Chapter 33
. . .
Drew
Ithought my appetite was impressive.
It has nothing on Vesper’s.
As I sit opposite her in an Italian restaurant, she nails another slice of garlic bread and washes it down with a gulp of red wine.
“What?” she asks, eyes dropping to my full plate of food. “I thought you liked it here. The cannelloni is excellent.”
She goes in for a green olive next. “And if you haven’t already worked it out, I eat when I’m stressed, and I’m really stressed out right now.”
We’ve been eating and talking about general shit for at least a half hour. I didn’t want to press Vesper about Kane before this moment, but it feels like she’s cracked the door for me to ask more.
Picking up my soda, I think through the best way to approach the subject of her ex. Mom and Dad have always encouraged Marley and me to trust our gut when it comes to people. If we get even the slightest hint that someone might be in danger, we cannot ignore it.
“I need to ask if you feel unsafe around Kane or intimidated in any way at all.” I think back to his repeated calls during our short phone conversation yesterday. “Calling you multiple times in the space of a few minutes isn’t normal. It’s neurotic.”
Vesper stops chewing and swallows her mouthful, sitting back in her seat as she observes me. Aside from a couple of other tables, it’s quiet in the small restaurant tonight, and I wonder if she’s going to give me a tiny glance into her past.
My friend looks off to the side before setting her palms on the green tablecloth. She looks classically Vesper tonight in a maroon sweater dress and knee-high black leather boots. Her hair is styled in a similar way to mine—straight and sleek.
“Kane struggles to respect my boundaries. Things between us have been difficult for a while and he showed no signs of changing in the relationship, so I decided to end it.”
I pop a piece of mushroom ravioli into my mouth, chewing and nodding at the same time. “It’s easy to fall into a cycle because we think it’s the safest route for us at the time when, actually, the relationship was over way before.”
Vesper mirrors my nod. “I considered moving back to Cincinnati to be with my sister, but I love my job at Riley’s, and I don’t want to give it up.
The money is … okay, although it’s the customers I enjoy interacting with.
Being the manager, I have the flexibility to create new cocktails whenever I want. ”
I cock my head to one side. “Then don’t. Stay in Seattle.”
She blows out a cynical breath. “Yeah, sure. Do you have an extra two thousand dollars a month hiding somewhere that I can use for a basic one-bedroom place?” She pauses and picks up another piece of garlic bread.
“Wait, no. Actually, of course you do. Your dad is a multimillionaire, and I’m not at all jealous. ”
I snort a laugh and consider asking about her parents. She’s already spoken about her sister. Before I get a chance, Vesper carries on talking.
“Seriously, babe, I barely made rent while sharing the load with Kane, and I spent all day today searching for affordable accommodations.” She shakes her head, gazing out of the large window set behind me, like the darkened street holds the answers to her financial predicament.
“The only long-term option for me is to move in with roommates, and we all know how that type of arrangement ends.”
“How?”
She quirks a brow at me. “Well, the last time, the guy I lived with tried to bone me. I’m down for saving money on rent, but not if it means sleeping with the landlord.”
A couple of seconds pass before we both fall over laughing, and instantly, the mood shifts to something lighter.
For the next twenty or so minutes, we finish up eating and order dessert. Vesper goes with a crème br?lée, and I opt for cheesecake.
Obviously.
My fork hovers over the cheesecake when the words, “Why don’t you move into my place?” leave my lips.
She looks horrified. “Don’t say crazy shit like that. You barely know me.”
I shrug and dig into the strawberry cheesecake, warmth flooding me when I recall the way I ordered dessert for Will that time. I only saw him a couple of hours ago when he stopped by the office with some clothes and picked up his phone. I already miss him.
“You know me better than a stranger who may or may not try to hump you. I promise not to put the moves on you in the middle of the night.”
Vesper smirks and leans forward, pointing her spoon at me. “Only because you’re too busy rolling around in bed with the hot Rogues rookie.”
I flush like a schoolgirl. “I can neither confirm nor deny.”
She sits up straight and eyes me. “What’s the latest in your love life?”
Just like that night in Riley’s, when I blurted details about Will failing to show for our meeting, I feel a similar sense of ease in front of Vesper.
Which is why I offered her my spare room a minute ago.
“We’re … dating.”
Slapping a palm across her mouth, Vesper gasps behind it. “Seriously?”
I nod and take the biggest bite of cheesecake, anxiety rolling through me. I still haven’t told Colton about Will. At lunch, I was primed to enter his office and lay it all out when a serious PR issue broke for one of his best clients.
“Seriously,” I confirm. “This morning, he told me he loved me.”
She drops her palm, and it slaps against the table, making one of the servers jump. “Holy shit! Girl, why aren’t you moving in with him?!”
Try as I might to fight back the smile as it spreads across my face, I fail miserably. “Because it’s really early in our relationship, and as it stands, I’m his publicist, and I definitely shouldn’t be sleeping with him, let alone shacking up with him in his penthouse.”
A mischievous grin overtakes her expression. “Secret relationships are the best. I love reading about them in romance novels.”
The fact that I didn’t have Vesper down as a romance reader will have to take a back seat in this conversation because all I can think about is Silas Stanton and her obvious intrigue in him.
“Is that why you blush every time I mention the Rogues captain?”
Guess what. Vesper’s cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink.
“Anyway”—she clears her throat—“about you offering to—”
“Oh, no!” I declare. “No chance are you getting away that lightly. I want to know when I can expect a six-foot-five, blue-eyed hockey player knocking down my apartment door for sexy fun time with my new roommate.”
Vesper’s own blue eyes grow wide as she glares at me in disbelief.
“Excuse me.” A petite woman with ash-blonde hair approaches our table, bottom lip pinned nervously between her teeth.
We both pause our conversation and smile at her. She’s pretty, with green eyes that turn different shades the longer I look at her.
“This is really embarrassing actually,” she says, thumbing behind her toward the restrooms. “But my friend already left, and the tampon machine in this place has run out, and I didn’t anticipate …
” She pauses, and her cheeks turn pinker than Vesper’s.
“Well, I didn’t anticipate starting my period.
My cycles are all over the place at the moment, and I wondered if … ”
I swear I can hear a French accent when she speaks. Maybe she’s visiting on vacation, and she didn’t pack any supplies. Either way, we can all relate to that moment when you head for a pee and get a whole lot more than you bargained for.
Vesper immediately holds up a hand, the other reaching down to pick up her purse. “Girl, I got you. CVS was having a sale on tampons, and I stocked up. Do you need mid-flow or something not to be messed with?”
The girl smooths a hand down her long hair, eyes flicking between us. I get why she’s shy. I would be if I approached two random people and asked them for a tampon.
Vesper’s eyes soften as the blonde girl’s fill with unshed tears.
“Hey,” I say, reaching out and running a hand down her forearm. “Honestly, it’s okay.”
Vesper takes out her phone and wallet and hands over her purse to the girl. “Use what you need and bring it back to me when you’re done. Truly, it isn’t a problem.”
She tentatively takes the bag. “Thank you so much. Without giving you my whole life story, I’ve had my head up my ass these past few weeks, and I should actually be back in northern France right now, but I’ve been staying with a friend, trying to work out what to do about my failing marriage.
” A tear tumbles down her left cheek. “Kindness like this sets me off all over again. I think I’m just hormonal. ”
So, she is French, even if she speaks perfect American English.
Vesper studies the girl for a moment. “You look familiar. Have you ever been to Riley’s Bar?”
The girl’s eyes light up. “Oh my God! You’re their new bartender, aren’t you?”
Vesper nods and gives me a quick glance, like this impromptu exchange is precisely why she loves her job so much.
“I am.”
Vesper continues talking with her, and I zone out when my cell buzzes next to me on the table, lighting up with a message from Will. He knows I’m out tonight, and we agreed to talk in the morning.
A wave of dread washes through me as I open it up and read while Vesper continues rambling about cocktails.
Will
Hey, Baby. Can you call me ASAP? There’s something really urgent I need to speak with you about.
Me
I’m still in the restaurant. Can it wait?
His reply takes less than five seconds to land.
Will
Really, no. But I need to explain to you on the phone first.
Whenever I speak to my boyfriend, every nerve feels like it’s alive with excitement. This time, it feels like they’re on fire with worry.
I turn back to a delighted Vesper as the blonde girl heads to the restroom.
“Well, how about that?” she muses. “Her name is Eloise, and I served her the best Manhattan she’s ever tasted.”
I know she wants me to smile, but I can’t.
Her eyes drop to the phone still in my hand. Will’s message is open, so she can read it.
“Oh shit, what’s going on?” she asks, waving to attract a server’s attention. “Could we get the check, please?”
“If Will is flipping out over something, it has to be bad,” I whisper in such a small voice that I’m not even sure she heard me.
Vesper begins frantically typing something on her phone.
“What are you doing?” I question.
“Calling a cab.”
“I can give you a ride home,” I tell her.
She laughs darkly, and instantly, whatever Will has to say doesn’t seem as drastic compared to the bullshit this girl is going through.
“That would be great, babe, if I actually had a home.”
“No,” I insist. “You can come back to my place.”
Vesper silently protests, but I set a hand over her phone screen, blocking her from calling a cab. “Take the offer to live with me for however long you need or at least until you can find a place of your own.”
When she pulls a deep breath into her lungs, I know accepting help isn’t easy for this girl, even if she knows it’s the sensible thing to do. Realistically, it’s her only decent option.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on your personal space.”
I nod just as Eloise reemerges from the restroom. “I’m sure. Also, I own a Boston shaker, so you can whip me up one of your special cocktails to numb the impact of whatever shit is about to be laid on me in the next few minutes.”