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“Ohhh…it’s a woman,” he answered knowingly.
I rubbed the back of my head as I leaned back in my desk chair. “Yeah. I have a date.”
“Who is the flavor of the week this time?”
“Uh, it’s Heart. Well, Addison. You met her at Bemelmans’s that one night.”
I heard silence on the other line. I pulled the phone away from my ear to make sure he was still connected.
“Hello? Freddy?” I asked.
“Hi. Yeah. Still here. I’m just trying to process that you’ve been seeing this same woman for almost two months now…”
I laughed. Little did he know.
“Crazy, right?” I said.
“I think the world has flipped on its axis…”
“Okay. We get it, Freddy.”
“And here I thought you were practically engaged to Kiera.”
“You believe tabloids now?”
“No, but what else would explain your ‘good guy’ image?”
“Maybe because I am agood guy.”
Freddy laughed a little too hard on the other line.
“Are we done here?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“No. Why don’t we double tonight? I’m sure I could change the reservation to four at the restaurant.”
“I don’t know…” I said. I wondered what Addison would think. Tonight was supposed to be just us two.
“Come on,” Freddy whined on the other line. “I’ve already met her. It could be fun. Plus, I have a new girl I want you to meet.”
“Oh goodie. Another one,” I said sarcastically.
“I deserved that,” said Freddy.
“Fiiiine. I’ll meet you at seven tonight,” I caved.
I hoped Addison wouldn’t be pissed, but she didn’t seem the type. Plus, it would be nice to have her spend more time with the people I was close to in life.
“See you then,” he said before hanging up.
At 5 o’clock, I left the office and headed home to freshen up. I took a hot shower and shaved the thick stubble I had been growing out the past week. I ran a small amount of pomade through my hair and spritzed on a few generous sprays of cologne. In my closet, I chose a gray linen suit and a white button-down. Once I was happy with what I saw in the mirror, I grabbed my phone and keys and rode the elevator down to the parking garage where Armand waited.
The drive to Brooklyn took just over an hour. I smiled as Heart’s familiar brick building came into view. Once we pulled up to the curb, I walked up to the entrance and buzzed her name. A few moments passed before I heard her voice through the small speaker.
“Hello?” she asked.
“It’s me!”
“I’ll be right down!”