Page 21

HALLIE

L ily is busy yapping away to the cute guy who bought her a drink.

I’m frowning at my phone, re-reading the message from Pete.

Twenty thousand dollars.

That would mean I could pay Lily back, catch up on my mortgage, and stop drowning in extra shifts.

But I promised her no more of this. And I don’t even have my car to race.

“Hallie, what’s up?”

I blink, look up at her, and quickly lock my phone.

“Nothing. Just waiting for you to finish flirting. He was hot.” I wink, hoping it’s enough to steer her away.

She grins, slipping into the seat beside me. “Yeah. He’s got my number. Maybe once my new roomies move back home, I’ll invite him over.”

Guilt punches me in the chest.

“Lily, I’ll be out of your hair soon. I promise.”

Conan said it’s safe, and I trust him. So tomorrow, I’ll go home.

She leans across the table and places her hand over mine.

“I didn’t mean that. I was joking. You and Bertie are welcome as long as you want. Forever, if you want.”

I sigh. I should go home.

“Lils, you know we’ll be bickering by next week.”

We burst into giggles and clink our cocktails.

“That’s why we’re besties.”

“Have you heard from Dickface?”

I shake my head.

“Good. Maybe Conan’s already fixed your problem.”

She fiddles with her straw, grinning like she knows more than she’s letting on.

“Yeah. He said he has. The asshole deserves it.”

I don’t want to know the details, I just trust his word.

“Damn right he does. If your dad were alive, he’d have skinned him.”

“Yeah, he would’ve.” I stir my drink and stare into the red liquid, watching the ice melt.

My dad would’ve probably killed him and smiled the whole way to prison.

Lily’s phone vibrates across the table. She curses under her breath.

“I gotta take this. I’ve been chasing this artist for months. His agent’s finally giving me the time of day.”

“Go. Answer.” I wave her away.

She hurries off toward the exit, already muttering into the phone. I pull my phone back out, that damn message burning a hole in my thoughts.

And before I can talk myself out of it, I reply.

Me

Count me in. But I’ll have a different car this time. I will send over the plate later.

Pete replies immediately.

Pete

Nice one. I’ll text details tomorrow. Officially added you to the lineup. Be good to see you, it’s been a while.

Me

See you tomorrow.

I tap my nails against the table, heart thudding like a warning.

Lily returns, bright-eyed and bouncing.

“Good news?”

“Yes! He wants a showing next month!”

“I’m proud of you.” And I mean it.

“And I am of you. Now—are you taking me for a proper spin in Conan’s car or what?”

Just the sound of his name makes my cheeks flush.

“You really gotta bang him, Hallie. Get this flustery mess out of your system.” She waves her hands at me like I’m some lovesick princess.

“We’re friends. That’s it. Let’s not complicate it. And my boss is his brother. It’s messy.”

She rolls her eyes.

“I give it a week.”

I tilt my head. “A week?”

“Yeah. Until you two finally bang.”

I glance around before muttering, “Lily, I think he will literally ruin me.”

She spits out her drink, laughing.

“Fuck. Off. That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard. You want him to ruin you. That’s the whole point. Jesus, Hallie. Your choice in men before Conan needs a goddamn case study.”

“Hey! They were all hot.”

She snorts. “Yeah, hot but shit in bed. Pointless. Now you’ve got hot and a sex god, and you’re what, friends? That’s not the Hallie I know and love.”

I swallow the lump in my throat.

“It’s been a rough couple of years. I’m trying to find my groove again. I like Conan as a friend. I don’t want to ruin that. If we sleep together… I don’t know. He might not want me around anymore.”

“He’s not a one-and-done guy.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Does he look at you like he’d burn the city to the ground for one smile?”

I bite the inside of my cheek.

“I think so.”

I know so.

“Don’t you think it’s time to do something just for you again? Stop overthinking for a second? And give him some credit. I think he’s obsessed with you.”

Lily’s been with me through everything. The worst of it. Lily’s the one person in my life who’s never left. She’d drag me out of hell if she had to and never judge me for ending up there in the first place.

Everyone needs a Lily in their life.

“If I could turn off the four thousand thoughts in my brain, trust me, I would.”

That’s half my issue. My brain never stops. Sometimes it’s amazing. I can juggle a million things at once, ace anything academic, and dive into any creative pursuit.

But the other side? Perfectionism. Self-doubt. Constant overthinking.

I’ll talk myself out of something before I even give it a chance.

ADHD is like that. It’s my sparkle, but sometimes, it dims everything else if I let it.

“Maybe,” she says softly, “you just need someone who helps you turn it off.”

I reach for the McLaren keys in my purse.

“Possibly. But for now, driving does that for me.”

She stirs her straw, quieter now.

“Yeah. I get that. That’s what ballet used to do for me.”

“Are you ever going back to that? You were so good, Lil.”

She freezes. Her expression shifts like a storm behind her eyes.

“No.” Her response is quick and final.

I shut my mouth.

I watch her carefully. I’ve never pushed, never made her explain. One day she was at the peak of her ballet career, and the next, she was done. Her father opened her a gallery, and she never danced again.

“If you ever want to talk, you know I’ll listen. Any time and about anything.”

“Love you,” she says, smiling a little too sadly for this place.

“I love you too. Wanna go for a drive, then?”

Distraction. That’s one thing I’ve mastered.