Page 45 of Austen Persuaded

“Uh-oh, it’s a sports metaphor kind of night,” I said. “Now look what you’ve done, Raf.”

Rafael smiled. “You can handle it. You might even have fun.” Then his expression became more serious. “I’ll be straight with you,Annie. The run-in with Kylan last week and then the thing with Viviana this week—well, they’ve been messing with your head a little. You have been trying your very best not to let it, by burying yourself in work, but I can see it. You know it’s there. I think getting out and having fun, maybe meeting someone new, may help. At least for the night, you know?”

“I sure hope so,” I said. There was no point denying it. He was partly right. Though not so much about Viviana. I’d decided to give her a bit of time to cool off before approaching her again, but approach her I would. I missed my friend. I was the new and improved Annie, right? I could figure out this female friendship thing—could it really be that hard?

But as for Kylan, Rafael’s assessment was spot on, as usual. I had managed to devote most of my time, energy, and attention this week to working on bookstore plans and ballet choreography, but in the rare moments of quiet without work or roommates or social media to distract me,hecame rushing into my thoughts, his face burned into my mind, memories rushing back, feelings coming to the fore. And mortification too, given my ridiculous behavior of escaping into a pet store of all things. “All right, are you going to help me choose an outfit or not?”

Rafael sighed in relief as he picked up Charlie. “I thought you’d never ask. I have to go pick up Joel soon, so we do have to make this quicker than usual. No time for a montage, unfortunately.”

“First world problems, Raf.”

“Shut up.”

I leaned on the bar and nudged Rainn, nearly cheek to cheek. “What about that tall, black-haired goddess with the hot guy in the grey striped top?”

“Uh, they’re awfully close. I think they’retogether,” he said, a slight slurin his words.

“Nope,” I said. “I’m sensing friend vibes. Maybe even brother/sister. Go talk to her.” I tried to shove him sideways off the chair, but he was too bulky.

He grinned. “Nice try. If they’re just friends, then why don’tyougo approach the guy?”

“Well, I … is … ” I paused. “Words are hard.”

“Have we had too much to drink already?”

“Oh, we definitely have. But not enough to go hit on some random, apparently.”

Rainn threw back another shot. “There might not be enough alcohol in the bar for that.”

I draped my arm across his shoulders. “Aww. That bad, Rainn? Please tell me about her.”

He grunted and then waved to the bartender for another. “There’s not enough alcohol in the bar for that either.”

“Oh, come on.” I stuck out my lower lip. “It’s just you and me. I won’t tell Rafael. If you won’t tell me her name, tell me something about her. Anything.”

He was quiet for a long time, and I didn’t think he was going to indulge my curiosity. But finally, while staring into his glass, he muttered, “She’s way out of my league.”

That was not at all what I expected him to say. “What? Impossible. You’re a catch by anyone’s standards.Lookat you. I constantly regret the fact that we’re not attracted to each other at all.” We’d tried one awkward date, not long after being introduced through Rafael. After dinner and a chaste goodnight kiss, both of us had admitted to feeling a total lack of romantic potential. But great friends we had become. And I was certain he’d make a perfect partner for the right woman someday. He had dated here and there, but rarely did his relationships last very long.

Rainn put his head on my shoulder. “Thanks, Annie, but trust me on this one. I don’t just mean she’s out of my league in terms of looks, though she’s beautiful too.”

I looked at him quizzically. “I don’t get it. It’s not like you’re all brawn and no brains. You’re the new IT manager, and you have amaster’s in software engineering—if that doesn’t make you smart as hell, I don’t know what does.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “I mean, I’m good at what I do. But this is a literary agency. Some of these people read, like, James Joyce and Faulkner, I can’t even remember his first name. It’s a whole other league, you know?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I wouldn’t consider myself in a different league from you, and I read those authors in college. I even liked some of Faulkner.”

He looked at me doubtfully and sighed. “You just need to trust me on this one. Even if somehow she was attainable, she’s probably not available.”

I gasped. “Wait a minute, go back to the agency thing. Sheworkswith you? That is a fairly important detail!”

“Uh, I thought I mentioned that to you guys before.”

I searched my memories. “Hmm … it’s possible you did. I might’ve been distracted. But that’s a whole new level of interesting.”

“I mean, we both work at the agency, but we work in different departments. No regular interactions.”

I nodded. “Because her job is …”

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