He felt himself smile. He liked this woman a lot when they weren’t arguing. “It was a mutual jumping.”
“Well, I need to hop in the shower. But it’s a pretty big shower. Room for two if you want to conserve water.”
So, no romantic future, but perhaps some sexy fun in the short term. Hard to say no to that. He tossed the covers aside. “Well, if it’s to conserve water…”
Chapter 9
Lauren sat across from Evan, Paige, and Lindsay at Pop. She was bursting to talk to them about what had happened with Caleb but was worried about how all of it would look. She couldn’t just say,I slept with a guy I have no future with and who I don’t really like that much. High five!
Lindsay was an old friend from college who hopped around careers like they were hobbies; she’d recently bailed on a dead-end job as a line cook at a restaurant in Park Slope to begin a career as a restaurant reviewer for a popular urban food website. These days, she ate everything as if she were thinking of the most pretentious way to describe it. She sipped a martini now as if she were a sommelier at a wine tasting, which was especially silly given that the glass was garnished with a tuft of cotton candy on the rim.
Lauren loved her friends, but they could be a lot sometimes.
Evan narrowed his eyes at Lauren. “Something happened.”
“Well, that’s vague,” said Paige. “Of course something happened. Something happens every day. I mean, Mitch came by today to talk about the adoption event, and I think he hit on me? But it’s hard to tell because he was subtle about it.”
Lindsay frowned. “Mitch is the feral cat guy, right? The big guy?”
“Yeah,” said Paige. “You make him sound like a mountain man when you describe him that way. I assume he lives in some apartment in Brooklyn with eight adopted cats, but it’s not like he lives in a hut in Prospect Park. He’s a perfectly nice guy. Not my type, but…”
“You want me to talk to him?” Lauren asked.
“No. Especially not with your boss voice. It’s fine. It was a little awkward is all.”
“No boss voice,” said Evan. “We’re at a bar. Paige is your friend and not your employee when we’re sipping cocktails.”
If only it worked that way. Lauren had known Paige for years, too. Paige had been an event planner for a massive international bank. Her main task had been planning quarterly meetings for the executives at luxury hotels around the world. She’d made enough money to live well but had found corporate life soul-sucking. After her boss had made one too many comments about how her ass looked in a skirt suit, she’d quit and come to work for Lauren.
“What Imeant,” said Evan, “is that Lauren has a look on her face like she has news. I’m guessing it’s related to a dude.”
“How do you do that?” asked Lauren.
Evan shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
“So, uh, well. I slept with Caleb.”
Evan gasped.
Paige said, “And Caleb is… Oh, wait. Caleb Fitch. Dr. Fitch. The veterinarian. I thought you hated that guy.”
“Me, too,” said Lauren.
“You’re gonna have to explain,” said Lindsay.
“I got this,” said Evan, holding his arm out in front of Lauren as if he didn’t want her to step forward. “Dr. Caleb Fitch is the new veterinarian at the clinic next to the Cat Café. He’s quite foxy, although unfortunately heterosexual.”
“I’ll say,” said Paige. She fanned herself with her hand.
“He’s also a bit prickly, and he and Lauren got off on the wrong foot. They’ve had a couple of big arguments. But they only hate each other in the sense that they want to jump each other’s bones.” Evan turned back to Lauren. “Glad you finally got that taken care of. When is the wedding?”
Lauren looked around and flagged down a waitress. After she ordered, she said, “Look, he’s… Yes, he’s foxy as hell. But he’s also kind of a dick. He thinks he knows everything, he’s stubborn, he doesn’t seem to have normal human emotions, and he’s adog person. A dog person, guys. I can’t date a dog person.”
“Heaven forfend,” said Evan.
“No, she’s right,” said Paige. “That’s like a Yankees fan dating a Red Sox fan.”
“A Montague dating a Capulet,” said Lindsay.
