Page 37

With that task in mind, it gives my mind a reprieve for at least the half hour it takes us to walk out of my apartment.

Then the flutters in my stomach appear again when Carter reaches for my hand as we walk out of the elevator in the lobby. They keep me distracted.

The sidewalks are busy with people hurrying to their jobs, and at one point we have to walk in a line to be able to pass.

The view I get of Carter’s ass in my pants is another delightful distraction.

There’s no conversation whatsoever as we walk, and instead I focus on other people. It’s Friday, so that means there are kids in uniform running around as well, going in and out of bodegas where they’ve rushed to get a snack before school.

That’s what I used to do when I was on my way to Juilliard anyway.

I leave Carter in front of St. Anthony with a long kiss and then make my way to MP, thankful that neither of my friends mind dogs when they’re in a fenced area.

While I wait for my second coffee of the day, and my treat, the dread of disappointing them, my family, Tristan... it comes back like a sledgehammer.

I’m reaching for my earbuds to stave it all off, when I hear Casey exclaim from behind the register.

“Oh, she’s pregnant,” she cheers as she leans over the counter to look down at a pretty Golden Retriever who seems to be smiling proudly at her. She coos at the dog, who I discover is named Sassy, then looks back up at her owner, an elderly man who’s also smiling widely.

“It was a surprise,” the man tells Casey. “There’s been a lot of adjusting for both of us, so that’s why we haven’t come by in a few weeks.”

“How many is she having?” Casey asks, then fires off more questions before the man can answer. “And when? Have you found homes for all of them? We can put up a sign here so people can contact you or your vet.”

I smile at her eagerness, and so does the man.

“She’s having six pups. The father is a Bernese Mountain Dog, and the vet told me they look big already, so in a week or so most likely.

My neighbor is the father’s owner and she wants one for her cousin, but I haven’t found a home for the others.

Thank you for your offer, though. I think this is a good place to ask folks if they’d give the puppies a good home. ”

The mention of the father’s breed turns on a light inside me, and I can’t stop myself from speaking up.

“Can I apply for one?”

“Really?” the man asks, eyes wide. I nod, and Casey pipes in.

“Liam’s a good guy, Jimmy. He’s friends with the owner, and you know T only has good friends. Why don’t I get you two your orders and you can talk while you eat?”

She’s off and preparing our drinks before we can say anything, so I walk closer to Jimmy and offer him a hand to shake as I introduce myself.

What proceeds is the kind of interrogation I approve of when it comes to the welfare of dogs, and by the time Parker and William come in, I think I’ve made a good impression on Jimmy who I’ve learned has epilepsy and lives by himself.

Sassy isn’t a service dog, strictly speaking, but she provides Jimmy with the support he needs in case of an epilepsy attack.

I give him my phone number to call if he has any more questions, and then walk over to my friends like a man on his way to the noose.

William and Parker take the news better than I ever expected.

“So we look for another investor or we offer exclusivity for... let’s say six months to whichever platform offers us the best deal.” Parker lays out his thoughts methodically and without emotion.

For some reason, that more than anything makes me feel like maybe not all is lost.

“Yeah,” William says loudly and leans on the table between us. “Once people try it out they’re for sure going to want to have it longer than six months, and that’s when we get our big bucks.” He finishes with a big smile that I think means he’s feeling triumphant already.

“That is a possibility,” I hedge. I can’t bring myself to feel hope again, not yet. “I’ll go talk to Tristan in an hour,” I tell them after I check my watch. “And I want to ask if you’d like to come with me? Just so you can hear everything he has to say.”

“Really? You want us at the meeting?” William asks, eyes really wide. Parker just stays quiet, clearly waiting for my answer before he offers up his.

“I...” God, I really don’t want to disappoint them, and if they’re there, there’s less of a chance that I’ll forget an important detail if I get lost in the frustration.

If anyone will understand it, it’s them, so I take a big breath and act like the adult I am.

“I feel like I’m on the edge of a cliff,” I whisper, my gaze firmly on the table.

“Like I could fall at any moment. I’m worried that if I.

.. fall...” I decide to keep going with the metaphor.

“While I’m at the meeting, then I’ll forget something important Tristan says.

I want you there to make sure I don’t fuck anything up. ”

“I see,” Parker says flatly. “I don’t have any plans for lunch, so I’m in.”

“We’ll be there for you, Liam,” William agrees and smiles, though this time not as wide.

Lunch with Tristan ends up being at his office when I tell him Parker and William are joining me.

He has a conference table right next to the big windows that could fit a dozen people, and he doesn’t mind having to order takeout for all of us.

“It’s nice to finally meet you two. I’ve heard great things from Liam.”

“Us too!” William says excitedly and shakes Tristan’s hand pretty hard. Parker just nods, and when Tristan’s smile remains intact I breathe out in relief.

Some people get offended when Parker doesn’t shake their hand—those people are assholes in my opinion.

“Let’s get right to it, then.” Tristan gestures to the table and we all sit. “Like I told you last night, Mrs. Blackwell wasn’t very forthcoming with her reasons, she simply said she doesn’t think investing would be a good fit.”

“What does that mean?” Parker asks.

“In all honesty, I’m not sure what it means either. All I can say for now is that I have one investor in mind who would be perfect?—”

“Not Harrison,” I say automatically because we’ve had this conversation before. “I don’t want him to invest just because you’re asking him, Tristan.” I’m going to remain firm on this. It’s the same reason why my parents aren’t investors.

All the money for the development of the app and implementation of the algorithm have come from my savings. I don’t want any handouts .

“I really don’t think he’d do it just because I suggested it, Liam,” Tristan says, and even I can detect the frustration behind his words. “This idea is fucking genius, you’re all geniuses, and I don’t know what’s wrong with Mrs. Blackwell to not want to invest, but?—”

“The whole reason I agreed to pitch it to her is because she has a strong connection to and knowledge of the music world. I don’t want just any person with money getting a percentage of ESoothe. I want it to be someone who cares about the impact it can have in people’s lives.”

“I know,” Tristan says, and sighs.

“We thought we could tell the streaming companies we’ll go with the exclusivity for six months, and go with the one who offers the best deal,” William pipes up. “The second people see the potential and everyday benefits ESoothe can offer, we would have the upper hand, right?”

“That is another option I was going to bring up today,” Tristan says, and nods as he reaches for a container of yakimeshi. I do the same and start to eat while they discuss the probable deals we’ll be offered.

“I have one personal matter to discuss with you as well, Liam,” Tristan says when we’re all done eating.

“What is it?”

There’s a pause where he looks at Parker and William, then he speaks bluntly.

“I thought you’d want to discuss it alone.”

I have no clue what he’s talking about, but I shrug. “They’re my friends. Whatever you say, I trust they won’t break my confidence. ”

“All right.” Tristan stands and goes to his desk, retrieves a tablet, and walks back.

When he hands it to me and I see the picture, I can’t help but groan.

“What is it?” William asks, clearly worried.

“It’s nothing more than hearsay and a grainy picture,” Tristan says softly, and sits again.

“I wasn’t aware you were in a relationship with Carter.

” This time he speaks more slowly, like every word has been thoroughly thought out.

“If I had been, then I could’ve prepared better to avoid a situation like this one. ”

“What does it say?” Parker asks, his tone unusually lively.

I read right from the article.

“A source that attended the Mayor’s Ball tells us that Liam Trent, eldest son of Samantha Sawyer and Ed Trent, stayed at the ball for only an hour and had a new man on his arm. According to our source they were holding hands or hugging all throughout the night.”

“I always forget your parents are famous.” William snorts and shakes his head.

“I wanted you to be aware of it,” Tristan says again. “I doubt you two will get any more attention, because neither of you is really in the limelight, but maybe it would be prudent to talk about it with Carter.”

I debate what to say about Carter and our relationship.

I trust that Tristan wouldn’t tell anyone it was all supposed to be fake. After all, Carter took me to talk to Theo about how to make a fake relationship look real because Theo’s father and Tristan were faking it for about two seconds as well.

But is it relevant anymore ?

Whoever the source for this article was, they didn’t say anything that’s a lie or offensive, and Carter and I are in a relationship now.

Well, that is if I can keep my shit together long enough for Carter to develop deeper feelings for me.

As deep as mine already are.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I tell Tristan. “Things with Carter have all been rather ... quick,” I settle on.

“It’s fine.” He waves a hand around. “Like I said, I just wanted you to be aware.”

And now I have to go tell Carter and hope he doesn’t mind that we’ve officially been outed to anyone who cares.