I saw the shimmer of his glossy suit out of the corner of my eye as he walked up the steps into the restaurant before he was gone from my sight.
Is he on a date too? It’s going to be really awkward if I run into him again, I thought while I turned to the breathless man behind me.
I saw a young man with light-brown hair, light stubble, and a pleasant smile. I recognized him from the picture on his Bumble profile. Harvey Barlow and I had exchanged a few texts in the past few days, before we finally met. I shook off my fears and allowed myself to hope for a little. Perhaps this would be the date that went well.
“Ava Hale?” he asked as he walked up to me. “Nice to meet you at last,” he said.
I nodded, and he pulled me into a small hug. I hadn’t been prepared for it, and my cheek was smashed against his shoulder for a moment.
Ouch.
I smelled something on his breath as he let go. He smiled at me just as I registered that it was alcohol.
Was he drinking before the date?
“You’re stomping on my foot,” Harvey said pointedly while I stood frozen.
I balked and looked down, only to notice the tips of our shoes had been touching.
I looked over my shoulder at the spot where Desmond had stood, feeling a sense of regret.
Would I need to go another ten years before I could see him again?
In the year after he’d left me, Desmond had gone to Stanford. At the same time, Mom and I relocated to Austin. In the years that had passed, Desmond and I hadn’t kept in touch. What I knew of him had come through the news.
Desmond had become a venture capitalist and was part of one of the country’s top VCs—the Lead Capital Group. He owned or held majority stake in many of the top financial firms, insurance companies, and even luxury hotels, many of which boasted full-service Michelin-starred restaurants. In short, he had become a big deal.
When Mom and I’d moved back to New York, I’d dismissed the idea of ever running into Desmond. This evening had shown me how naive I’d been.
Running into Desmond McKinley was unusual for me, but being brushed aside by him? That should’ve been predictable, but, instead, it only reminded me of the strange fact that we’d been each other’s everything back in highschool. Best friends, lovers, and each other’s future. How could we go fromthatto … never saying goodbye?
Harvey was bursting with confidence and looking like he’d never had a regret in his life before.
He sniffed the air. “You know, I can always tell the hygiene levels of the people I interact with just by sniffing. You passed the test,” he said with an unusually wide smile.
I shut my eyes and counted to ten to steel myself before I could respond. Many weeks ago, I’d made a mistake of bemoaning that I was single. I didn’t really mean it. I said it in the way one might say they hadn’t seen an airplane fly overhead in ages. That didn’t mean one wanted to take a flight, did it?
Apparently, to my friend and colleague Freya, it did.
Harvey was still speaking as he led me up the steps to the restaurant. “I have to admit, when your profile said you were a restaurant manager, I was apprehensive.”
He opened the door to the restaurant for me just as I considered that statement. Freya had insisted I put myself out there on a dating app, and I’d been honest about my profession.
“Why?” I asked as I walked into the upscale Italian restaurant.
As I took a few steps in, I couldn’t help myself—my work persona took over. At first view, I scanned the floor. The tables and chairs were arranged perfectly. Not a tablecloth was out of order, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Mismanaged restaurants stressed me out. I spotted the host talking to the server and gesturing to the nearest table that needed a refill. This was an excellent restaurant.
Harvey was speaking to me. “Because I was always under the impression that managers are crazy workaholics.”
I frowned.
“I’m not a—” I stopped as I saw a waiter fold the cloth napkins at an empty table. What a wonderful idea. I needed to add this to our routine at the restaurant. “Sorry, I missed what you just said,” I said.
Turning to him, I saw a wry smile on his face.
He had a knowing look on his face, which seemed to confirm his previous suspicions.
“Sorry, I got a little distracted,” I admitted, biting my lip.
