Page 33 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
“Oh, come on. We all do questionable things to achieveour dreams.” Hallie downed the rest of the Old Fashioned. “You know, these aren’t so bad after all. I might write a review on them. Maybe Whiskey Locker has the best Old Fashioneds, and that’s why everyone loves to drink them. Perhaps I haven’t been open-minded enough.”
“The Nest has the best Old Fashioned in the city,” I replied. Her skin took on that familiar pink flush, accompanied by the faint scent of alcohol on her breath, a clear sign she was well beyond tipsy. How many drinks had she had before I got there?
Joey was already ahead of the curve and dropped another glass in front of me, but water in front of Hallie. As I took a sip, I felt the pleasant warmth of alcohol settle in, a nice buzz humming through me. It was just the right kind of buzz—enough to say things I might not otherwise, but not enough to cloud my judgment.
“I heard that place is amazing. I’ve been wanting to review it for ages, but I haven’t found my way in yet. It’s far too exclusive, maybe even forSophisticate.”
“I can get you in.”
Hallie’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“I know people.” I raised a shoulder in a shrug. “But not until you tell me why you’rereallychasing finance bros across every bar in the FiDi. Why is getting this promotion so important to you that you’re doing something you obviously can’t stand?”
Maybe it was the alcohol loosening her tongue or maybe it was the electric charge crackling in the air between us tonight. Whatever it was, it made her lower her guard.
“I love writing, stringing together words to create something beautiful, and telling stories. But my genuinepassion lies in writing about food. On the morning of the dinner party at Elliot and Michelle’s, I’d discovered thatSophisticatewould soon have an opening for their food critic position. Despite only having experience with a social media food blog, I thought fuck it and applied anyway. My dream is to write about the glamorous Michelin-star restaurants and savor the incredible dishes prepared by the world’s top chefs just as much as it is to shine a light on the lesser-known family-owned establishments that often go unnoticed yet serve some of the most amazing food. I’ve always hoped that one day, my name would be at the top of those articles.”
It occurred to me I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard Hallie speak for this long, except maybe on the night we met. A fiery passion had ignited in her eyes, pulling her beautiful lips into the first smile I’d seen tonight—radiant and unforgettable. The alcohol, mixed with the sheer delight of sharing her love of food, brought a deep flush to her cheeks, a vibrant contrast to her skin. I was so captivated by her energy that I nearly missed what she’d said.
“I used to write this small section in the back of our magazine that would cover snippets of conversation I would hear all over the city. I heard this one girl talk about trying to pick up a man in finance at Whiskey Locker. My boss loved it so much, she wanted me to expand it into a months-long column. So now I’m here, drowning my sorrows in a drink I’ve been making fun of for the last month as my dreams slip through my fingers.”
Her hand shook as she lifted her drink to her lips, the liquid sloshing precariously. Tears welled in the cornersof her eyes, and a wave of icy panic clenched my chest, stealing the breath from my lungs.
“Hey, hold on.” I swiped a few napkins from a holder and gently laid them down in front of her. “Don’t cry.”
Her shoulders jerked with a hiccup that slipped out of her mouth. “I’m simply mourning the loss of a career I’ll never have.”
A long silence stretched between us, and I hesitated before responding. “What if I have an idea that would be mutually beneficial for us both?”
Her eyes drifted to mine, a single brow rising in curiosity. A small voice in the back of my mind told me this wasn’t a good idea, that I’d regret it later. But I silenced it, ignoring the warning, letting curiosity and something dangerously close to attraction steer me straight toward her.
“What ifItake you on a date?”
Hallie spluttered, her breath catching as some of her drink went down the wrong way.
Once she managed to regain control, her face shifted into a look of complete disbelief, as if I’d just suggested something utterly absurd. And, honestly, maybe I had. “Excuse me?”
“Hear me out,” I said, raising my hands in an attempt to keep her from cutting me off. I needed to get this idea out. “Five dates. One per week. You can use each of them for your articles. I’m sure it’s getting old writing about trying to find love in the same bars every week. You’ll get wined and dined at the best restaurants the city offers. It benefits everyone involved.”
“You still haven’t explained how this ismutuallybeneficial.” Hallie’s wide brown eyes stared at me with a mix ofdisbelief and suspicion. But I didn’t mind. As long as she was looking at me at all.
I took a deep breath before continuing, my voice a little more serious. “My family has a pizzeria in Brooklyn. It’s been around since the fifties—my grandparents started it. Now my dad and my uncle run it, but profit has been shrinking because they can’t sustain a customer base.”
Her indifference shifted. There was an unmistakable spark of curiosity in her gaze. “Here I was thinking you were nothing more than a trust fund baby. I guess you still have surprises up your sleeve. Do they market on social media?”
I shook my head. I wouldn’t count the poorly maintained social media account my aunt remembers to post on a handful of times a year as “marketing”.
“Have you talked to them about the importance of social media?”
“Let’s just say I’ve come to realize that I’m going to have to take matters into my own hands. Which is where you come in. After our five dates, you can cover my family’s restaurant so we can try to stir up some new business. Enough that I have something substantial to bring to my father.” To convince my dad about social media, I had to prove its importance beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Hallie didn’t respond immediately. A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she silently considered my proposition.
“Five dates over five weeks?” I nodded, trying to keep my excitement in check. I told myself it was all about helping my family, but the thought of spending more time with her was almost impossible to ignore.
“We need ground rules,” Hallie said, her tone suddenly serious, as if we were negotiating the merger of two billion-dollar companies and not a mutually beneficial arrangement.
“Ground rules?” I asked.
