Page 27 of Heartbreak & Cupcakes
Yes. It was. And it didn’t surprise me that she’d figured it out.
Vaughn Holdings had gone global several years ago. If it weren’t for Lexi, I would have traveled the world two times over by now. Since she was born, I’d only made three international trips. Japan. London. Dubai. And now I was going to Sydney.
I was leaving at the end of the week and would be gone for six days. As much as I was going to miss my nugget, I could not be happier that I was going to get out of the city and away from the unwanted attention that this story and ridiculous title had garnered.
“Hannah’s birthday is in two weeks. Any direction for a present?”
“Drums.” My lips tilted in a grin.
When AJ was little, Maddox and Nick had thought it was hilarious to get him the loudest toys imaginable. I’d been more than happy to return the favor now that they had kids.
“I need to RSVP for the dinner at City Hall.”
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about the magazine’s event. I had only been half joking when I’d said that I was going to bring Lexi. She was the best date I could ask for. She got tired and we had to leave by eight.
But there was a backup that would work because there was no way I was going to go alone.
The doors opened and I stepped out.
“RSVP for two.” I turned back to her, and her brows lifted. I could see that she knew she was going to be my plus one even before I said, “I’m cashing in.”
We had a habit of betting on things. Little things, like which elevator door would open first or if Kenny from finance would show up wearing a blue or gray suit for the Monday meeting. Or if a delivery was going to arrive early or on time. It was something that we’d started fairly quickly after she’d been hired.
Mia maintained that we had a brother-sister dynamic and it was basically sibling rivalry. I deferred to her on that since she’d grown up with three brothers and I didn’t have a sister. At least not one that I knew about.
Our record was pretty even. We’d both lost and won roughly the same number of times. My losses had resulted in various things from taking a spin class, getting a pedicure, a facial, and taking Mia shopping at Costco.
Mia had accompanied me to a Giants game wearing head to toe Giants gear even though she grew up in Southern California and was a diehard Dodgers fan. She had to run the San Francisco marathon with me. And now she was going to have to go to the gala with me.
The doors closed on her not-so-pleased face. I knew that it wasn’t because she hated these events like I did. Her less than happy expression had more to do with the fact that she wanted me to bring a date. A real one.
Unlike Maddox and Nick who had been in my face about my single status, she’d been gently vocal about the fact that she felt it was time for me to ‘get out there’ again.
“You got a hot date?” Frank asked as he opened the door, a cigar hanging from his mouth. He never lit it up, but always said he felt better just having it.
I shook my head and noticed a hair tie on the back seat. “What’s this?” I asked, picking it up.
“Went to grab a coffee and found these two in the back seat.” He turned his phone and showed me a picture of two women who looked to be in their early twenties standing outside the car speaking to a uniformed officer.
“You dimed them out.”
“Didn’t have a choice. They broke in and wouldn’t get out. I wasnotabout to try and physically remove them.” Frank lifted his hands in mock surrender.
“How did they get in?”
He shrugged and his expression turned sheepish. “It might have been unlocked.”
I wasn’t actually worried for my safety, but I did think that it might be a good idea to start locking the door. I got in and went over emails as Frank drove me home. The drive took twenty minutes, and on the way, I opened my Instagram. Like I had suspected, Mia had not been exaggerating about the number of DMs that had come through.
I didn’t care about any of those but there was one profile I was interested in. Cupcake Girl. I pulled up Sadie’s page and saw that she’d posted a new picture of her and her dog. She was smiling up at the camera, joy radiating off of her.
I’m on a sabbatical. A dating sabbatical.
Why? Why was she not dating anyone? I still couldn’t shake that question out of my brain. It shouldn’t bother me, but it did.
Maybe it was because of her business. I know how much work it takes to get a business off and running. And she was doing a damn good job.
If that was the case, it only made me respect her more.
