Chapter 21
“Kelsey!” I squeal into the phone the next morning, catching my best friend on her commute. “I have to tell you about the date I went on last night.”
“With Adam?” she questions hesitantly. The last time we talked, I was deep in the purgatory of still spending time with Adam.
He is all Kelsey’s fault, anyway. Well, at least the way we met. If she hadn’t peer-pressured me last summer to march my ass to his summer cottage door and throw myself at him, there wouldn’t be an Adam saga.
“No …” I hesitate. “Adam introduced me to a prospective client, and the guy is so fucking hot.”
“Dani! Are you sleeping with a client?”
She’s been through a lot with me over the years. Of course, this is where she thinks the story is going.
“He would rather sleep with me than work with me.”
“I like him already.” She laughs. “Tell me everything.”
“How much time do you have?”
“Unlike Chicago, there is no traffic in Madison. I’m going to get to work in less than ten minutes.”
Mocking a podcaster’s voice, I start, “Here are the top bullet points,” then laugh and go back to my regular voice.
“Adam and I are officially on a break. A real one where I’m actually going to stay away from his dick.
The guy who took me out on a date last night, his name is Gideon.
He is the founder and CEO of Real-ity. I’ll send you his bio page from his website.
He’s insanely good-looking, Kelsey! Like too good-looking, and there is this intensity about him.
It’s commanding and magnetic.” Running out of air, I take a breath.
“I know that Adam came into my life for a reason. Our lives were already connected in too many ways, but I don’t know what our future is.
Hitting the fast-forward button on my life doesn’t feel right. With Gideon, it’s just casual.”
“Casual … I don’t think you know how to date casually.”
“I’ve dated casually!” I defend. But I know what she’s getting at.
When I like someone, I’m all in. Not wanting to dive deeper into all that, I share, “I have to tell you about last night though.” I stop my internal spiral.
“He surprised me with an unreal first date—shutting down that new Michelin-starred restaurant, Maverick. He’s friends with the chef!
We had a private one-on-one experience in the kitchen.
Then, the chef tossed Gideon the keys, and he had me for dessert. ”
There’s silence on the other end.
“Hello?”
“I’m taking all of that in. Where do I find a Gideon?”
“Not in Wisconsin!” I tease.