Bella: What is it?
I turn my back on the pretzels and set off down the sidewalk again. I’ll splurge on buttered popcorn at the movie tonight so the pretzel will have to wait for another time.
I glance down at my phone when another text buzzes its arrival.
Barrett: Meet me at Axel NY at 8.
For a split second, I wonder if he’s sent me a message meant for the redhead he was having dinner with the other night.
His next text clears away all potential confusion.
Barrett: Ivan wants to see us both at 8. You do know where Axel NY is, don’t you?
Jerk.
I know exactly where Axel NY is. I’ve been to the restaurant twice on blind dates in the past year and at a handful of times with Duke and his dad.
I can’t exactly say no to Mr. Garent, so I type back a simple response knowing that I have to skip out on my movie plans with my best friend.
Bella: I’ll be there.
***
“Wait a minute, Bella.” Max’s hand darts in the air. “You’re telling me that the guy you thought was Dale is actually your new boss?”
Slipping on my shoes, I nod in silence.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”
I point at the belt around my waist. “My belt is red, and my shoes are black. Is that a fashion faux pas?”
Max gives me a full once-over. “Your dress is tight enough that it doesn’t matter.”
I turn to the side to look at myself in the large mirror propped against my bedroom wall. “I should change. Should I change?”
“You’re not changing. Dale is going to fucking love that dress.” Max fans his face with his hand. “Wear the red lipstick you bought last week.”
I walk to my dresser to find the tube of lipstick. “You forgive me for not going to the movie with you, right?”
“That’s already forgotten.” He crosses his legs. “I haven’t forgiven you for keeping your boss’s identity a secret.”
I glance over my shoulder to where he’s sitting in the big blue armchair in the corner of my bedroom.
Gina decorated before I moved in. Everything in this room is a product gifted to her by one of her sponsors. The chair and bed are courtesy of a new home furnishings company. They get high marks for aesthetics. They fail miserably in the comfort department.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until tonight,” I sa
y honestly. “I was embarrassed.”
It’s not a lie. I haven’t told anyone that I dropped myself into the middle of my boss’s date because I thought he was at Atlas 22 to meet me.
I would have told Max sooner, but I was stalling because he’s going to remind me about it every chance he gets.
“He must have thought that you lost it.” He throws his head back in laughter. “Some random sits down at his table and starts hitting on him.”
I roll my eyes. “Do I look presentable? Does my outfit scream, ‘I’m here for business.’”
Max stands, tucking the hem of the green T-shirt he’s wearing into the waistband at the front of his dark jeans. “It’s the perfect little black dress, Bella. Mr. Garent is going to be impressed.”