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SYDNEY
I decide to walk uptown, at least part of the way.
It’s a gorgeous autumn morning, with the leaves just starting to change in the parks and a pleasant nip in the air. People are out walking dogs, taking their kids to playgrounds, or just wandering the streets with coffee in hand, soaking in the lazy weekend vibes.
It’s my favorite kind of day in New York City, the kind I haven’t had the chance to enjoy since returning home. I’ve been working straight through the weekends and the one Saturday I had “off” two weeks ago, my father roped me into an extended business brunch.
I love my dad, I really do, but he’s bad for my digestion. By the time he gave me a fifteen-minute rundown on why our supply chain would need to be completely revamped in the next ten years, my stomach was in knots. I could barely eat two bites of my savory mushroom crepe, and I love a good mushroom crepe.
Though not as much as I loved those lemon souffle pancakes last night…
But I’m guessing any meal shared with Gideon would taste ten times more delicious. He’s just fantastic. And he thinks I’m fantastic, too. He even approved of my handling of the Mitch situation. As I walked out, his eyes were shining with amusement and pride.
He was proud of me. And I liked it.
Maybe a little too much, which gets me to thinking…
I call Elaina again.
She picks up on the first ring with a breathless, “How did it go?”
“Amazing,” I say, grinning as I drift into Bryant Park, admiring the sun on the white bark of the birch trees. “You were right. Big dong energy was the way to go.”
“I knew it! I’m so smart,” she crows, humble as ever. “BDE is always my go-to in a pinch. Works like a charm. Gertie says it doesn’t, but that’s because she doesn’t understand the difference between confidence and conflict. Big dick energy isn’t about starting a fight; it’s about proving a fight isn’t necessary because shit has already been handled by the Giant Schlong in Charge.” She sighs. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Weird you say that. That’s sort of why I’m calling. I think Gideon was proud of me, too.”
She emits a happy cooing sound. “See? He’s a keeper. You have to keep dating and see where this goes, Syd! A man who appreciates big dick energy is a treasure. And not easy to find. Believe me, I’ve been looking. I thought Stettler might be down with my powerful side for a while, but once he found out how much the café makes a year, he dipped. Said he couldn’t be with a woman who made more cash money than he did. That it made his dick shrivel up. Which would have been a dealbreaker for me, too, since it wasn’t that big to start with.” She makes a growling sound. “Ugh. Men are the worst. Except Gideon, of course. Does he have a twin?”
The question reminds me of one tiny detail I haven’t shared yet. “Um, no, but he does have a son. A son I sort of maybe…dated for a little while last year?”
“What?” she squawks, loud enough to summon several outraged meowing sounds from the background. “And you left this out of the story because why? Don’t you know by now that I live for drama like this, woman? You should have told us all at the lobster boil before you left. We could have watched Maya come unglued at the thought of all the conflict in your future. There is conflict, right? Or are they like…cool with sharing?”
“They’re not sharing,” I say, my nose wrinkling. “And I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t know until last night. Neither did Gideon. As soon as he realized Adrian and I used to be a thing, he wanted to call it off. But then we went for pancakes and one thing led to another and…”
“You ended up sleeping over at his place,” she supplies. “Of course, you did. Pancakes are underrated as an aphrodisiac. Also salads. A fresh salad with a zesty dressing totally does it for me. I get frisky just walking through a farmer’s market, buying ingredients. So, when are you going to see him again?”
I ease into an empty bench with a view of kids playing hopscotch on the pavement not far away. “I don’t know. But he’s going to call me. He said he would, and he’s not the kind of guy to say something he doesn’t mean.”
She coos again. “I love him already. What about you? Are you still falling hard?”
“Yes,” I whisper, even though there’s no one close enough to hear. “But what if that’s only because there’s something wrong with me?”
She snorts. “What the hell are you talking about? There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re fabulous, not to mention one of my best friends. And I don’t have lame best friends. I just don’t. I’m too good at friendship.”
I smile, but my stomach is tight as I say, “You are good at friendship. I’m good at friendship, too, but I’m not so great at dating. I managed to make it to twenty-four without getting laid, Elaina. And as soon as I started sleeping with someone, I developed a praise kink almost immediately.”
“Woah,” she says, letting out a long, slow breath. “That is so baller. You’re my idol.”
I laugh and roll my eyes. “Why? Because I’m a weirdo who likes to be told I’m a good girl while doing filthy things to an older man in bed? And who also really likes it when the man seems proud of me outside the bedroom? I’m no psychologist, obviously, but the daddy issues are practically slapping me in the face at this point.”
“Do you think you have daddy issues?” she asks, not sounding as shocked as I thought she would.
She just sounds curious, which gives me the confidence to say, “I don’t know. I didn’t think so, but…maybe? I honestly can’t remember my dad ever looking at me like that, Elaina. I mean, he’s said he was proud of me before. Like when I graduated with honors, but I’ve never felt it. I’ve never looked into my dad’s eyes and known that he thought I stuck the landing, you know?”
“Well, I don’t want to overstep, but…”
“Go ahead,” I urge after a moment. “We’ve been friends too long for you to hold back.”
