Lewis chuckles. “So about this dating app.”
“No.” I groan under my breath. This isn’t the first time he’s announced my availability to the world. Or tried to help fix my love life. In fact, he’s been trying to set me up since high school. He picked out my prom date. Probably because he met the love of his life during senior year and he figured I’d feel like a third wheel.
He’s set me up on double dates. Then there were accidental dates. The kind where I’d show up to dinner and some guy with single status would also be joining us. And now we’ve graduated to dating apps. “Not going to happen.”
“Eat a donut, Lily.” He nudges the box toward me. The aroma calls to me. “It’ll make you feel better.”
“No, thank you.” I clamp my lips together and hold my breath. He knows me too well. He knows I have a weakness. A type of kryptonite that turns me mellow and sweet and pliant. Those delicious morsels call my name, they make my mouth water. Breakfast was hours ago so the idea of shoving one of these in my kisser is tantalizing.
“I had a cruller and a jelly on my way over.” He rubs his palm over his narrow torso. “I couldn’t decide which one was sweeter. You’ll have to tell me what you think.”
I shake my head. My eyes are stinging because I refuse to blink. If I break concentration those beautiful sugary carbs are going to win. And if I cave there’s no telling what I’m liable to agree to.
He leans his elbows on the table and hovers over the carton. “Mmm. I think I’ll have a bear claw. They look so good.”
I can practically taste the Danish-like pastry. The raisins. The apple pie filling. I clutch my stomach, which is trying to gnaw its way through my abdominal muscles in an effort to bypass my lips in order to get those delightful mouth treasures.
“On second thought, devil’s food cake it is.” He lifts the doughy ring from the box and takes a bite.
“That’s not fair.” I gasp for air. He knows they are my favorite.
He grins, chocolate between his teeth as he rips the plastic lid off his coffee and takes a sip right from the rim. “Coda emailed me.”
“How is Coda?” I grip the edge of the table and glance at the time on my phone, which is screen up on the table. Where’s Kiki? There are still a few details we need to work through before we give our presentation for the newest of the Gladstone hotels next week. While it’s the smallest of the Gladstone Groups guesthouses, its purpose is to serve as a home away from home for exclusive clientele. And it’s a huge opportunity for me.
“Good.” He rests back in his chair. “She has a little project for us.”
“And by that you mean me?”
“I can’t review a dating app,” he says. “I’d feel like I was cheating on Trix. My viewers would think we’d broken up.”
While he’s my right-hand man during the week, pouring sweet magical organization and skill into producing whatever I want and need to design the perfect spaces for our clients; on the weekends he runs a YouTube channel reviewing tech products, games, and apps. I help him out sometimes, when it isn’t an awful project that involves some kind of dating app.
“It’s called Icebreaker,” he says.
“I didn’t ask,” I retort.
“You sure you don’t want one of these?” He waves his donut in my face.
I can smell it. The dense, fluffy cakey-ness of it fills my senses. My stomach nearly swoons. I yank open the lid of my laptop and the screen lights up to show me the 3D model of the new hotel lobby I’ve been laboring over. If everything goes to plan we’ll start work on it in two weeks. “I’m not doing it.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” he asks. “It could be fun.”
“I’m sure,” I say dryly. “Dating is about as fun as licking my finger and sticking it on an exposed electric wire while the power’s on.”
“You’re too serious.” He folds beefy arms over his chest. “And too picky.”
“I’m not picky. I have standards,” I argue. “And yes, I’m serious. About my career. You know what this project means, don’t you? The fact that Douglas Carlan put me in charge of it is big.”
“They’re going to promote you,” he says.
“I’m going to be the youngest designer to be in charge of her own team.” I perk up. Now, this is a conversation I’m happy to have. I’ve spent the last four years working my ass off at one DC Design office or another. First in New York while I completed my degree, then under Carlan when I came home to Chicago. Working with the head honcho of the company was invaluable and a one in a million kind of experience. And now he’s ready to give me my own corner office and corporate client list. As long as I prove I’m capable. It’s a dream come true. And another step toward design world domination. I cannot screw up this project. “I can’t date right now.”
“You’re using your career as an excuse,” Lewis calls me out. “You haven’t dated in three years. That’s not a time organization issue.”
“I’ve been on dates.” I must have. Other than that one time. We don’t talk about it. That night, the last guy he set me up with. I’d found out I was allergic to macadamias. Who knew you could develop an adverse reaction to those tasty little balls?
“What are we talking about?” Kiki collapses into the third bucket chair at the table. She has an arm full of files that she dumps on the table and a permanently frazzled look that isn’t mirrored in her work. “Mmm, donuts. Crullers? My favorite. Is that coffee for me too?”
“Vanilla latte.” Lewis hands the tall cup over to my gorgeous assistant and other best friend. “Grande. The way you like it.”
“You are a Godsend, you wonderful man.” She dumps her tote on the floor once she’s seated. Taking a long draw from her coffee she snags a cruller from the carton. “I’m starving.”
“Did you find a source for the prints?” I ask her.
“I did.” Her dark corkscrew curls bounce around her head as she pulls her tablet out of her bag and pulls up her notes. “I’ll order them as soon as we get the go ahead. That way they’ll be in by the time we’re ready to hang them. I’m sending you the notes now.”
“Great,” I say as an email notification shows up on my screen.
“So what did I miss?” Her tone is colored with curiosity. She nibbles on the glazed edge of her donut.
“We were talking about the new app Coda sent for review,” Lewis says. “It’s a dating app.”
“Oh.” Kiki’s dark eyes widen and brighten as they settle on me. “You never date.”
“I’m not starting now.” I hold my hands up in a stop motion. “I have too much work to do. I don’t need the distraction. So if we could drop the topic and move on, that would be great.”
“You don’t need a sexy dickstraction?” She waggles her eyebrows. “Worried all your plans will go out the window if you finally have some sensual fun?”
“No.”
“Come to think about it.” Her brow furrows. “When was the last time you liked a guy?”