Page 39 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
Sebastian wasn’t lying. He told me abouteverygirl he took on dates or simply hooked up with. And this manhad been witha lotof women. He’d recount his escapades to me over drinks, often giving me far more in-depth detail than I cared to know.
“It’s not anything serious. It was a first date.”
The rest of the truth I kept to myself. Seb had met my family and eaten at the pizzeria on countless occasions over the years. But telling him I had only brokered this deal with Hallie for the greater good of the restaurant was not only complicated, it felt like a lie. If I were honest for just a minute, I’d admit that Hallie Woods fascinated me. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, remarkably intelligent, and hilarious, but she was also incredibly talented, as evidenced by the article Seb had just finished reading. And maybe that fascination was turning into something else. Our date had a far-too-convoluted explanation, so I kept our agreement to myself.
“Did you know you were dating a columnist?” Seb handed me my phone back. “Did you know she was going to write an article about your date?”
“I met her at the Grangers’ dinner party that you skipped … again. And she told me she was a writer forSophisticatethat night. She doesn’t name me, so I don’t think there’s any harm in it.”
I shifted uncomfortably under Seb’s narrowed gaze. His smile spread slowly, too smug, too knowing. The kind of smile that was a neon sign warning of danger ahead.
“We should go on a double date.”
I shook my head, hard. “Absolutely not.”
There was no chance in hell I was going to subject Hallie to Seb in that kind of setting.
“Besides,” I added, raising a brow, “which one of yourcurrent roster would you even bring? Or are we going with the classic ‘whoever texts back first’ strategy?”
Seb grinned. “That depends—do I get bonus points for bringing twins?”
I groaned. “This is exactly why you’re not coming anywhere near her.”
Seb clutched his chest like I’d wounded him. “That’s not fair. You met a girl who’s not only hot butcool enoughto write an article calling you charming, and I don’t even get to meet her? What kind of best friend are you?”
I ran a hand down the back of my neck, debating whether to come clean. “You already have.”
Seb’s eyes widened with realization. “No way. The girl from the bar? The one whose date yousabotaged? Oh, this just keeps getting better.”
I’d had enough. The last thing I needed was Sebastian’s commentary on my dating life. I grabbed my tennis racket and walked to the far end of the court. “We’re cutting into our court time.”
Sebastian’s booming laugh echoed through the high stone walls of the court, punctuated by the rhythmicthwackof tennis balls from other players. “It’s nice seeing you like this.”
“Like what?” I asked. We stood at opposite ends of the court, the silence thick before Seb’s serve. Then a grin spread across his face.
“Happy. Defensive, sure. But happy.”
14
Hallie
“That article was incredible.”
Janelle popped around the corner of my cubicle, eyes bright as she leaned in. “I was fanning myself by the end. I can’t imagine what your next date will be. Mr. Old Fashioned sure knows how to show a girl a good time.”
I laughed, heat rising in my cheeks.
After James had walked me to my door and said goodnight—leaving me far more affected than I cared to admit—I’d barely made it inside before Roxie called for the full post-date interrogation. By the time I’d finished spilling every detail and finally kicked off my heels, I was so inspired I sat down and wrote the entire article in one go.
It was in Anthea’s inbox before midnight. To my surprise, I woke Saturday morning to an email from her.
SUBJECT: NOW THIS IS WHAT I HAD BEEN HOPING FOR
Posting tonight instead of Monday morning, so it gives this piece an extra day in circulation.
Coming from Anthea Sparks, that was practically a standing ovation. Early publication was almost unheard of—ithad only happened to a handful of writers since she’d taken charge ofSophisticate.
So by Sunday morning, my article featuring Mr. Old Fashioned was at the top of the digital site for all to read. When I opened my social media later that day and saw that nearly a thousand people had already shared the piece—far more than any of my previous columns—I knew I’d achieved something special.
