Page 4 (1/2)

My iven up my father’s love for an affluent lifestyle, which I couldn’t relate to at all

I’d prefer love over wealth any day, but I suppose that was easy for me to say because I had money - a sizable investment portfolio - of my own

Not that I ever touched it

I wouldn’t

I’d paid too high a price and couldn’t iulass security door and greetedlikeAsian features

"Hey," I said, stopping by her desk

"Got any plans for lunch?" "I do now"

"Awesoenuine

Astiirlfriends, too

Cary had already started building a network of acquaintances and friends in our adopted city, but I’d been sucked into the Gideon vortex almost from the outset

As much as I’d prefer to spend every moment with hiive it toto have to cultivate those friendships if I wanted the hallway toand purse in the botto my smartphone out so I could silence it

I found a text frohed

"I love you

even when you’re pissing me off"

And he’d pissed me off royally

No woress on her living rooht with her new boyfriend

I texted back, Block off the wknd 4 ined hi my request

Da u have planned

"Maybe a little," I y I’d walked in on

But ht Cary and I needed to spend so in Manhattan long

It was a nen for us, new apartment, new jobs and experiences, new boyfriends for both of us

We were out of our eleage fro well

Usually we leaned on each other for balance, but we hadn’t had much time for that lately

We really needed to as? Just u and me? Fuck yeah! K

aze passed briefly over the two collage photo frames next to my monitor - one filled with photos of both of my parents and one of Cary, and the other filled with photos of ether hi me to have a reminder of him just like the reminder he had ofthose iolden cap of curls and her bombshell smile, her curvy body scarcely covered by a tiny bikini as she enjoyed the French Riviera on my stepdad’s yacht; uished, his silver hair oddly coer wife; and Cary, as captured in all his photogenic glory, with his lustrous brown hair and sparkling green eyes, his smile wide andto pop up in race billboards and bus stops advertising Grey Isles clothing

I looked across the strip of hallway and through the glass wall that encased Mark Garrity’s very s over the back of his Aeron chair, even though the ht

I wasn’t surprised to find hi; he and I shared a java dependency

"I thought you had the hang of it," I said, referring to his trouble with the one-cup coffee maker

"I do, thanks to you"

Mark lifted his head and offering a charoatee, and soft brown eyes

In addition to being easy on the eyes, he was a great boss - very open to educating me about the ad business and quick to trust that he didn’t have to show ether, and I hoped that would be the case for a long ti for a second stea on the counter

He handed it tothat he’d been thoughtful about adding cream and sweetener, which was how I liked it

I took a cautious sip, since it was hot, then coughed over the unexpected - and unwelcome - flavor

"What is this?" "Blueberry-flavored coffee"

Abruptly, I was the one scowling

"Who the hell wants to drink that?" "Ah, see

it’s our job to figure out who, then sell this to the in a toast

"Here’s to our latest account!" Wincing, I straightened my spine and took another sip

I was pretty sure the sickly sweet taste of artificial blueberries was still coating ue two hours later

Since it was time for my break, I started an Internet search for Dr

Terrence Lucas, ahen I’d seen the two otten any further than typing the doctor’s na"Mark Garrity’s office," I answered

"Eva Traas?" Cary asked without preamble

"Totally"

There was a pause