Chaser

by Staci Hart

  My phone buzzed within a second. WHAT?

  Don’t worry, secret’s still safe. We’re going to Habits. Come meet us.

  My phone was painfully silent for a few seconds. Didn’t you see enough of me tonight?

  No such thing.

  She was quiet again before it buzzed. I don’t know. I really need to paint my nails. Maybe wash my hair. I’ve been meaning to rearrange my sock drawer too. It’s a mess in there.

  Come on. I’ll buy you a bourbon.

  Pretty sure that’s a direct violation of the rules. No dates, and no buying me stuff.

  Don’t make me beg, Mags. I realized I was holding my breath.

  But it’s so cute when you beg.

  I smiled. It’s so cute when you give me what I want.

  You’re impossible lol. Let me get dressed and I’ll be there in a few.

  If you’re still in your bathrobe, I think you should come just as you are.

  I’m sure my brother will think that’s adorable. Now quit distracting me so I can get down there.

  Hurry.

  I slipped my phone in my pocket just as we walked through the heavy wooden door and into Habits. The bar was right around the corner from West and Lily’s building. Between the proximity to their place and the fact that Lily and Maggie’s roommate, Rose, was a bartender, we ended up there. A lot.

  It was an old building with planked wooden floors and a dark bar balanced by clean white tile walls and big windows that faced the street. The food was good, and the drinks were strong. But the company was the best part.

  We’d been hanging at Habits for years, ever since West moved in with Patrick after we left our dorm at Columbia. Once Lily moved in with Rose, the Habits crew was really born. Rose had been working at Habits as long as any of us knew her, and everyone gravitated there, including me. It was the first time in my life that I had a group of friends who were … normal, for lack of a better word. No trust funds, no ski trips to Switzerland or benders in the Riviera. And their normalcy made me feel normal. For a while, at least.

  Rose stood behind the bar, her long, shaggy hair hanging down her back, which was to Patrick. She was very busy lining up shot glasses and ignoring him. In true fashion, he was watching her with dark eyes, like she was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen or ever would see. I could feel the heat from across the room as he wrapped his tattooed fingers around his glass and brought it to his lips.

  I took a seat at the far end of the bar next to Patrick as Lily leaned over to kiss Rose on the cheek.

  “Hey, Rosie. You guys are dead tonight. It’s too quiet in here.”

  “Tell me about it. I’m watching the clock in ten minute intervals.” Rose jerked her chin at West and me, smiling with her hands on her hips. “What’s up, guys? Whatcha drinking? The usual, Coop?”

  “Please.”

  She reached for a rocks glass. “Whiskey or beer, West? We finally got Bulleit in.”

  He smiled and took a seat on the other side of Patrick. “I can’t say no to rye whiskey. I’ll take it neat.”

  “You’ve got it.” She got to work making drinks. “Thank God you guys are here because I needed some company. Bob’s not big on conversation.”

  We all turned to glance at Bob, who seemed to be napping on his usual high-top bar table in the corner.

  West shook his head, chuckling. “That’s the cardinal rule of public drinking. The minute you put your head down, the end.”

  Rose waved a hand. “He’s harmless. Plus he’s nice to everybody, and he’s a damn good tipper. As far as I’m concerned, he can pass out in Habits any time he wants.”

  The door to the bar opened, and I looked over to find Maggie walking in, curly hair bouncing and cheeks flushed. She walked a tight line toward us in dark skinny jeans and a light denim shirt, camel ankle boots clicking on the hardwood. She could have belonged equally in a magazine ad or on a farm. I imagined her lying in a heap of hay, smiling up at me, and my pulse quickened.

  “Hey, y’all,” she said as she walked up, her Mississippi accent heavy. The second our eyes met, the flush in her cheeks deepened.

  The Smile was one hundred percent unplanned.

  Everyone said hello as she took a seat next to me. She was only a few feet away from me, but it felt like a million miles.

  “Maker’s and ginger?” Rose asked with a smile.

  I admired Maggie’s profile as she smiled right back. “That’d be great, Rose. Thanks.”

  She turned on her stool to face everyone and hooked a boot in the leg of my chair. I couldn’t even look at her or my cover would be blown — my face would give me away.

  “It’s quiet in here tonight for a Saturday.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Rose groaned.

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll get busy later, right?”

  “Probably,” she said as she handed Maggie her drink. “But I’m already in lax-mode.”

  “What’s that?” Maggie asked and took a drink.

  “Where you get lazy because you’re slow and start thinking about going home. So then when you actually do get busy, everything crashes because you were checked out. It’s all about the zone.” She tapped her temple.

  Maggie laughed. “I’d be the worst waitress ever. I can’t multi-task to save my life.”

  West smiled over at her “That’s true. I once watched her try to unload the dishwasher while she cooked dinner.”

  “Burned dinner,” she added.

  West chuckled and picked up his drink. “Lily said you’ve got a couple of leads on a job? We wouldn’t want Rose to feel obligated to give you one after learning your fatal flaw.”

  “Funny, Weston.” Maggie smiled and rested an elbow on the bar. “I found a couple of things today that I’m real excited about. Only a few at schools — the rest are charity outreach programs. I’m just so ready to get back to working with kids again. I only had a solid year of teaching before … well, before everything blew up. But I miss my Kindergartners.” She sighed. “I’ll see what happens this summer. Maybe I’ll end up back in a classroom after all, but I’m excited at the prospect of charity work.”

  I wanted to ask her about her job search and felt guilty for not asking when I’d seen her earlier. Not that Maggie was overly interested in talking. I smiled to myself, considering ways I could go about changing that.

  “Good,” West said. “Seemed like you were gettin’ bored.”

  “Maybe a little. I don’t know if I’ll ever see everything I want to see in New York, but I put a big ol’ dent in it. And I never thought I’d get through the pile of books on my tablet, but I did. It’s a terrifying, hollow feeling to have an empty to-be-read pile, I’ll tell you that much. I feel like my bookshelves are empty.”

  West raised an eyebrow. “Get real books and you won’t have that problem.”

  Lily laughed and made a face at him. “No, you’ll have an entirely new problem — where the hell to put all your books.”

  “Yeah, West still hasn’t figured out the answer to that.” Patrick raised his glass to me. “Didn’t expect to see you at Habits tonight, Coop.”

  I spun in the stool and leaned back against the bar, hanging my arm next to Maggie’s, feeling the small distance between us like it was tangible. “I was in the neighborhood. Figured I’d stop in and see what you guys were doing.”

  Patrick smirked. “It’s Saturday — don’t you have some club opening or penthouse party to go to?”

  “Right?” Lily added, her blue eyes bright. “Fun, fancy, rich people stuff.”

  I shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. Keeping my options open.”

  “Oh, the high life.” Lily took a sip of her water. “Astrid’s around too. We came to meet her.”

  I saw Maggie stiffen in my periphery before she took a long pull of her drink.

  See, Astrid was my ‘girlfriend,’ which is in air quotes because the entire thing was a cover. Lily’s older sister and I had a long-standing arrangement. We’d dated at one
point, but it never went anywhere because a) I’m a terminal bachelor and b) she met Sam. He’d been burned by the media and was a part of the social elite, but after what he went through, he wanted out. And Astrid was definitely in — an ‘it girl’ model who’d been living The Life since she broke out at eighteen.

  So Astrid and I kept ‘dating’ to throw their scent off of Sam. We met a few nights a week at hot spot clubs and restaurants and appeared together whenever we had an event to attend — all in an attempt to keep the rumor mill spinning. I had full permission to see anyone I wanted on the side, so I did, which kept people buzzing with speculation that I was stepping out on her.

  It was one of our favorite jokes.

  Astrid was my unlikely confidant, one of the only people who I could trust with anything and everything. She knew about Maggie and was the only one of our friends who really got what it was like to live The Life. We were both in the same place, and she understood the pressure that came with everyone knowing who you were. It was a relief to have someone who I could be completely honest with in a world centered around wearing masks.

  Maggie knew Astrid and I were a show, which was more than the rest of our friends knew. They at least thought Astrid and I hooked up, and we let them. In fact, I encouraged it. It was too easy, and Astrid needed my help. She hadn’t even told Lily — she was just too scared to lose Sam. She’d been hiding him for a long while, and she’d keep doing it or risk losing him. But I didn’t think Maggie fully believed me when it came to the ruse with Astrid. In fact, I didn’t think Maggie believed much of what I said.

  It was my own fault. I’d built the image over years, through the course of my adult life. It was what everyone thought, and that was how I liked it. But who knew what West had told her. Probably recounted the worst stories in his arsenal, and he had a cache that could take down my love life indefinitely.

  I was still lost in thought when the door opened once again and Astrid walked through, tall and skinny like all the models I knew, dressed mostly in black with her blond hair twisted into a sloppy knot. She smiled and took a seat at the far end of the bar next to Lily.

  “Hey, guys. Hey, Coop.”

  I winked at her and raised my glass.

  Maggie tipped her drink back until it was empty and set the glass on the bar top. Her cheeks were pink, though she smiled warmly at Rose, avoiding eye contact with me. “Can I get another?”

  “Sure,” Rose answered, not seeming to notice Maggie’s discomfort.

  I made myself look away, but I couldn’t stop my smile. She always got weird around Astrid, which shouldn’t have made me feel like a boss. But it did. I took a sip of my scotch.

  Lily turned to Astrid. “What are you doing over here?”

  “I was just nearby and wanted to say hi.”

  Lily rolled her eyes. “God, do you guys just wander around New York all day doing nothing?”

  I snickered. “Sometimes.”

  She shook her head at me before hooking her arm in West’s. “I can’t wait until this summer when we have a little time. I usually hate the end of the season. After working so much, a break is weird, like slamming on the brakes when you’re going a hundred miles an hour, so I usually end up at the theater every day anyway. But this year, I’m looking forward to it.”

  West looked down at her and smiled. If they’d been cartoons, little pink hearts would have been floating between them. “We might go to Mississippi at some point to see Mom and Dad.”

  “I really want to go to the beach, too.” She perked up. “Ooooh, could we go sailing, Coop? Maybe go up to the Hamptons?”

  “Sure,” I answered. “Just say when.”

  Lily looked to Maggie. “You’ve got to go sailing, Maggie. It’s my absolute favorite thing about summer, lying on the boat all day in the sun, the salty air, the sea — it’s amazing. And Cooper has a beach house in the Hamptons like a good rich boy.” She sighed. “I could stay there forever.” She eyed me, suddenly very serious and with a hint of authority. “Promise, Cooper?”

  I thought of Maggie on the porch of the Hampton house at sunrise with nothing but my tailored shirt on, and I smiled. “Promise.”

  “When does the ballet season end?” Maggie asked Lily.

  “At the end of May this year, sometimes at the beginning of June. We always perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream as the last show of the season. You guys should come.”

  “I’d love to,” Maggie said. “Maybe West can be my date.”

  “Or we could all go.” I took a sip of my scotch and glanced at her over the rim of my glass. A small smile played at the corner of her lips.

  “We should definitely all go,” Rose chimed in. “We don’t go to the ballet together enough.”

  Patrick smiled at her. “No, we don’t.”

  “Well,” Lily said, “I’ve got tickets with everyone’s name on them.”

  “Oh, Cooper,” Astrid said, “speaking of tickets — a courier dropped off my invitation to the Met Gala earlier today. Tell Jules I said thanks.”

  “I’ll let her know you got them.”

  Lily perked up. “I’d almost be willing to date Cooper if it meant getting to go to the Met Gala.”

  I snorted.

  “What’s the theme this year?” Lily asked.

  Astrid leaned forward, looking like a girl. “It’s called Spellbound: From Fairytale to Fashion, and I have this idea for my dress, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to talk someone into designing it for me.”

  Maggie was drinking again. I watched her, hoping she’d look at me, but I had no such luck.

  “Oh, man I want to go so bad. Some day.” Lily sighed. “I can’t wait to hear about the exhibits.”

  Astrid grinned and touched her arm. “Come dress shopping with me next week. I’ve got appointments with Givenchy and John Galliano. You know you want to see the inside of their boutiques.”

  Lily’s eyes stretched wide. “Uh, yes, please.”

  Maggie set down her empty glass with a clink and dug her phone out of her bag. She glanced at it for a brief second and turned to the rest of us with a smile I didn’t buy. “My mom just texted me and needs me to call, so I’m gonna run.” She laid some cash on the bar and stood.

  Lily frowned. “You just got here.”

  West was frowning too. “Is Mom okay?”

  Maggie waved a hand. “Oh, I’m sure she’s fine, just a dry cleaning emergency or something silly. I’ll see you guys later.”

  Her eyes connected with mine only once before darting away, cheeks flushing as she turned and walked out.

  My brow dropped, and I slammed the rest of my scotch. “I think I’ll head out too.”

  “Good,” Astrid said with her eyes on me. “I’ll come with you.”

  Lily huffed. “God, everyone wanted to hang out, and now you’re all leaving.”

  Rose looked desperate as she pointed at Lily and West. “You two can’t leave too. What the hell will I do all night?”

  “Don’t get into any trouble.” I chuckled as I stood.

  “Have a good night, you guys,” Astrid added.

  “You too, I guess,” Lily pouted.

  “Bye, sister.” Astrid kissed her on the cheek, waving at Patrick and West before heading for the door.

  I held it open for her, and we stepped onto the sidewalk as I texted my driver.

  Astrid watched me. Eyed me, really. “What’s up?”

  I shrugged and slipped my phone into my pocket. “Not much. What’s up with you?”

  She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Nice try, asshole.”

  “Nothing’s up.”

  “I didn’t know you’d be at Habits,” she prompted as we passed under a street light.

  “It wasn’t planned. I was at Maggie’s and ran into West and Lily on the way out.”

  “Close call.”

  “Not as close as when Lily came home and I had to hide in the closet.”

  A surprised laugh shot out of her, and she gaped at me.
“Dangerous, Coop.”

  “Trust me, I know.” We stepped up to the curb where Bobby had just pulled up in my black Mercedes. I opened the door for Astrid. “Sometimes going over to her place is the only way I can see her, and I wanted to see her.”

  She slipped into the car. “It’s not that simple. If Lily had caught you—”

  “I know, Astrid.” I climbed in after her and closed the door with a thump. “Hey, Bobby. Could you take us home, please?”

  He nodded at me in the rearview. “Sure thing, Cooper.”

  Astrid dug around in her purse for her phone. “I mean, it’s not like I’ve never seen you act recklessly before, but this is next-level. Even for you. What’s it been now, two weeks?”

  I leaned against the door. “Ever since we all went to Noir.”

  “I don’t know how you ever convinced her. I was certain she was one hundred percent anti-Cooper.”

  I smirked at her. “No one’s one hundred percent anti-Cooper.”

  “Well, she was at least a steadfast eighty percent.”

  I chuckled. “I don’t know how it happened. There was just this moment when Tricky was hauling West out of the club, and I just … I don’t know. It sounds crazy.”

  She raised an eyebrow and folded her hands on top of her bag. “Try me.”

  I thought back to that moment at the club, her small face turned up to mine, eyes wide and open. “When she looked at me, I just knew she was all I wanted that night. But it was more than just that …” I said, half to myself. “It happened that way the first time, too, at her reception. It was like deja vu.”

  “I still can’t believe that you hooked up with her on her failed wedding night.”

  My brow dropped. “She was hurting, put on a brave face and found a way to get through what had to be one of the worst nights of her life. She needed an escape. I was her getaway car.”

  She sighed. “I know. I mean, I get it — I probably would have banged you too if I’d just caught my fiancé nailing my maid of honor. Rebound sex is satisfying in its own right.”

  I shook my head.

  “Sometimes you just need sexual healing. Does she know you’re seeing other people too?”

  “I’m not.”