Twenty-Five
Noa
I glanced down at the text and smiled. It had all gone back to the way it had been.
The past two weeks, Ransom had sent only texts.
There had been no phone calls. While I was thankful I’d not lost him, this had slowly been killing me.
I was hoping my time with Jellie this weekend, celebrating her birthday in Boston, would get my mind off things.
Or Ransom. Get my mind off Ransom. He was the only thing on it, unfortunately.
Me: Is this an attempt to get me to rethink my refusal to get a cat?
I hit Send, then turned back to the mirror to make sure this outfit that Jellie had insisted I wear tonight looked okay. I had agreed to let her dress me only because it was her birthday and we were going out with friends of hers to an upscale club that her boyfriend was a member of.
My phone dinged, and I glanced down at it.
Ransom: I mean, that’s a long life. Might think about getting a few. You’ll outgrow your allergy.
I laughed and decided the strapless silver dress with a black belt that tied at the waist while leaving fringes to hang at my waist would be okay. It was shorter than I normally wore, but I didn’t look bad in it.
Picking the phone back up, I typed my response.
Me: I think I’ll pass. You need to let it go. But I will look into the stained robe thing.
A knock at the door was followed by Jellie swinging it open and filling the space with her never-ending energy.
“Holy shit, you look hot. As in on fire,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and beaming at me like a child she was proud of.
The hot-pink leather-looking two-piece thing she had on reminded me of something a Barbie doll would wear, but she was stunning. It was very Jellie. Thank God she hadn’t wanted me to wear something like that though. I’d never have been able to walk out the door.
“Thanks. You’re gonna make Zeke swallow his tongue when he sees you,” I told her.
She wagged her eyebrows and did a twirl for me. “You think?”
“I know.”
“Good. It’s time for the man to put a ring on it. I decided to give him a little incentive.”
I scrunched my nose. “You want to get married?”
The idea of Jellie married was so strange. She was a wild force of nature. I couldn’t see her in a minivan with two kids, going to soccer games.
She sighed. “Yes. I want to get married. I love Zeke, and we will make beautiful babies.”
My phone dinged again, and I glanced down at it.
Ransom: Make sure it smells bad.
I smirked, but didn’t respond. Not with Jellie watching me.
“Who is that? Not a man, right? I mean, you said you weren’t seeing anyone.”
I shook my head. “I’m not. This is definitely not a man. This is a friend talking about smelly robes.”
She frowned. “Uh, do I need to come to Manhattan and help you make some normal friends? Scratch that. You just need me. I’d be jealous if there was another me in your life. Now, the men will be here at any minute. You ready?”
What?
“Men? As in plural?” I’d been told Zeke was picking us up.
She gave me a smug grin that alerted me she was up to something I was not going to like.
“Zeke and his best friend from college. Thurston Coburg—tall, played lacrosse, blond, sea-green eyes, and single. I know I’ve mentioned him.”
I shook my head. “No, you haven’t.”
Dread began to pool in my stomach. She was setting me up. I hated being set up on dates. She had done this a few times in college, and as much as I loved her, she was terrible at picking men for me. Besides, I was emotionally unavailable.
She waved a hand. “I could have sworn I did. Anyway, I have now. And he’s moving back home from London. He’s been there for two years, working at one of his father’s marketing firms.”
I sighed. “Good for him. I’m sure Zeke will be happy to have him around again.”
My phone dinged again, and I silenced it. I didn’t want Jellie reading my texts or getting curious. She’d have an opinion that I did not want to hear.
“Oh, well, he will be glad he’s back in the States and a train ride away, yes, but Thurston’s home isn’t in Boston …” She trailed off, grinning like she had the most exciting secret in the world.
I glanced up from the text, not reading it. “Oh,” I replied, not caring where he lived.
“He’s from Manhattan. He has a flat there, just around the corner from you actually.”
Dammit.
That was why she was grinning.
Not only was this a setup, but it was with a man who lived in my neighborhood. Fantastic. I wanted to groan.
“Jellie, you know I don’t like blind dates.”
“It’s not!” she exclaimed, walking over to me. “We are going out as friends. You need to meet someone outside the writing world. I’m not fixing you up. He’s just a nice guy—who has money, and is successful, and lives close to you—who might be nice to go get drinks with sometime.”
I rolled my eyes as she hooked her arm in mine. I now understood why she had wanted to dress me and what these heels were all about. She was trying to dangle me in front of this man like a piece of candy.
“I’m fine. I don’t need a new friend.”
She shrugged. “Sure you do.”
The doorbell rang, and she did a small squeal. “They’re here.”
“I’m pissed at you,” I warned her.
“I know, but you’ll change your mind,” she said in a singsong voice, letting go of my arm and strutting toward the door like she was on a runway. “Be a good friend. Play nice. It’s my birthday,” she called out over her shoulder.
“That’s low, Jellie,” I told her.
“But it works every time,” she replied as she left the room.
I looked down at my phone and slid my finger over it to open the text and read it before I went and endured this night for my best friend.
Ransom: What are your plans this weekend?
Hell. That was my plan.
Me: I’m in Boston. It’s Jellie’s birthday. We are about to head out for the night.
I watched as little dots lit up the screen and waited for his response.
“Noa!” Jellie called my name.
If I didn’t go, she was going to come get me. I snatched up the small black Prada wristlet and slipped my phone into it, then headed out to meet the man my best friend thought was someone I would like.
I felt the phone vibrate, but I’d have to read it later and respond. It was time to get this over with and make Jellie happy.
Stepping into the living room, I looked at Jellie first, then shifted my gaze to Zeke and smiled.
“Noa,” Jellie said, drawing my eyes back to her before they ever made contact with Thurston.
“I’d like you to meet Thurston,” she said. “Thurston, this is my best friend, Noa.”
I finally swung my gaze over to the other man, and at least she hadn’t lied about his eyes. They were a very pretty green, and he was tanned, tall, and appeared well built. He nodded his head as he stepped forward toward me and held out his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Noa. Jellie has told me a lot about you,” he said. “And she did not exaggerate.”
The interest in his gaze made me want to groan.
I slid my hand into his. “It’s nice to meet you too,” I replied.
He studied me for a moment. “She didn’t tell you about my joining tonight, did she?” he asked.
I shrugged slightly, then cut my eyes at her. “She did—about five minutes ago.”
Zeke laughed behind him. “I told you,” he said jovially. “It’s typical Jellie.”
Thurston’s grin was nice. I mean, it wasn’t one that sent my heart racing and my body tingling. But then, only Ransom seemed to wield that kind of smile. Lucky me.
“You will both thank me,” Jellie said with conviction. “Now it is time to get this party started!”
I looked from my best friend back to the man I was stuck with for the night. “I hope you’ve been warned about this. Jellie’s birthdays have a track record of being a little wild.”
He nodded. “I’ve heard, but the night just got a lot more appealing.”
I couldn’t say the same.