“Absolutely not.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“I see her every day at work. What more do I need?”
Emmett choked on his food then stared like maybe I’d made a joke.
“Wait. Is that a serious question?” he asked. I didn’t respond, so he jabbed his finger at me when Lukas returned and slid back into his seat. “He just said he’ll never ask Sara out, because he already sees her at work every day.”
Lukas burst out laughing. “Jesus. Yeah, that sounds about right.”
I looked away from the table, the overbearing waitress suddenly looking like a good conversation partner to me. Unsurprisingly, she caught my eye and immediately flounced over.
“Is everything okay here?” she asked me.
“Yes, I’ll just take the check, please,” I said, prompting simultaneous groans from Emmett and Lukas. The waitress laughed with them as they informed her that I was no fun, and to put a few bottles of champagne on the bill before handing it to me. When she disappeared in a flurry of giggles, I returned my eyes to them. “You know, you’re both fairly intolerable on a regular basis, but when your forces combine, it can really clear a room.”
“You love us,” Emmett said, chucking at me a French fry that I caught and tossed back.
“Enjoy the rest of your lunch, gentlemen,” I said to their stupid, grinning faces.
After settling up the check, I made a sharp line for the exit. I’d almost escaped when Emmett caught up with me at the door.
“Hey.”
“What?”
He laughed at my terseness.
“Listen, do me a favor, alright? Don’t… text ol’ Crazy Person back till after Sunday. Give yourself a break from that shit, and just enjoy the good things going on right now, like the fact that you got a date set for this trip, the hard part is over, and you may or may not have a girl you’re interested in. Focus on just the good. For the next five days. That’s all I ask of you.”
I smirked. “So live like you, you mean.”
“Yes. Why the fuck else do you think I’m always so happy?” Emmett asked, holding his arms out wide. “If I like something, man, I let myself have it – without stressing myself out about the possible consequences.”
“That’s incredibly reckless, I’m sure you know.”
“Of course. That’s why I’m not you. I’m not a fuckin’ workaholic billionaire,” Emmett laughed. “But since you already are, you might as well give yourself a couple days to actually chill and indulge in the things you want. I’m not telling you to take a whole week of sick days and bail on work, I’m just telling you to relax for once. Don’t force yourself to put out all the little fires. Just let them burn for a bit,” he said. “Till Sunday – how about that? Then after our big fat Father’s Day brunch, you can go back to being ol’ No Fun Julian.”
“You really sold it with the last line.”
Emmett grinned. “Right?”
I had to laugh. “See you Sunday.”
“Just think about it!” he called after me as I stepped onto the sidewalk.
17
SARA
“What kind of assignment is this? You’ve had a thousand deadlines, Sara. You would still always text back,” Mom pointed out.
The fact that I couldn’t hear her moving around the house doing a million different things while on the phone was unnerving. My mother never ever stayed still, not even while watching TV. If she was actually sitting down to give this conversation her undivided attention that meant she was still on high alert.
She knew I was lying about something.
And I was. I’d yet to tell her about quitting June Magazine. I still couldn’t bring myself to do it.