“Excuse me,” I muttered to the ground, “this is my stop.”
Mark stood up, letting me pass as I did the walk of shame through the train car. This was not my stop, but I was going to get out and wait for the next train so I didn’t die from embarrassment.
Not only is this phone going into the blender, I’m buying an Android phone next, and the last moment on earth for my stupid, traitorous iPhone is going to consist of me waving my new phone maniacally and taunting the iPhone as the blender chips it into little traitorous bits.
“I think something was wrong with that book.”
I screamed and almost dropped my phone. Mark caught it and handed it to me. I snatched it out of his large hand.
“Did you follow me?” I demanded.
He pointed to the sign above us that had an arrow pointing to Frost Tower. “I work here,” he told me then jerked his chin to my phone. “I don’t think even Frost Tower, which is state of the art, cost anywhere close to a billion dollars. Knowing that information, how could a single house cost that much? Didn’t anyone do any research?”
“It’s just fiction,” I mumbled, face hot. “I don’t normally listen to stuff like that. I had a coupon code.” I pretended I was looking for something in my purse, hoping he would get the hint andleave.
“Interesting.” Mark did not leave. He was waiting for something.
“I’m just looking for something I might have left on the train,” I said, not moving. I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing I had disembarked due to embarrassment.
“We can call lost and found,” Mark suggested. We were clearly engaging in a standoff.
“You don’t have to wait for me!” I finally snapped.
“This area has had some investment, but it’s not that safe. There’s hardly anything around here. Where are you going? I’ll walk you. It’s still dark outside. Something might happen.”
Of all the stupid fucking times for a stupid guy to be chivalrous.
“I’m fine.”
Mark dug in his heels. “I can’t leave you alone,” he said stubbornly.
I thought men of my generation were supposed to be self-serving, and yet here Mark doesn’t even like me, but he’s going to escort me to protect my honor anyway.
“Where are you going?” Mark asked.
I racked my brain. “I need coffee,” I said. “Someone broke my coffeepot.”
“Look in the mirror,” he retorted as he gestured me to the stairs up to the street.
The Gray Dove Bakery was bustling. A large number of the patrons must have been Mark’s employees, because they greeted him as they bought their coffees and pastries.
Chloe Barnard was behind the counter. She was Jack Frost’s girlfriend, and I was seriously jealous of her life. Rich, doting, handsome boyfriend? Check. Successful business? Check. A penthouse with a ton of natural daylight that didn’t look like she lived in a dumpster? Check. Shoot. If I could just have a room with windows that didn’t look out onto a brick wall, I would be happy.
Mark was still standing next to me.
“I think I’m fine now,” I told him. He ignored me.
Chloe’s eyes lit up when we stepped up to the counter. “Who’s that, Mark?” she drawled.
Mark looked down at me. “She’s in Liz’s wedding party with me.”
“How is Liz?” Chloe asked as she set a steaming cup and a box with a savory muffin in it on the counter. “I took a call last night from Wes asking if I could please immediately send over a box of soup muffins, two of each flavor.”
“She’s just anxious about the baby coming,” I said defensively.
“No judgment here!” Chloe said. “My philosophy is that if you’re growing a human being, you get to eat whatever you want!”
“What do you want?” Mark asked me.
