Page 43 of Someone Just Like You

“Patrick and I will be at the venue by five-thirty to greet early guests. You know someone will show up early.” Michelle’s scrunched-up face expressed annoyance at the prospect.

“Great-Aunt Arlene!” Nicole and I said at the same time. Our nani’s younger sister was a passive-aggressive nightmare.

“And she’ll wonder why the food isn’t out yet even though the invitation said six,” Michelle said with an eye roll.

“That Aunt Arlene.” Jude shook his head. “Always causing problems.”

“Dana and I will be there early too,” Alison said.

“We’ll tell Mom and Pop Stark we’re going out for dinner, although they’ll know something’s up when we drive through the Lincoln Tunnel. But they’ll never guess what’s waiting for them.” Eddie grinned and rubbed his palms together like an evil scientist.

“Which leaves the juniors. What’s your plan?” Nicole said.

While Jude scowled, probably in response to the “juniors” remark, I replied. “We’ll be at the restaurant by six like everyone else.”

“Us too,” Jude said.

“Who are you guys bringing?” Nicole waggled her eyebrows, looking ridiculous.

I answered first. “His name is Timothy.” Initially, I was afraid inviting him to a family party would give him the wrong idea about my feelings for him…or spook him. We hadn’t even slept together yet, and things between us were still too casual to warrant an introduction to the parents. But I’d slickly gotten confirmation from Nicole that Jude was taking someone and didn’t want to be the only one going stag.

“The baseball player?” Eddie asked.

My eyes flickered to Jude in the video screen below mine. He’d changed his screen name to Junior. “No. He’s a bartender and a culinary student. He works at the bar across the street from my apartment. We’re not serious, but—”

“We don’t need his date of birth and social security number, Mole.”

I rubbed the dampness from the back of my neck. “Sorry.”Sorry?Apparently, the days of my instant snappy retort were so last summer.

Jude smiled. “I’m fucking with you. I’m bringing Charley. She’s a matchmaker.”

“We’ll have both Molly and Charley at the party. Too bad we’re not drug dealers.” Eddie winked.

“Speak for yourself.”

The gallery collectively rolled their eyes at Jude.

When he smiled shyly and ducked his chin, my belly flipped.Not good.

“Two bartenders. Jude and Timothy can talk shop,” Eddie said.

“Same with Molly and Charley. Molly’s a matchmaker of sorts, as well!” Alison grinned. “Matching people to jobs!”

Michelle took a swig from a bottle of Magic Hat #9. “Jude and Molly’s current flames have something in common. How unanticipated.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

My intention to echo Jude’s question disappeared when I dropped my gaze to his screen again. He stared into the monitor with his not brown but “hazel” eyes, and Iknewhe was looking right at me. I shivered.

I was fucked.

Chapter Twenty-One

At half past five the night of the party, Timothy and I entered the Walker Hotel and headed toward Society Cafe. I wore a sleeveless blue, white, and orange printed dress that gathered at the waist and flowed to my knees, paired with nude peep-toe pumps and a cropped denim jacket. Shivering with the cold heat of anxiety, I told myself there was nothing to fear—Nicole and Eddie were on track to get both sets of parents to the venue when they needed to be there and not a second sooner—but my stomach felt like an overused trampoline. I ignored the voice in my head theorizing the true cause of my nerves had less to do with the party and more to do with my confusing feelings for Jude. Since when did I get so bashful and flushed around him?

Oblivious to the workings of my mind, Timothy, clean-shaven and wearing black dress pants and a matching button-down shirt, spent the Uber ride to the restaurant sharing humorous stories from culinary school. His nonchalance in contrast to my nerves was a blessing.

I told the hostess we were with the Blum-Stark party and led Timothy to the room George had showed us at our second meeting. At the entrance, I looked up at him. “Ready?”

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