City Love(74)

“On the bright side, D obviously cares about you. That’s why he called you last night. He wants to make sure you’re okay.”

“Last night I was way too upset to pretend everything was okay.”

“He doesn’t want you to pretend. He wants you to be yourself.”

“How do you know?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” From everything Rosanna has told me about D, he sounds like a good guy. The kind of guy who likes Rosanna for exactly who she is.

“Then why hasn’t he—” The house phone rings, cutting Rosanna off. We look at the screen. Donovan Clark is calling.

“Oh my god, that’s him!”

Rosanna just stares at the phone.

“Pick up!” I yell. “He probably wants to see you tonight!” I’m so freaking thrilled D is calling. Of course he’s calling right when we were talking about him not calling. Other people’s love lives are infinitely fascinating to me. I can’t wait to hear what D says, but I go back to my room to give Rosanna her privacy.

Austin is beyond adorable lying on my bed. He’s flipping through the book I’m currently reading.

“Everything okay?” he asks when I come in.

“Minor crisis. Nothing that can’t be resolved.”

“Good. Because it stopped raining and I’m taking you to dinner.”

“Sweet!”

“And I have a surprise for you.”

“How much do I love surprises?”

“So much.”

“What is it?”

“You really want me to tell you?”

“Tell.”

“You know how you’ve been searching for the best veggie burger in New York?”

“Yeah . . . ?”


“I found it for you at Hillstone. It’s a more upscale place, so you’ll probably want to wear one of those cute dresses I saw in your closet.”

I jump on the bed and throw my arms around Austin. “You are the best. boyfriend. ever.”

Rosanna is still on the couch when we’re leaving for dinner. She looks a lot happier.

“What did he say?” I ask.

“You were right. He wants to go out tonight.”

“Yay! Where are you going?”

“We couldn’t decide. He’s calling me back.”

“We’re going to Hillstone if you guys want to meet up there later.”

“It’s a restaurant, but it has a cool bar,” Austin adds. He arranges for Rosanna and D to call his cell if they decide to meet up with us.

We hold hands the whole walk to Hillstone, stopping to kiss every few blocks like we do. The night is clear and fresh. Most people we pass seem less frazzled than usual. Even the air feels lighter, as if the rain washed our collective angst away.

Austin puts our names in when we get to Hillstone. Then we sit at the bar to wait for our table. I’m loving the dim lighting, cool vibe, and smell of garlic bread.

“Have you ever tried an amaretto sour?” Austin asks.

“I don’t drink.”

“Why not?”

“Um, because I don’t see the point?”

“The point is to have fun. Are you seriously telling me you’ve never been drunk?”

“I am seriously telling you that.”

“You’re more straight-edge than I thought.”

“Thank you. But I’m actually straight-edge with a twist.”

“Would you like to try one?”

“An amaretto sour?”

“You’d like it. It’s really sweet. Like you.”

“I’ll try a sip of yours if you get one.”

“Hmm. Then maybe I’ll have to order two drinks for myself.”

“Party on.”

“Bathroom break first.” Austin gets up from the bar stool just as a guy is sitting down on the other side of him. The guy bumps into Austin, shoving him against the bar.

“Sorry, man!” the guy slurs.

Austin holds up his hand like it’s okay. “I’ll be right back,” he tells me.

I don’t notice Austin’s phone on his bar stool until it rings. It must have fallen out of his back pocket when the guy bumped into him. Thinking it might be Rosanna, I pick up his phone. I really hope she and D are coming. I cannot wait to meet him. How much fun will it be when the boys start becoming friends?

Rosanna is not the one calling Austin. There’s some strange woman’s name Austin has never mentioned before.

I’m not sure what makes me answer the call. Something just tells me I should.

“Hello?” I say.

“Hello?” she says. “Who is this?”

“Sorry, this is Austin’s phone. I picked up for him.”

“Put Austin on.”

“He’s in the bathroom. May I take a message?”

She lets out a sharp laugh. “You don’t want to hear what I’m about to say.”

My stomach drops.

“Who is this?” I ask.

“This is Austin’s wife,” the woman says. “Who’s this?”

No.

This is not happening.

Austin cannot be married. That doesn’t even make sense.