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Lucy feared the worst, but she knew she had to wrap up lunch. She felt Chase probing her for answers, and she gave him the tiniest shrug before returning to her seat. There, she casually checked her phone for a heads-up from Oliver—he was her inside source on any pressing Joanna client news—but she saw nothing.
Lunch resumed with apologies from Lucy. She tactfully got them back on track, and they finished their food as they discussed plans for Lily’s future. By the end of the meal, Lucy realized she hadn’t needed to lie once. Either she was getting better at avoiding mistruths or Lily was the most genuine celebrity she’d ever met.
And then Lily said the words Lucy wanted to hear most.
“Lucy, I would love to work with you as my publicist.”
The smile lifting Lucy’s face was too big to contain. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” she told Lily.
They hugged out on the sidewalk and exchanged phone numbers.
Lily disappeared into the back seat of her fancy car and Lucy allowed herself to pirouette in glee. Chase chose the perfect moment to exit the restaurant and see her dancing like a fool.
She quickly put both feet on the ground and hurried down the sidewalk, still smiling to herself. Her biggest goal for the day had a nice big check mark next to it. She couldn’t wait to tell Oliver and Nina—even her mom—so they could all share in her excitement.
She pulled out her phone to start the flurry of texts when she heard a familiar voice.
“Birthday Girl? Is that you?”
She turned and felt her smile grow even bigger. “Hot Bartender. What are you doing here?”
Adam approached along the sidewalk, slim backpack swinging from his forearm and apple in his hand. She’d only ever seen him from the waist up standing behind a bar. He was midday casual in jeans and black Chucks.
He stopped in front of her and smiled. He looked happy to see her, and she had to admit, she felt the same. “I needed some fresh fruit because someone threw all of mine at me.” He pointed behind himself at the nearby grocery store and bit into his apple with a loud crunch.
“You come all the way to Beverly Hills for fruit?”
He looked over his shoulder at the store’s green awning like he just realized where he was. “Not usually, no. Something drew me here today though.”
They watched each other with matching smiles playing at their lips.
“I see you’ve had a wardrobe change. How’s your important afternoon going?”
She glanced down at her outfit and realized he had been the only one not to ask her if something was wrong when he saw her in a sundress with no makeup. “My afternoon is actually going well for the moment, all things considered.”
“That’s good to hear. You seemed a little stressed when you swung by the bar. Any luck on the lying front?”
“Afraid not.” She frowned as he took another bite of his apple. She noted how white his teeth were against the red skin. The way he licked his lips and how his throat moved when he swallowed. “Remember that question you asked me earlier?” she blurted without even thinking. His brows lifted. “Well, if you ask me again, you’ll get a different answer.”
He finished chewing a juicy bite that required him to press his wrist to his mouth. “The one about what you’re doing tonight? I hope you didn’t have to cancel your birthday party because of a lie you couldn’t tell.”
“No, the party’s still on. And that’s not the question I’m talking about.”
He took another bite, drawing out the moment, and she knew he was doing it on purpose. He knew exactly which question she was talking about. “Ah, I see,” he said, nodding. “The boyfriend is no more. Is this the same guy who left you sipping a martini alone last night?”
“The exact same. Your true-love’s-kiss theory inspired me, and turns out, that was just a gateway to the end of our relationship.”
“Yikes. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It needed to happen. And the honesty actually helped.”
He took another bite of his endless apple and slowly nodded like she said something profound.
“What.”
He shrugged. “Maybe your problem is actually a solution.”
She narrowed her gaze. “What does that mean?”
