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“I always have time for free wine!”
The three-block walk is nothing since it’s so nice outside, but the topic of conversation is still Zane. Monica is still not sure this is a good idea, but it’s not like we are going to sleep together or anything. It’s just a fake date, free drinks, and good food.
Monica and I step into my apartment, the warm and inviting atmosphere wrapping around us like a blanket. I turn on the lights, illuminating the room and its cozy furnishings.
I pour us each a glass of wine.
“So,” she says after a few sips. “Will any other people from the office be at the wedding?”
“I don’t think so.” After all, the last thing I need is to be known as the office whore.
“That’s good.”
Surely Zane wouldn’t ask me to be his date and pretend to be his girlfriend if colleagues are going to be there.
“You know, I need to know what he looks like,” Monica says, pulling out her phone and entering his name in. “Holy fuck! He’s fine!”
Listen, I’m not stupid and I know that any woman in America will happily attend this event with him, but he chose me.
“I mean, you get to be on his arm, take pictures, and possibly make out with this guy right here? I’m so fucking jealous.”
Listen, Zane Donnelly is the epitome of the perfect man. He is wealthy, well-respected, and from what I can tell, has a good head on his shoulders. He hasn’t let the money go to his head.
Monica keeps the conversation going, talking about all the things that she’s reading about him, and then she shrieks.
“What?”
She hands me the phone and I begin to read.
Zane Donnelly, up for the most eligible bachelor in New York City, is a widow. After scouring through reports, his wife, Laura, was in a car accident the day he was set to start at his firm. Since her passing, he has never been seen with someone on his arm. This leaves us to ask the question: will he ever move on?
My breathing hitch. We never talk about personal stuff, but a part of me wondered why he is single. Especially looking the way he does. The poor guy still loves his wife, even a decade later. That’s beautiful.
“He just needs a push. Probably doesn’t remember how good sex can be...” Monica says, and I slap her shoulder.
“Seriously? You are joking right now? The man lost the love of his life and still a decade later mourns her. I wish a man would do that if I were to pass...”
And yet another thing for me to swoon over... he is the perfect guy.
7
Zane
Cade and I have been friends since back in law school, but our lives have since gone on divergent paths. He stayed in Massachusetts to practice law, while I came to New York City to climb up the corporate ladder to partner. Despite our physical distance, we have kept in touch, sending the occasional text and meeting up from time to time to catch up when he’s in town on business.
When Cade calls me out of the blue and asks if I am free for drinks, I am surprised. Our conversations have been few and far between, and it will be nice to catch up with an old friend.
We agree to meet at a small bar on the outskirts of town. It is a place neither of us have been to before, but Cade heard about it from the guy at the front desk at his hotel and wants to check it out.
When I arrive, I can sense why this isn’t the right place for us. It is a dive bar, a rough place filled with people who are far removed from the corporate world we both know. I feel out of place in my suit and tie, while Cade in his designer jeans and leather jacket blend in perfectly.
The looks I get from the regulars are far from inviting. We are strangers here, outsiders who don’t belong. I can tell that the other patrons are sizing us up, judging us for our appearance and, most likely, guessing our professions.
We order a round of drinks and sit at a corner table. Neither of us feels like talking, so we just sip our drinks in silence. I glance around the bar, taking in the seedy atmosphere and the motley crew of people that inhabit it.
After a while, Cade opens up, talking about his time in law school and the crazy people he met there. He tells stories that have us both laughing as we remember the wild days we had.
It is good to hear his voice and to laugh together. I’m glad to have attempted to come out and see him. And for the chance to escape the corporate world for a few hours and catch up with an old friend.
