Page 61 of Mr. Wrong Number

“I’m not into slumming.”

“Then why did you do something that nice?”

“It wasn’t me being nice. You helped me land a huge client when you didn’t have to.” I rolled my eyes at Jill like the caller was ridiculous. “This was just me paying you back.”

“I see.” She sounded happy and confused. “Uh, this isn’t like a sex thing, either, right? Like you bought me a bed, so now I have to sleep with you on it?”

Well, shit—like I neededmorevisuals of Liv in bed. I’d gone from finding her the most annoying girl on the planet to being inexplicably obsessed with her. She still irritated the hell out of me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she rolled her eyes and the way her face got that intensity to it when she was typing one hundred words per minute on her laptop.

I lowered my voice and turned away from the table. “It isnota sex thing, though gratitudial favors will not be turned down should you feel inclined.”

“Gratitudial?”

“That’s right.”

I heard her laugh again. “Well, Iamincredibly gratitudial,Colin. This was the nicest surprise and I think I’m going to take a second nap on my very own bed the minute I get off the phone.”

“Did you already take—”

“Oh, yeah. Your bed was amazing, by the way.”

I started laughing; of course she had.

Then she said, “You should come down and see it after you get home; my bed is stunning.”

No way was I going down to look at her bed. I needed to put a lot of distance between my libido and Jack’s little sister.

Jack’s little sister, Jack’s little sister, Jack’s little sister.

I said, “Mine’s better.”

“Well, after I nap I’m going to eat leftover pizza on my deck and shop for sheets and blankets, so it’s pretty much going to be like a party all night down here on six if you change your mind.”

“I will keep that in mind,” I said, knowing I wouldn’t.

“Well, goodbye, then, Colin.”

“Goodbye, Liv.”

The second I ended the call, Jillian said, “Holy hells, Col—who was that? You’re positively beaming.”

I rolled my eyes and stood. “As if I’m telling you. Are you ready?”

She stood and pushed in her chair. “If you don’t give me the story by the time we reach our cars, I’m keying your Audi and calling our mother.”

“Fine.” I gave a chin-nod to one of my father’s golfing buddies as we walked out of the dining room. “I’ll give you the short version, but you have to promise not to laugh.”

“I’m afraid I can do no such thing.”

13

Olivia

I looked over at the door when I heard a knock. I was sitting on a stool, watching an old episode ofNew Girlon my laptop and eating leftover pizza, and after seeing Zooey Deschanel look so damned adorable, I’d pulled out my makeup bag and attempted to re-create her look.

It hadn’t worked.

I had on bright red lipstick that looked kind of good but super trampy, like I was the kind of woman who would eat a Popsicle hyper-sexually in an obnoxious attempt to arouse all the menfolk. My eyes were lined in black and I had the wings, but I looked more like I should be in an eighties rock video than an adorable show with Nick Miller.

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