, his face impassive, his clothing wrinkled. I smell the lingering aroma of what must have been a delicious meal.
"Happy Birthday Eve," I say with a smile.
He looks at me, his eyes searching my face, before they drop to the dress. "Why are you here?"
I swallow hard. "I wanted to see you before the party. Can I come in?"
His gaze darts behind him. "I'm not alone, Cadence. This isn't a good time."
My foot taps restlessly against the carpet. He made dinner for another woman. He's going to fuck her. I need to leave. "Who is it?"
He sucks in a deep breath. "I can't do this."
I shiver, suddenly acutely aware of how I'm dressed. I wore this for him. I displayed myself as I raced around Manhattan trying to get to a party for him and now he's going to shut this door in my face so he can sink his cock into someone else?
"You don't want me to come in?"
"I want you to leave."
"If I go now I won't come back," I say defiantly. I'm not going to be one of his lovers. I feel too much for him. I want him all to myself. I want to be his only lover.
"I don't want you to come back."
I have to step back from the force of his words. I reach for the door's edge to anchor myself. "You don't want me to come back?"
"You're fired. We're done."
"What? Tyler…no…you don't mean that."
"Guess who cooked me dinner tonight? Hunter arranged it as a surprise for my birthday." He tilts his chin up. "Take a stab in the dark, Cadence."
"I don't know," I whimper as I steal another look over his shoulder. I want to say Neela's name but I don't want the confirmation that she's in there, waiting for him.
"I'd introduce you, but you two have already met."
I close my eyes, trying to battle against the confusion. It can't be Brendon, can it? There's no way in hell Tyler would ever sit down to a meal with my ex-boyfriend. They loathe each other.
"Say something, Cadence."
"Who is it, Tyler?"
"I've wanted to meet him for a decade." He chuckles, but there are notes of anger there, of disappointment. "I've tried to emulate him, strived to be just like him."
My throat tightens.
"He made my favorite dish." His tone is bitter. "We toasted to my success and then I showed him. I fucking showed him that video of you on the morning show because I was so proud of you. You were so beautiful, so vulnerable. He teared up when he saw your face. He said your name."