“Oh, lord,” I groan, covering my face with my hands. “I didn’t write that. My friend Ali did. She thought she was helping but…she deleted all our texts before I saw what she typed. I had no idea it was…that.”
An amused smile plays in the corners of Jake’s lips as he tucks his phone back into his pocket. “The fact that it was written in third person was kind of a tip-off. But I figured at the very least you’d signed off on it. That you wanted nothing to do with me. And in the moment, I agreed. You did deserve better. So I left you alone. Once the dust settled, though, I realized how badly I’d handled it all. I should have apologized, tried to explain. At the very least, I should have reached out to you when the song was released. But by then so much time had passed, and I had no idea if you even wanted to hear from me.”
He scrubs a hand across the back of his neck before continuing. “You’re lucky, you know. To have friends who care that much about you. People you know you can trust, who have your best interests at heart.”
Jake’s gaze travels to mine again and his voice softens.
“I screwed up, Lexi. Trust me, I would do anything to take it back. And I know we only spent that one weekend together. But the truth is, I think about you all the time.”
My fingers drift toward my lips and I nibble the edge of my thumbnail as I weigh his confession. There’s a part of me that wants nothing more than to forgive Jake. But even if I could, it’s not like we can just pick up where we left off. Whether we like it or not, we live completely different lives now.
“I know I don’t deserve another chance,” he continues. “But if we could just—”
His words are cut off by the buzzing of my phone. We glance down simultaneously to see Ethan’s name flash across the screen. Jake’s brow furrows, and I can practically hear the wheels in his head turning.
“Right,” he says under his breath. “Of course.”
I realize what he must be thinking. But he’s only been back inmy life for a few hours, so I feel no obligation to tell him Ethan and I have yet to go on a single date.
Jake glances down at his own phone. “I suppose I should call Vinny, my manager, and let him know where I am before he has an aneurysm.”
“Is he still in LA?”
“No, we both arrived in New York last night. I’m going to be here for the next two months or so, laying down tracks for my second album.”Oh. So that’s why he suddenly reappeared in my life. This isn’t about me. It’s just a matter of geography. I wonder how many other times he’s been in the city and not bothered to reach out.
Jake’s eyes flick back to mine. “I was actually hoping we could hang out while I’m here. If that’s something you want.”
“I’d like that.” I smile. Jake smiles back, pulling his cell phone from his pocket as he wanders into my bedroom. Gathering the breakfast plates, I carry them over to the sink.
When Jake returns twenty minutes later, the color has drained from his face. I carefully rearrange my own features in an attempt to keep my expression neutral.
“I think I talked Vinny off the ledge, but I told him I still need a few days off to get my head together before I’m willing to go back to work. He got me set up in a suite at The Pierre, so I guess I’ll head over there now.” His eyes shift reluctantly to the door.
“You should come over for dinner tomorrow night.” The words escape before I have a chance to think about their implication.Lexi!my brain shouts.What! Are! You! Doing?“I mean, I’m sure it’s been ages since you’ve had a home-cooked meal.”
Jake’s face lights up, the tension in his shoulders dissolving. “I would love that,” he admits. “If it isn’t too much of an imposition.”
“It’s nothing. I’m off on Mondays, and I was planning to cook anyway.” It’s a boldfaced lie. I can’t even remember the last time I bothered to make myself anything beyond scrambled eggs onmy day off. But I’m thrilled by the idea of having someone to cook for. It’s been ages since I’ve done a full meal for someone, and I’m already mentally flipping through my recipe file. And if I’m really being honest, I’m not ready to let Jake go again just yet.
He grins as he pulls the door open. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“See ya.” As soon as he’s gone, I collapse onto the sofa, blowing out a long breath.
11
“WHAT, AND I CANNOTstress this enough, the actual fuck?” Ali’s eyes are as wide as saucers when she yanks open the door of her Murray Hill apartment. “Get in here and tell us everything.”
I still had a few hours to kill until my date with Ethan, so after cleaning up breakfast and hopping into the shower, I headed over to Ali’s. It’s a decision I’m already regretting.
“Us?” I ask wearily. Peering over her shoulder, I spot Chloe sitting cross-legged on Ali’s mustard-yellow sofa, sipping a pamplemousse La Croix through a metal straw.
“Ah… I see you’ve called in the cavalry.”
Ali grabs my wrist and drags me inside, collapsing down next to Chloe. I slip off my shoes before sinking onto the chair across from them and glance around the room. Since the last time I was over, Ali’s hung a new piece of art on the wall across from me, a Warhol-style portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I turn my head to avoid her piercing gaze.Don’t judge me, RBG. We can’t all be as iron-willed as you.
“So.” Ali locks eyes with me, twisting a finger through one of her dark curls. “At what point were you planning to tell us that ‘Jake from the bar’ was not just any run-of-the-mill douchebag, but in facttheJake Taylor? As in, has-a-number-one-hit-single Jake Taylor? As in, just-did-‘Carpool-Karaoke’-with-James-Corden Jake Taylor? As in,Jake TaylorJake Taylor?”
“As in, the Jake Taylor you told I was an exquisite goddess who deserves better? And what’s with the one-eighty? Didn’t you tell me just last night that there is no such thing as a good guy, that all men are flaming bags of garbage?”
