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I never considered that Barrett’s job might come with challenges. I just assumed beautiful people had everything handed to them. “So, eating like this…”
“Definitely not my norm.”
“We could have gone somewhere else.”
“You said you wanted to eat here. Don’t worry. I’ll work it off.”
“By running? That sounds miserable.”
He laughed. “I like it. Nothing beats a running high.”
I arched a brow. “Nothing?”
He met my stare with a half-smirk. “Well, aside from fucking.”
I cleared my throat and finished my fries.
After lunch, we walked around for a while. It was nice to see the city without the pressure of a schedule for a change. It helped me appreciate New York from a less-overwhelmed perspective. However, I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t so damn chilly.
“It’s colder than a witch’s tit out here.”
“Stop being a baby. This is the nicest day we’ve had in weeks.”
I scoffed. “You’re a…baby.”
“Great come back.”
Barrett was Fort Knox when it came to sharing classified information regarding Elle, so I made do talking about other things. We ended up having a decent time. He was good company, easygoing, funny, and way more laid back than Hale. His chill vibe helped me unwind and relax. In an odd way, he reminded me of the old Elle, before the accident changed her.
“What was that little sigh?”
I frowned. Had I made a noise? For appearing so nonchalant, Barrett could be surprisingly perceptive. “I was just thinking about how much things have changed.”
“How so?”
The Davenports truly had no concept of how the other half lived. “Well, for starters, I’m currently residing in a penthouse overlooking one of the most expensive zip codes in the world. But also…”
“Also…?”
I sighed again. Explaining how much I missed my old friend Elle felt selfish. Barrett missed her too, but he didn’t know the old Elle. The Elle who sat beside me all through grade school and the Elle who had a playbook of my entire sexual history before Hale. He just knew the new Elle, a woman I was still trying to figure out.
“I don’t know. I guess I miss Hale.”
He glanced at me and grinned. “That’s good. You should miss him. Don’t be one of those wives that counts down the days until her husband goes away on a business trip.”
“I could never.”
“You could. I feel like that’s the majority. But you and Hale are different.”
“We are?” I became instantly curious about how he saw us. “How so?”
“You’re loyal to him even when you could get away with less.”
“That’s oddly specific and cryptic.”
He looked up at the sun peeking over the clouds and skyscrapers. “Remember when you caught me with Elle the first time?”
“Yes.”
