Chapter Twenty
David
Trying to play it cool with Emily is damn near killing me. Thank God Dom snored and woke up when he did last night. I was about to be a goner when she started climbing onto my lap. I keep bringing up Lonnie when I get the chance so Emily doesn’t suspect my true feelings, but it’s not easy. And every time I mention Lonnie, Emily’s happy I’m talking about her. And that leads to Emily touching me, which I love.
But I’m lying to her. I didn’t like her response for the column. Not at all. I didn’t agree with a single word of it. Nor did I like the way she was talking about marriage and how she didn’t believe in it. Plain and simple, I know I’m going to get my heart ripped out if I continue on this path, but God help me, I can’t break it off with her.
I try to focus on work Monday morning. At least the atmosphere at the paper is good. Everyone is still excited over the new changes Mr. Monohan put into place at Emily’s suggestion. So excited that they’re planning a get-together at Last Call tonight.
“No one has to stay late tonight, right?” Olivia asks, swiveling around in her chair and glancing at each person in turn. She’s met with shaking heads. “Great. Then it settled. We are celebrating.”
Mr. Monohan walks out of his office and into our circle of desks. “Celebrating what?” he asks. “Being able to sit in a circle? I’m pretty sure you all learned and mastered that in kindergarten. How about we focus on writing great stories. It’s Monday. Why is everyone sitting around instead of going out in the field to cover their stories?” He puts his hands on his hips, and his ever-growing stomach pushes against the buttons of his shirt. He’s packed on about twenty pounds since starting this paper. At first, I thought it was the stress of being in charge of his own paper, but then I realized he was eating because he’s finally not stressed. Now that Marjorie Strauss is out of his life—other than family reunions since they’re cousins—he doesn’t have his hands tied as far as whom to promote or which stories make the front page. He still loves to bust on us all every chance he gets, but he has a sparkle in his eye. He’s living his dream.
“Mr. Monohan,” I say, “all the news stories have been assigned. My staff is in the field, with the exception of a few who are busy securing interviews via email or phone.” When sources don’t want to talk, they tend to feel less intimidated when confronted in writing or on the phone. Luckily, my staff writers are picking up on that quickly and making adjustments. Of course, that also means it’s easier for those individuals to lie since no one can read their body language to detect the false information. So we have to be especially careful and cross-reference with other sources before reporting the stories.
“Good,” Mr. Monohan says. “Emily, what about your staff? Are they working on their stories?”
“Always, Mr. M. No worries.” She looks up briefly from her computer. My guess is she’s busy editing one of those stories. I’m not sure how her writers manage to work so quickly, but I guess since some are only part-time and have other jobs to get to, it’s out of necessity. “Did you read our column by chance?” Emily asks him.
He nods. “I did. I’m curious as to whether you two are answering honestly or for the sake of entertainment, but I figure not knowing is probably best. I don’t need to know the intimate details of either of your minds.” He winks at Emily and smiles at me. “Keep up the good work, people. And someone have a drink for me tonight.”
“You want to come with us, Mr. Monohan?” Eliza asks. Even she’s become more social thanks to the new office arrangement. Her feature writers are much happier now, too. “We’d love to have you.”
“Don’t I spend enough time with you all?” he jokes. “No. Go enjoy yourselves. One of us needs to be sober in the morning, and as the owner of the paper, I suppose that should be me.”
His sense of humor has really taken a turn for the better since the paper started. Everyone seems to know when he’s joking now, mostly because he no longer jokes behind a permanent scowl. He goes back to his office, and work pretty much ceases around me.
Olivia turns around in her desk to face Emily. “So, I heard your new boyfriend resembles a certain celebrity demon hunter.”
I can’t listen to Emily talk about Sebastian, so I grab my coffee mug and head for the break room. The problem is I don’t want coffee. Nate is in there with Aria. They’re sitting at the table—more like snuggling.
“I thought that now that you have an office, we wouldn’t be subjected to these blatant displays of affection,” I tease them.
Aria raises her head to me. “Don’t be a prude, David.”
“Hey, Caleb told me you and Lonnie went out this weekend,” Nate says, sitting back in his chair but keeping his arm draped around Aria’s shoulders.
“Yeah, we had dinner on Saturday.”
“Apparently, you were all she could talk about when she showed up at work that night.” Nate smiles at me, probably thinking I’ve moved on from Emily.
“I’m glad she had a good time.” I move toward the coffee pot.
Nate stands up and walks over to me. When he sees me glance in Aria’s direction, he says, “Aria, do you mind giving us a second?”
“Not at all. I’ll be in my office when you’re finished.” She smiles at Nate in a suggestive way. Monohan was right. The office is like romance central. She leaves, and Nate’s gaze follows her.
“When are you going to propose?” I ask him, hoping to get the focus off Lonnie and me.
“We’ve only officially been together for a few months,” he says.
“Yeah, but you were in love with her for how many years before that?”
He can’t argue with me, so he changes the topic. “So what’s the deal with Lonnie? Are you going to see her again? Because according to Caleb, she’s waiting for your call.”
I put my mug down, having never actually filled it, and lean against the counter. “Yeah, I’m going to call her today. We’re supposed to go for drinks one night this week.”
“She’s bartending tonight. You’re going to see her when we all go to Last Call after work.” He crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at me. “Are you okay with Lonnie being there when Emily will be, too?”
I shrug and start toward the refrigerator, for what, I don’t know. “Why wouldn’t I be? Emily is my roommate. Lonnie is the woman I’m currently dating. I don’t see the problem.” I’m not about to discuss my relationship with Emily with anyone at this paper.
“So you’re over Emily?”
I open the fridge and grab a bottle of water, my throat suddenly very dry. I uncap it and take a long drag. “It would be way too awkward to get involved with my roommate. I don’t need that kind of stress in my life right now. Lonnie’s fun, and that’s all I’m looking for at the moment.” I close the refrigerator door and stare at him, trying to convey confidence in the words that just spewed out of my mouth.
“Are you saying you’re not looking for a relationship?” he asks.
“Exactly. I’m over that.” I figure it’s best to tell Nate that in case he tells Aria and then word gets back to Emily. Newsrooms. Got to love them. I’m sure everyone will be talking about my new outlook on dating by lunchtime.
Nate cocks his head. “I guess I never pegged you for the type to date around. Are you seeing anyone else? And does Lonnie know?” He shifts his weight, leaning against the counter. “She gets hit on a lot and rarely ever accepts a date with anyone she meets at the bar. I’m not sure she would have gone out with you if she thought you were like all the other guys just looking for a good time.”
“Relax, Nate. We had dinner and kissed good night. Nothing happened. I’m not going to sleep with her and leave her.” That’s not me at all. No matter how much I want Emily to think I’m fine with casual dating, I’ll never resort to that to prove it.
Nate walks toward me and places a hand on my shoulder. “Talk to Lonnie, okay? She’s a sweet girl, and Caleb can’t afford to lose the business she draws if you break her
heart and she quits so she doesn’t have to see you again.”
I force a laugh. “Right. Like that would happen. Lonnie is gorgeous. Too good for me. She only agreed to go out with me because I kept that creep away from her at the bar. I doubt she’s really even into me.” Or I hope. But if Nate is right and Lonnie has been talking about me, I might be setting her up to get hurt.
I’m not sure how I’m going to fix this.
Last Call is packed for a Monday night. Caleb is doing a half-price appetizer special, and it’s drawn every person in a five-mile radius. Or at least it seems that way. The bar is standing room only, which is good because it means Lonnie doesn’t have the opportunity to seek me out. She’s too busy tending to all the customers ordering drinks.
Caleb puts a few tables together for us in the back room, where Aria’s party was held. It’s nice because we don’t have to deal with the craziness in the main bar area. It pays to know the owner. We all order our drinks, which Caleb serves us since Lonnie is more than a little busy. I couldn’t be happier about that. Emily and I carpooled because there really wasn’t a reason not to. I admit I was happy she didn’t fight me on the idea, but then again, she’s relaxed a lot around me since the weekend. It’s like the prospect of me being open to a casual relationship fixed everything.
She’s sitting with her staff writers, and I’m giving her space, not wanting to crowd her or risk an awkward situation if Lonnie happens to come back here. Every once in a while, I catch Emily glancing in my direction. She always smiles and goes back to talking. About an hour after we get there, Lonnie wanders into the room and seeks me out. She takes the seat next to me.
“Hey,” she says with a smile. “Crazy night.”
“Yeah, how did you manage to get away from the bar?” I ask her.
“I get a fifteen-minute break. Caleb is covering the bar for me.” She looks around at the group. “So, these are your coworkers?”
“Yeah, this is the crew. They’re all great.”
“Quite a few of them are still pretty young. I can’t believe everyone here has their careers established already.” Her eyes lower. “And here I am tending bar.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll bet you make more bartending than some of our staff writers. A few of them have other jobs to supplement their pay.” Priority isn’t cheap. Rent is high.
She smiles. “Thanks. I’m taking online classes to get my degree in psychology.”
“Uh-oh. Should I be worried you’re psychoanalyzing everything I say?” I joke.
“Probably.” She nods but then cracks another smile.
“Great. I have a roommate who is an opinion editor with very strong opinions about everything.” Sometimes too strong, like with her stance on marriage. “And now you can analyze my every move. I’m not safe anywhere.”
“You have a roommate?” she asks.
I take a sip of my beer, wanting to smack myself for bringing up Emily. If I blow this thing with Lonnie, Emily will most likely put an end to whatever is going on between us. “I used to live with my sister, but she moved out a little while ago. She’s following her acting dream in Hollywood. So I got a new roommate. You know how it is here. It’s tough to live on your own and get the bills paid on time.” I sound like an idiot.
“Yeah, I have a roommate, too. She’s someone I met when I went to school to learn how to mix drinks. She tends bar on the other side of town at Maurice’s.”
I nod. I never go to Maurice’s because it’s geared more toward the doctors and lawyers in Priority than someone who works for a newspaper. “I was there once, but when the guy next to me asked which law firm I worked for and I told him I was a staff writer at an online paper, he got up and sat at the other end of the bar.”
“Ouch, that was harsh,” she says.
“We can’t all be lawyers.”
“I wouldn’t want to be. I’d actually like to be a child counselor one day. Maybe work in a school.” She shrugs. “Plenty of time to figure it out, I suppose.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Emily getting up from the table. She looks my way and smiles, but it’s not a “good for you” smile. This one is almost sad. I’m not sure how to interpret it. Maybe she wants me to date other women, but she doesn’t want to actually see me doing it. I can understand that.
I glance at my phone. “Hey, you should get back to the bar. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
She stands up. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Call me, and we’ll get together for those drinks.”
I nod, and she walks away.
Emily comes over and takes her seat. “Making plans?” she asks.
“Something like that.”
She places her hand on my knee. “You’re not ditching me tonight, are you?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” I press my shoulder against hers, and she leans into me. I have no idea what she’s thinking or why she’s openly flirting with me, but I’d never turn away from her affection. I look up to see Lonnie standing in the doorway, her eyes narrowed on Emily.
Chapter Twenty-One
Emily
It’s stupid how I’m openly flirting with David, especially with Lonnie around, but I can’t help myself. Something about the way she was looking at him a few minutes ago just made me need to touch him. We’re getting looks from all of our coworkers, but I continue to sip my drink and focus on David as if they aren’t even here.
He keeps glancing at the doorway leading to the bar, but Lonnie hasn’t shown up again since she saw me snuggling up to him a few minutes ago. I’m assuming she knows he’s seeing other people. I doubt she knows it’s me, though. Well, I suppose she has some idea now.
“Do you need another drink?” I ask him, motioning to his empty beer bottle.
“No, I’m good for now.”
Probably because he doesn’t want to go to the bar for another. “I can get it for you if you’d like. I was going to hit the restroom and then get myself another anyway.” Before he can protest, I stand up and grab both of our bottles.
He looks like he wants to say something, but he swallows hard instead, his throat visibly constricting. I doubt he’s ever dated multiple women at the same time before, so I cut him some slack. He’s not entirely comfortable with all this, and I can understand that.
“I’ll be right back.” I brush my arm against his and give him a reassuring smile, but it doesn’t ease the tension in his body. I move toward the door, and Aria jumps up, falling in step with me.
“What are you doing?” she asks, looping her arm through mine.
I hold up the empty bottles. “Getting another round of drinks. Want one?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “You know that’s not what I mean. Lonnie is tending bar. Are you trying to sabotage David’s relationship with her?”
I shrug. “They aren’t exclusive, so I’m not sabotaging anything.”
She tugs my arm, forcing me to stop walking and look at her. “Emily, you know I love you, which is why I have to tell you you’re asking for trouble. Dating David is one thing. Messing with his emotions by hitting on him any time Lonnie is around is another.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. He’s seeing both of us. I’m seeing Sebastian, too. David is fine with this. We’ve already discussed it. In fact, he’s come to see I was right about commitment. It’s not necessary at our age.” I’m tempted to say “or at any age,” but I know Aria will disagree. She and Nate will get married one day. I’m sure of that.
“You can’t really believe that. David is one of the sweetest men I know. He might be telling you he’s okay with this, but I doubt he really is.”
“You don’t know him like I do. He’s changed. I don’t know why, but he has.” I hold up the empty beer bottles. “Now can I please get my drinks so I can get back to David?”
She lets go of me. “Okay, fine. But for the record, I’m against this.”
“Duly noted.” I walk away from her and to the bar. Lonnie is hel
ping a group of men who can’t seem to take their eyes off her cleavage. She can’t possibly want to stop flirting for tips. If she got into a serious relationship with David, it would ruin her job. Besides, she could have any of the men in here. Though, none compares to David. Aria’s right. He’s so sweet. He’s also gorgeous—the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Okay, Lonnie would be an idiot not to fall for him. But to act on those feelings and give up what she has going on here? She doesn’t strike me as the type.
I tap my fingers on the bar, waiting for her to notice me. I swear she’s purposely avoiding me, tending to people who don’t even need refills. Finally, I get fed up and say, “Excuse me.” I raise a hand in the air to make sure she knows I’m the one who said it. “I need two more Amstel Lights.” I motion to the bottles on the bar.
Lonnie grabs two Amstel Lights and uncaps them before putting them down in front of me. “That will be five dollars,” she says.
I reach for my purse, which is draped across my body, and pull a ten out of my wallet. “Keep the change,” I tell her. “Though it doesn’t look like you need any help getting tips with these guys around. You definitely know how to work a crowd.”
Her eyes narrow at me. “Stay there. I’ll get you change,” she says, snatching the bill off the bar top.
“I said keep it.” I turn to walk away, but Lonnie yells, “Wait.” I almost keep walking, but she adds, “Please,” in a voice that’s so full of desperation I can’t ignore her. I turn around.
She glances at the customers at the bar, and seeing no one is in need of a drink at the moment, she steps around the bar to me. “Who are you? To David, I mean.”
That’s a loaded question I’m not sure I can answer. “Well, we work together, we’re friends, we’re roommates, and...” I pause because if her face contorts any more, she may need a plastic surgeon to help her right it again.
I Belong With You Page 14