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“And yes, I have had boyfriends before.” I don’t tell her that all my past relationships were short and uninteresting. I send up a prayer that she doesn’t ask for details. “How to know if you’re in a relationship is a question that women have been asking since the dawn of time. Lauren would probably be the better person to ask, to be honest. Or you could just ask Liam if you guys are dating, you know?”
“Oh my God. No. That’s so embarrassing!”
“It’s embarrassing to ask the boy you like if you’re actually dating?”
“It’s embarrassing not to just know.”
“Okay, Professor X. How can you know what someone else is thinking if you don’t ask? Use your words, Emma. Get Liam to use his. And unfortunately, the only way I know to get an answer is to ask.”
Geez, I’m such a hypocrite.
Also, I absolutely stole that line.
“You sound like Lauren.”
Guilty as charged.
The only sound as I navigate us into her neighborhood is the scrape of the wipers as the rain slows down into a drizzle. Emma leans back in her seat, picking at her lavender nail polish. “Tell me about your last boyfriend then, since you won’t tell me how to read Liam’s mind and find out what he’s thinking.”
“I—”
“Wait! You’re friends with his dad, right?”
I clear my throat. Am I? Tonight felt like more than just work buddies. “Yes. Why?”
I pull up in front of the rental house Emma and Sophie moved into last month. It’s much nicer than their old apartment.
“No, that would be weird. Never mind.” Emma unbuckles her seatbelt. “Actually. Can you, uh, not tell my mom that we met up with Liam? Or maybe? Just, uh…”
“Don’t tell her you conned me into taking you out on your first almost date? Don’t worry. I won’t say anything.”
“And don’t say anything to Liam’s dad?”
“My lips are sealed.”
Lauren drops her bag on the chair by my office door. “Girl, I’m starving. Are you almost done?”
Looking up from my screen, I take in Lauren’s outfit of the day, once again wishing I was as cool and put together as she is. Her slim black pants sit perfectly on her hips, the red silk blouse and blazer she’s wearing matching her red lipstick and heels. She should look like a corporate cutout, but the bright orange earrings and pocket square that stick out of her blazer pocket warn not to take her for granted.
“I can stop here. Where are we eating?” I push back from my desk, glancing down at my jeans-clad legs to check for crumbs. The kelly-green sweater I threw on this morning is perfectly appropriate for work, as are my waterproof ankle boots. You would think that I also wanted to stand out from the crowd, with my dyed orange hair and bright colors, but in reality, it’s the exact opposite.
Lauren grins. “Pho? Or ramen?”
“Ramen. I’m freezing.” I snag my bag from beneath my desk and follow her down the hall. Per usual, more than one guy watches her walk down the hallway, oblivious to me. Which is exactly how I like it. I discovered a weird trick back in college. If you try too hard to hide, people want to figure you out. If you’re just bright enough, just noticeable enough, but make friends with someone bigger and brighter than you, it’s like you don’t exist.
Who’s going to notice one more bird of paradise in the jungle? Hence my technicolor hair and clothing choices.
It always worked until Mailbox and Derek. I guess it’s my fault—I didn’t realize the connection Sophie and Lauren had to Mr. Sutton when they first adopted me, and I seriously underestimated Derek’s ruthlessness in getting closer to the CEO. A miscalculation I may finally be able to fix, thanks to my fake-dating arrangement with Julian. I just need to keep reminding myself that it’s fake.
“Frankie!”
Goddamm, fuckity fuck fuck. “What’s up, Derek? I’m just heading out for lunch. I’ll be back in an hour if you need something.” I pull a Lauren and hook her arm with mine, towing her toward the elevator, not caring that I’m running away from my boss. Like a grownup.
Derek follows us. “I thought you’d be going to lunch with your new man.”
Shit.
“You mean Julian?” Lauren stops dead. “Chicks before dicks.” There’s a definite smirk on Lauren’s face as she gives him a once over, emphasizing the word dick. “Frankie and I made lunch plans ages ago.”
