Page 42 of Before

“Actually yeah,” Cassie said, “there is one other thing. I almost forgot.”

Gigi did her best not to sigh.

And failed.

Still, she turned away from the laptop and spun around in the chair just enough to face her roommate. Maybe if she let the girl get it out, she could go back to trying to get a hold of the man from the bar. Lev, that was. Although she had been fine to let their hook-ups be just that and nothing else ... she couldn’t deny there was something.

A connection.

Maybe a friendship.

She didn’t know but she also didn’t like the idea of leaving the country, for God knew how long, without at least giving the guy a proper goodbye. It wasn’t like they had the chance to do that when the cops showed up at his apartment and all. She certainly hadn’t found the time to make a trip all the way to Harlem—or the bar where Lev worked—to say goodbye in person when her days had been filled with last-minute appointments to set things up and meetings with her mother agency.

It never stopped. It wasn’t about to get better; she knew. Not once she landed in Paris. Gigi wouldn’t complain, though. This was the chance of a lifetime. She had to take it.

“The lease on this place,” Cassie said.

Gigi arched a brow and rested an arm over the back of chair. “What about it?”

“It’s got another six months and—”

“You said Matty was moving in.”

“But your name is still on the lease and that means you’re responsible for half the rent. Even if you’re off living your best life in Paris.”

It was petty.

Rather stupid.

Gigi decided ... fuck it. If this was the game Cassie wanted to play during her last night in this apartment with her old friend, then so be it. She could be just as nasty.

Fair was fair, right?

“I’ll talk to my agent—I’m sure MGNT will handle it.”

Just like that, Cassie’s face drained of color, and her pleased grin faded into a thin, grim line.

“Well, okay,” Cassie muttered, glancing away.

“Have a good time with Matty.”

Not bothering to waste any more energy on Cassie—besides, the whole situation was kind of sad—Gigi turned back to the laptop and the browser she had brought up. The second her fingers hit the keys to start typing in the search bar, Cassie’s sigh echoed behind her. Thankfully, she heard the girl’s footsteps receded into the hallway outside the bedroom. She put her attention back on the computer screen.

Nickie’s Bar, she typed into the search engine. Considering the time was later in the day, it really was a last-ditch effort on Gigi’s part to say goodbye to a man she’d only recently met. She still had to finish packing, tomorrow was an early run to the airport, and then it was goodbye New York. She didn’t have Lev’s phone number, but she did know where he worked and hell ... it couldn’t hurt to try.

It wasn’t like she owed him shit—he hadn’t made it seem like he expected anything, either. A part of her still just wanted to.

The bar’s information came up as the top result with a photograph of the front, address, and ... yes, she thought. A phone number, too. A little before dinnertime was probably a bit early for a bartender to be working on a Thursday, but maybe she could get his number—or even a time when he would be working later to call back.

Gigi grabbed her cell before she could think better of it and plugged in the number to call. It rang four times before someone picked up.

“Nickie’s,” a gruff voice said into the speaker.

“Hi, this is Gigi Parker,” she replied, knowing how silly her request was going to sound but determined to get it out anyway. “I’m hoping I might be able to get a hold of one of your bartenders—Lev Arsov? He’s a friend, and I’m heading out of town. I wanted to—”

“Lev doesn’t work here anymore, sweetheart. Can’t help you.”

“But—”