CHAPTER TWENTY
Another work week sped by in a blur. One good thing about running from call to call was that Alex didn’t have to interact much with Ray, who had transferred in on Wednesday. It also kept his mind off the fact that all his buddies were getting the results of the LT test that he was supposed to have taken with them.And, it left him no time to think about the next-door neighbor.
After spending last weekend with them, he realized it wasn’t fair to Calvin to keep hanging around. Which sucked, because he had fun with them.
He hadn’t seen them all week, which was just as well. Between his frustration over being unable to test with his friends and his old nemesis becoming his boss, he’d been in a foul mood. Finding out it might be weeks before he got a transfer didn’t help.
He exited the elevator, looking forward to a shower and a beer, when Julia’s door opened. She was all dressed up—dark eye makeup and fluffy hair. She looked like she did in her videos.
“Hey,” he said. “Going out?”
“Yeah. It’s Saturday. Time to manhunt.”
The comment rubbed him the wrong way. He’d assumed that her windfall from Sam’s help would have deterred her plans to find a man. Guess he’d been mistaken.
All of a sudden, he was irritated. “Do these guys know you’re only looking for one thing?”
“Excuse me?”
“Do they know you’re not interested in a real relationship? That you’ll settle for a wallet and a Y chromosome. Any chump that can change a lightbulb and babysit your son once in a while?”
“What do you care?”
He shrugged. “I don’t. Just wondering if the guys know they’re actually interviewing for a job. That it’s an audition, more than a date.”
Hurt flashed across her face before anger took over. “Go to hell,” she said, stomping off toward the elevator.
He stood in the hall and watched as she avoided his gaze while waiting for the doors to close.
“Shit,” he said aloud to an empty hallway. What was wrong with him? He’d had a shitty week, but that was no reason to take it out on her.
He let himself into his apartment and dropped his bag near the door.
While showering, he replayed the conversation. He realized he meant what he’d said. Shewasbeing unfair to the men she dated. Making them think they had a shot at love when that wasn’t on her agenda at all. Even so, he didn’t have to be so callous about it.
It also wasn’t his place to judge her or call her out. He had no right to care about what she did on her weekends, but he’d hoped that having some financial breathing room would ease her desperation to marry the first guy that checked her boxes.
He wondered if he was being hypocritical, but decided it wasn’t the same. He’d been honest from the start, telling her right away he wasn’t husband material. There had been no lying or misleading on his part. He didn’t think she was as forthcoming with the men she met online. And that didn’t seem fair.
The going away party for his outgoing LT, Trent, started in an hour. Alex texted Garrett to see if he wanted to meet up early, and they agreed to rendezvous at the same bar where the party would be.
The restaurant was only a few blocks from his condo, so he headed over on foot. Light snow started, and the flakes reflected off the Christmas lights that adorned every shop window.
Normally, he loved this time of year in the city. The cold. The snow. The warm feelings and goodwill—something you didn’t always feel in New York City—but his sour mood quashed the vibe.
After some chitchat, Garrett got down to business. “So, what’s on your mind?” he said. “You haven’t called me to have a beer in ages.”
That was the thing about best friends—they knew you too well.
He hadn’t had enough beers to confess his sins yet. “Can’t a guy just call another guy to hang out?” They both laughed.
“Not you, no. You seem blah,” Garrett said. “Is it because the lieutenants’ list came out today?”
“That’s part of it. I should be on that list. I put my heart and soul into studying for it, and then some drunk asshole fucks things up.”
“Dixie felt really guilty about that,” Garrett said.
“It’s not her fault,” Alex said. “We’ve talked, and she knows I don’t blame her. I’ll just have to wait for the next exam is all.”
