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My heart pounded, and I closed my eyes. My sister was the only family I had. I rocked. “Please, I’m moving out of my place at the end of the month to save money, and I’m up for a promotion.”
We discussed the potential raise. Then he asked, “How much rent?”
I took a deep breath. “She’s not charging me.”
“Family?”
“Friend,” I said quickly and wished I had money to offer Kelly for her couch.
“We’d need her to verify.”
“Of course.”
“And with the new income and debt, please apply again next month.”
I let out a sigh. At least it was something to hope for. I headed back inside.
As I filled my water bottle from the bubbler, Ziff blocked the door. “Lauglin told me he saw you last night with your new boyfriend. I can’t wait to meet him at the party.”
My heart raced. Kir. I swallowed and held my glass up. “I’m not sure he can?—”
“We all expect to meet one of the most influential men in Manhattan.”
Right. I smiled, though inside I was a disaster. “Of course, sir.”
I rounded back to my seat at my desk. I missed the freedom of working from home. I closed the door and stared at my phone.
Calling Kir was a friendly enough thing to do. And it wasn’t like we were ever going to be more than friends. I took a deep breath and decided to see if he’d answer.
After one ring, he picked up. “Hey, Avril.”
“Hi.” I heard someone walking near my door. I lowered my voice, and then, despite how my nerves were screaming at me to hang up and hide, I asked, “Kir, can we meet for coffee?”
“How about a boat ride from Loeb Boathouse?”
My eyes widened. I hadn’t expected a real date. I rubbed my neck. “Seriously?” Then I let out a nervous laugh and said, “Yeah. That sounds nice.”
“Meet you there at five?”
“Okay.” I hurried off the phone before I could say or do something to ruin things. Our date would be the perfect moment to ask him to pretend to be my boyfriend for a few weeks.
* * *
The rest of the day flew past as I kept wondering how I’d bring up faking a relationship. He literally could have supermodels, actresses, or anyone else. I was pretending to date someone I didn’t have much in common with except a friend who was marrying his brother.
My sister had dropped out of private school and gone to Rutgers while raising me. I would do anything to help her. That was the thought that kept me jogging to Central Park to meet him. When I reached the boathouse, I saw Kir Norouzi. He was sexy and all muscles, and somehow, he remembered my name.
I walked with a sway in my hips and smiled. “Kir, there you are.”
He smiled at me, and I wondered what he saw. Then he waved. “Let’s get in. I’ll row.”
Of course. This was a friend-to-friend meeting. I found a seat, and he sat opposite. When we launched, I said, “I’ve never done this before.”
He winked at me. “To new experiences, then.”
“Agreed,” I said, and he paddled to the middle.
It’s so funny we’re here, I thought as I gazed up at the trees that hid the skyscrapers around us. Then I glanced around and saw no boaters nearby. Now is the time.
