Dating Games(25)

A lump builds in my throat at the double meaning. I want him to beg me not to go, to tell me he doesn’t want to come home to an apartment without tripping over my shoes, or seeing my collection of coffee mugs that haven’t yet made their way into the dishwasher. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t say anything.

“Goodbye, Trevor.”

I stay on the line a moment longer, praying he’ll admit he made a mistake. But he doesn’t. I go to end the call to see he already has. I remain motionless for a moment, simply staring at the phone as I try to process what just happened. Is this officially the end of Trevor and Evie? Trevi? I’d even planned for us to honeymoon in Rome just to go to the fountain bearing the same name as our couple name. Will I ever find someone I’ll have an awesome couple name with again?

“Want to tell us what the hell is going on?” Chloe’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

I glance to see her standing beside me, her arms crossed.

“Who’s Julian?” Nora adds. “Why didn’t you say anything about a new suitor?”

I shake my head, unsure where to even begin with this. I still can’t wrap my head around it myself. “Julian isn’t a suitor,” I begin, then my phone rings once more.

“Is it Trevor telling you there’s another delivery of flowers from yet another gentleman caller?” Nora giggles.

Rolling my eyes, I look at the phone to see my office line number, indicating it’s a call forwarded from there, something I do whenever I’m away from my desk during normal business hours.

“It’s a work call.” I grit a smile. “Just a second.” I bring the phone back up to my ear, squaring my shoulders and plastering on as professional an expression as I can, even though whoever’s calling can’t see me. “Evie Fitzgerald.”

“Hello, Evie,” a deep baritone responds.

The instant that voice comes over the line, my core clenches, my breath quickening as desire builds inside me, low and deep. My cheeks heat, so I look away from Chloe and Nora, hoping they don’t notice the sudden change in my demeanor.

“Good afternoon, Julian.”

Nora squeals and I glare at her. She quickly silences herself, but that doesn’t stop her and Chloe from making obscene gestures, the occasional moan of “Oh, Julian” thrown in for added emphasis.

“Is it?” There’s a hint of amusement in his voice, leading me to believe this was all part of his plan to begin with.

“It is now.” I walk away from my two best friends, who seem to be acting like they’re in middle school instead of professional adults, and head to the bay windows in Chloe’s living room, looking out at the streets of Greenwich Village.

“And why’s that?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” I lower myself to the window seat. “Maybe because my ex-boyfriend just called me in a jealous rage because someone happened to send me flowers.”

He chuckles, the sound still having the same effect as it did yesterday. “Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“I told you I can help, did I not?”

“All you did was send flowers,” I retort. The last thing I want is to sound overly eager to agree to his proposition. I’m still not convinced it’s the right way to go about this. “You were lucky Trevor was even home when they were delivered. He’s been practically sleeping at the office these days.”

“You call it luck. I call it due diligence.”

“Due diligence?”

“Precisely. I promised that if you agreed to help me, I’d do everything to help you. Randomly sending you flowers doesn’t cut it. If I simply wanted to send you flowers, I would have sent them to your office. I wanted him to know I sent you flowers. Which is why I paid the delivery person to sit outside your building and wait until he saw Trevor walk in.”

I’m momentarily speechless by the length it appears Julian went in order to make Trevor jealous. I have to hand it to him. It certainly worked.

“Do I want to know how long the delivery man was sitting outside?” I’m unsure if I should consider this a creepy form of stalking or if it is simply a demonstration that he’s a talented manipulator.

“Probably not. So, what do you say, Evie? Did I prove you wrong?”

I brush my hair behind my ear, ignoring the questioning stare of my two friends, who are now squeezed on the opposite side of the window seat, their gazes seemingly glued to my every move.

“What do you mean?”

“You said Trevor was too smart to buy into the idea of us being a real couple.”

“And he is.”

“You still believe that?”

“I do. He asked if I was only dating you to make him jealous, so he’s certainly skeptical.”

“But he did think you were dating me.” His voice is light and playful. “I think my column deserves points for that alone.”

“This isn’t a game, Julian.”

“Of course it is. Life is merely a game. So are relationships. It’s all about strategy.”

“Is that what this is? Your strategy to get me to agree to your proposition?”

“And if it is?”

I pinch my lips together, carefully considering my words. “Then it seems you’re going to awful lengths when I’m sure you have your choice of women who’d gladly agree to be your arm candy at a few parties in the Hamptons.”