“I kinda was,” I defend myself.
“Stan’s Jenny’s boss. He’s friends with Lori’s grandpa—”
“Who isn’t friends with your grandpa?” It’s Brady’s turn to roll his eyes.
“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like you,” I say with a weak laugh, earning my own scowl from Brady.
“He loves me, so fuck you. And secondly, I scored Natalie-fucking-Banks. So my advice is better than Bev’s. Who has she scored? Geoff the camera guy who I’m not supposed to know she’s banging?” He nods at Bev.
“Fuck you, Brady, that was a good one.” She lifts up a middle finger and walks inside to pour herself a scotch at my bar.
“But she’s right.” Brady gives Bev a glare. “If Jenny just moved, that girl probably has no food. No booze. Her apartment is a mess. She’s not going to want to have sex. As the person who actually unpacked our place while Nat messed around in the gaming room, I will say having someone show up with pizza and beers was dope.”
“Okay.” I fold my arms and stare out at the park. “You’re right, asking her out for dinner the night she moves was stupid. But isn’t going there and helping her unpack sort of intense?”
“Depends on the situation. One day of knowing Nat, and I would have walked through fire for her, regardless of how I fought my feelings. Do you like her? Like want to have dinner with her while unpacking and flirt and not have sex?”
“No, yes, I don’t know,” I answer them all too quickly. It takes me a second before I can accurately answer and expose myself to Brady’s torment. “I think I like her. I think I would have dinner and not have sex.” The night on the dock, waiting for the meteor shower, flashes through my mind. Staring at her beautiful face as she told me her sad story is still a highlight. It was intimate and quiet, and if I’m honest with myself there’s a chance, a huge chance, I want more of that.
“What’s not to like? She’s the coolest girl any of us has ever met. Plus, if your sleazy ass is sniffing around her boss and dropping the old grandpa card to get her number, I think we can both agree, the sex was something out of this world. Which I knew it would be. Her dance moves and fitness level—” He stops himself.
“Anyway. What do I do now? Did I mess up with the dinner and champagne?”
“Yeah, but that’s ‘cause you’re rich—you have no idea what the real world looks like.” Brady laughs. “You should have seen Matt and Sami’s faces when I explained we were moving ourselves. I don’t think Sami understands what moving is, like she shows up at the house and the gods just poof her shit there in exactly the place she would want it.”
“I’m down-to-earth,” I defend myself.
Brady bursts out laughing, doubling over.
“What?” I’m insulted. “I am.”
“What’d I miss?” Bev hands me a drink but holds on to Brady’s while he’s dying.
“Nothing. I said I’m down-to-earth,” I reply flatly, not understanding the laughing.
But Bev joins him, “Oh, honey.” She snickers. “You’re living in an apartment in the Plaza Hotel that is one whole floor. A whole hotel floor. You have a service elevator and a regular elevator. You live on Billionaires’ Row and by the way you talk, people think you’re living in a fifth-floor walk-up in Brooklyn.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have drivers or staff—”
“Millie counts, even if you say she’s here for the cat, and you have a maid service and valet and driver with the apartment. You have room service. You live in a fucking hotel,” Bev says, pointing at the park. “On Central Park, where you have his and hers bathrooms to go with your matching his and hers closets.”
“I don’t use those services very often and Millie is for Simon!” I point at Simon who watches us from his perch in the window. The expression on his face suggests he doesn’t entirely buy the line either. “And she makes killer sandwiches. And what snobby rich person loves sandwiches as much as me?”
“Okay. Come on, man. This is getting embarrassing. Let’s get you a pizza so you can win over this girl.” Brady slings an arm around me and wipes his eyes, barely recovered.
“I can order pizza on my own.” My tone remains a little snappy.
“Sure ya can.” Bev links her arm with my other one and hands Brady his drink. “Have you ever ordered your own food without asking someone to do it for you?”
“You two are gonna make me nuts.” I pull away and walk through the library to the master bedroom. In the shower, I decide they’re right; as much as I hate them both right now, asking her for dinner was stupid. She probably has a lot going on.
The idea of showing up at her place is conflicting but seeing her again, even if it is so soon and uncool, has me hurrying to get dressed and finish off with some of that aftershave she seemed to like.
I take one last glance in the mirror before I rush out to the living room.
“Okay, I spoke to Cap. He says Sukii is there, helping out. They’re about halfway done with the boxes but the place is a shitshow. She says Jenny is a bit of a mess, which is to be expected. Nat finds moving crazy emotional.” Brady walks to me, talking and texting. “Cap’s gonna tell the doorman you’re coming over and then get Sukii to leave and clear the path for you to go there and help her with the unpacking. Unpacking only.”
“Exactly, because Sukii also said Jenny’s fragile right now. She’s cried a couple of times already. So if you genuinely like this girl, be her friend not a fuckboy,” Bev points out. “Your pizza will be in the foyer downstairs in two minutes.” She walks with me to the elevator. “Try not to be a douche-bag hockey player and you’ll
