Page 73 of Someone Just Like You

Jude appeared before us. “I can talk now.” He turned to my new friend as if first noticing him. “Unless you’re otherwise occupied.”

But for the twitch of his lips, I would think he was jealous. For better or worse, I doubted Jude Stark was capable of jealousy except, perhaps, when it came to my superior tidiness. “Now is good,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Jude called over the other bartender to get cringy-guy a drink. Then he kissed me, marking his territory.Maybe he does get jealous.

“Odd for you to flirt with a blond.”

“I wasn’t flirting!Hewas.”

His eyes danced. “Where’s my present?”

With a rush of affection for my boyfriend’s little-boy enthusiasm, I pulled the black binder I’d taken from work from my tote bag and set it on the dark wood bar. “I scoured the internet for everything I could find on opening a restaurant and gathered it all in one place.” I opened the flap of the binder. “Here!”

Jude looked from the binder to me and then back to the binder. “Wow. This is…wow. You did this yourself?”

I blinked away the onset of mushy tears. “Yes. I wanted to help you. I also needed an excuse to avoid recruiting for one of Michael’s pet projects, but I mostly did it to help you. It takes a village to make a dream come true!”

Jude leaned his elbows on the bar. “This was really sweet. Thank you.”

“Inside are articles I printed fromForbes,Nerdwallet, um…Restaurants Are Us…”

Jude raised an eyebrow.

My lips twitched. “Okay. I made up the last one. I can’t remember the sources, but they’re all in here.” I tapped the binder. “I even found a list from way back in the Ceiling Crashers archives. You’re not a woman, but it doesn’t mean you can’t take the advice.”

Jude offered an amused smile. “I’m relieved you’re aware I’m not a woman.”

“I’d do you anyway.”

“Good to know.” He laughed. “I’ll put this in the back with my other stuff.” His eyebrows furrowed. “You didn’t expect me to read it right now, did you?” He glanced around the restaurant. “I’m working.”

“Of course not. Read it later. Do you want me to drop it off at your apartment? You shouldn’t have to lug it home.”

“It’s fine.” He raised and lowered the binder in slow motion while making a face like a body builder lifting a heavy weight. “Me Jude. You Mole. I strong!”

“You sexy!” I leaned over the stool and kissed him—markingmyterritory.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Three nights later, Esther and I were taking advantage of the two-for-one happy hour drink special at Sachi, an Asian bistro and one of the more upscale and less frat-boy venues in the very post-college neighborhood. It was a predate cocktail for both of us—Esther had a Tinder date later, and Jude was meeting me for dinner after his early shift at Hillstone. I took a sip of rosé and placed the glass back on the long granite-top bar. “So, tell me about the guy you’re meeting.”

Esther looked at me over the sugar rim of her lemon drop cocktail. “I’mpositiveit will be my last first date. We’ll lock eyes and justknow.”

I snickered. My best friend did sarcasm like she was up for an award. “It could happen.”

She curled her lips in a dubious snarl.

I wiggled my finger at her. “Jude and I are proof that anything is possible, even meeting ‘The One’ on Tinder.”

“If I recognize him from his profile pictures, it will already be an improvement on my last date.” She wiped a crystal of sugar from her lip.

I gave her other hand a sympathetic squeeze. The last guy she’d met had been in his sixties, but had used his son’s pictures, claiming he lookedjustlike him twenty-five years earlier. “Twenty-five-years earlier” being the key phrase.

“And the guy before Grandpa suggested we save the drink forwinkwinkdessert and invited me to his apartment over the bar for the main course.” She blew her white bangs from her forehead. “I’m not opposed to sex on a first date if the chemistry is there, but can we at leasthavethe date first? These guys make Killian look good.”

“I high-key dispute that statement!”

Esther tapped her grape-painted nails on the bar. “Tell me, Little Miss Molly. Why do I attract losers?”

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