Page 22 of A Deal with the Devil

“Hard pass,” I reply, dropping into the bright red chair across from hers. “As I’ve told you several times now, that guy is a jackass.”

“Just wait until you hear what he did,” she says, sliding the menu toward me. “But order first. The service here sucks.”

I laugh as I look around, realizing this is a surprisingly dingy café for someone as famous as Drew. “Aren’t you, like, a billionaire?” I counter. “I’d think you’d at least be frequenting places where the service is adequate.”

Her smile is a little weary. “I kind of like that they treat me as poorly as they do everyone else. At least I know they’re being genuine.”

My heart goes out to her, because I’ve had a small taste of what her life must be like, and I absolutely hated it.

During my final year with Matt, I found myself questioning the motives of every single person who was vaguely pleasant to me, wondering if it was authentic or because they wanted access to my newly famous boyfriend.

“The best part of breaking up with Matt was that no one cared who I was anymore,” I admit. “And being able to run the trash out in my pajamas without someone taking our fucking picture.”

She removes her sunglasses and I see a longing in her eyes so strong it’s almost palpable. “You’re lucky you can walk away,” she says. “There are times when I wish I could.”

Because for someone as famous as Drew, there’s almost nowhere in the world she can walk or run to anymore. It would take decades for anyone to let her fade away.

The waitress arrives. She is as surly as Drew hinted she might be, and takes my coffee order with the enthusiasm of a battle-weary soldier, looking at neither of us.

“Wow, you weren’t lying about the service,” I whisper, leaning toward her as the waitress returns to the kitchen. “Okay, now tell me what your asshole non-boyfriend said, so I can hate him more than I already do.”

She leans back in her chair and blows out a breath. “He said I was fleshy. He grabbed my hip and said, ‘getting a little fleshy, babe.’”

I groan and place a palm over my face. I don’t understand how she can be as smart as she is and not see through this guy. “You should have kicked him in the balls.”

“But he was just being honest,” she argues. “And it’s true. I’ve put on weight, so I feel like I can’t hold it against him. I mean, it’s better to know than not know, right?”

I frown. “I think it’s better to be with someone who loves you so much, a little weight on your hips is irrelevant.”

She sighs. “I’m not sure that exists. Ugh. If we keep talking about Six, I’m going to need to add booze to this coffee. Which is an option I’m totally open to, if you are.”

I laugh. “If my pain-in-the-ass boss wasn’t already hoping for a reason to fire me, I totally would.”

As if I’ve summoned him, my cell buzzes with a call from Hayes.

“Jesus, you’re like Voldemort. I say your name and you appear from the ether,” I tell him, mouthing an apology to Drew. “I’m out at coffee with a friend. What’s up?”

“Working hard as always, I see. It’s a good thing I don’t have to pay you much.”

I laugh despite myself. “Consider it comp time for all the hours I’ve spent awake because someone decided to text me in the middle of the night.”

“You love my middle of the night texts,” he replies. “And it’s not like you have anything else to do.”

“I could sleep, Hayes. Text Miss It’s-So-Big if you need to chat at three AM. So did you want something?” His chuckle is barely audible but I hear it. I’m glad my impatience amuses him.

“I was wondering if you could make me a salad today. I have an opening at two.”

My teeth sink into my lip as I try not to grin. In a life with very few accomplishments of late, this feels like a huge win for me, as pathetic as that is.

“What I hear you saying is you now crave my salads.”

“There are things I’d crave from you long before salad,” he replies, and goose bumps crawl over my arms.

When I hang up, I find Drew leaning back in her chair with a knowing smile. “Well, aren’t you two chummy?” she asks. “What else are you assisting him with?”

“Shut up. It’s not like that. He just eats like shit, and I wanted him to get some vegetables.”

“I thought he was a pain in the ass?” she challenges.