relief—a distraction! “Hi, honey, how’s Hawaii?”
“Oh God, Lil, it’s just amazing. The weather is gorgeous, the beaches are gorgeous, the men are gorgeous, the hotel is—”
“Gorgeous,” Lily finished dryly, and despite her own irritation found herself smiling at the enthusiasm in her friend’s voice.
“So gorgeous,” Bridget gushed. “I’m calling you from my balcony, which has a Jacuzzi, by the way. And the spa here! I think the Pavillion’s is actually better, but this one gets extra points because it’s in Hawaii.”
“Can’t beat that,” Lily agreed. She sat up and leaned back in the chair. “So what’s up?”
“Nothing, really. I just wanted to say hi, find out how the apartment hunting is going. Charles said that place in the flier was pretty cool?”
“Yeah, it’s great,” Lily told her. “Beautiful, lots of light, great location.”
“That’s great! Did you sign a lease?”
“Uh, yeah. Today, actually.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Okay, big fat liar voice.”
Lily blinked. “Huh?”
“Your voice is doing that thing, that thing you do when you lie.”
That was the trouble with best friends, they could always see right through the bullshit. Lily kicked the desk. “Is not,” she muttered.
“Oh, it so is,” Bridget said. “What’s wrong with the apartment?”
Lily sighed. “There’s nothing wrong with the apartment.”
“Lily Ann…” Bridget began, and Lily had to laugh at the use of her middle name.
“No really, the apartment’s perfect. Hardwood floors, built-in bookshelves, a garden tub.”
“Sounds like a dream,” Bridget agreed. “Okay, so if it isn’t the apartment, what is it?”
“Nothing,” Lily insisted then blinked when her friend made a buzzing noise in her ear.
“So sorry, Big Fat Liar, that was the wrong answer. Try again!”
“Agh! I hate when you do the game-show-buzzer noise!”
“That’s because you have no appreciation for the subtle genius that is the game show. Quit lying and tell me what’s wrong.”
“Jeez.” She gave the desk another kick then frowned at the new scuff on her shoe. “Dammit.”
“Lily, you better tell me what’s going on or I’m calling Charles to come over there—”
“Oh Christ, fine,” Lily hissed, and rolled her eyes at the ceiling. “It’s the landlord.”
“The landlord?”
“Yeah.”
“What about the landlord?” Bridget’s voice had gone from threatening to confused. “What, did he make a pass or something?”
“No,” Lily said. Then mumbled, “I wish.”
She should’ve known better.
“What did you say?”
She tried to brazen it out. “Nothing.”
“Big Fat—”
“Liar, I know.” Lily sighed. “I said no, he didn’t make a pass. I wish.”
“Ooh, you like this guy. Is he cute?”
Even though she knew the shrug couldn’t be seen over the phone, she did it anyway. It made her feel convincingly nonchalant. “He’s all right, I guess.”
“Big Fat—”
“Jesus, all right! He’s gorgeous and sexy, and I want to trip him and beat him to the ground and just bite him. All over. Satisfied?”
Bridget’s giggle came over the line loud and clear. “Not as much as you’re going to be, apparently. Is he into you?”
“I have no idea. You know how bad I am at judging that kind of thing.”
“Yeah, you suck at that.”
“Thank you, oh supportive best friend.”
Bridget ignored the sarcasm. “What do you know about him?”
“I know he’s some kind of a musician, and he’s rude and scruffy and unorganized.”
Used to Lily’s somewhat exacting standards when it came to manners and organization, Bridget skipped over the assessment of Nate’s personality. “What kind of a musician, like a rock star?”
“No, nothing like that. He writes scores for movies and television, that kind of thing.”
“Is he any good at it?”
“How the hell would I know?” Lily asked, doodling absently on the margins of the schedule.
“Oh God, Lil, it’s just amazing. The weather is gorgeous, the beaches are gorgeous, the men are gorgeous, the hotel is—”
“Gorgeous,” Lily finished dryly, and despite her own irritation found herself smiling at the enthusiasm in her friend’s voice.
“So gorgeous,” Bridget gushed. “I’m calling you from my balcony, which has a Jacuzzi, by the way. And the spa here! I think the Pavillion’s is actually better, but this one gets extra points because it’s in Hawaii.”
“Can’t beat that,” Lily agreed. She sat up and leaned back in the chair. “So what’s up?”
“Nothing, really. I just wanted to say hi, find out how the apartment hunting is going. Charles said that place in the flier was pretty cool?”
“Yeah, it’s great,” Lily told her. “Beautiful, lots of light, great location.”
“That’s great! Did you sign a lease?”
“Uh, yeah. Today, actually.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Okay, big fat liar voice.”
Lily blinked. “Huh?”
“Your voice is doing that thing, that thing you do when you lie.”
That was the trouble with best friends, they could always see right through the bullshit. Lily kicked the desk. “Is not,” she muttered.
“Oh, it so is,” Bridget said. “What’s wrong with the apartment?”
Lily sighed. “There’s nothing wrong with the apartment.”
“Lily Ann…” Bridget began, and Lily had to laugh at the use of her middle name.
“No really, the apartment’s perfect. Hardwood floors, built-in bookshelves, a garden tub.”
“Sounds like a dream,” Bridget agreed. “Okay, so if it isn’t the apartment, what is it?”
“Nothing,” Lily insisted then blinked when her friend made a buzzing noise in her ear.
“So sorry, Big Fat Liar, that was the wrong answer. Try again!”
“Agh! I hate when you do the game-show-buzzer noise!”
“That’s because you have no appreciation for the subtle genius that is the game show. Quit lying and tell me what’s wrong.”
“Jeez.” She gave the desk another kick then frowned at the new scuff on her shoe. “Dammit.”
“Lily, you better tell me what’s going on or I’m calling Charles to come over there—”
“Oh Christ, fine,” Lily hissed, and rolled her eyes at the ceiling. “It’s the landlord.”
“The landlord?”
“Yeah.”
“What about the landlord?” Bridget’s voice had gone from threatening to confused. “What, did he make a pass or something?”
“No,” Lily said. Then mumbled, “I wish.”
She should’ve known better.
“What did you say?”
She tried to brazen it out. “Nothing.”
“Big Fat—”
“Liar, I know.” Lily sighed. “I said no, he didn’t make a pass. I wish.”
“Ooh, you like this guy. Is he cute?”
Even though she knew the shrug couldn’t be seen over the phone, she did it anyway. It made her feel convincingly nonchalant. “He’s all right, I guess.”
“Big Fat—”
“Jesus, all right! He’s gorgeous and sexy, and I want to trip him and beat him to the ground and just bite him. All over. Satisfied?”
Bridget’s giggle came over the line loud and clear. “Not as much as you’re going to be, apparently. Is he into you?”
“I have no idea. You know how bad I am at judging that kind of thing.”
“Yeah, you suck at that.”
“Thank you, oh supportive best friend.”
Bridget ignored the sarcasm. “What do you know about him?”
“I know he’s some kind of a musician, and he’s rude and scruffy and unorganized.”
Used to Lily’s somewhat exacting standards when it came to manners and organization, Bridget skipped over the assessment of Nate’s personality. “What kind of a musician, like a rock star?”
“No, nothing like that. He writes scores for movies and television, that kind of thing.”
“Is he any good at it?”
“How the hell would I know?” Lily asked, doodling absently on the margins of the schedule.
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