Page 51 of Fall I Want
“And we’ll probably keep that lie going until the end of the year.”
“Oh, my God. It’s the look.”
I roll my eyes, trying to ignore her as I turn on the registers. She makes the drip brew, shaking her head, but she’s smiling.
Eventually, Blaire knocks on the door and waves at us.
When I allow her in, she immediately grins. “Whoa. It’s the look.”
“Did you plan to say this to me today?”
“So, you saw it too?” Blaire glances at Julie. “It’s unmistakable.”
“What does that even mean?” I sigh. “We didn’t have sex! I know it’s notthatlook.”
“It’s thefuck it I’m falling in lovelook,” Julie says.
“No,” I whisper.
“Sebastian is back,” Julie mutters as Blaire checks the dining room and wipes down a few tables.
“What the fuck?” Her voice rises an octave, and it echoes through the empty room.
“He said he couldn’t stay away from here or me,” I explain as Blaire groans.
“In better news, Autumn and Alex are official,” Julie says.
“What?!” Blaire questions.
“We’refakedating. I lied, and Alex played along flawlessly. And his name isn’t Alex,” I blurt out. “Promise to keep it to yourself.”
They wait with bated breath.
“He’s Zane Alexander.”
Julie gasps and drops the metal cream container in her hands. Luckily, the lid was on and screwed tight, so just a tiny drop spills. The loud noise startles me.
“A complete documentary about his family was released a few months ago. He’s elusive, super secretive, and doesn’t befriend anyone.”
I shrug. “I don’t know if that’s true. We became fast friends.”
Blaire is almost speechless. “The Rolex makes more sense now. He’s a fucking billionaire. Like, old money. Vanderbilts. Calloways. Alexanders. I cannot believe this.”
My palms grow sweaty.
“You’re dating Zane Alexander. Holy shit!” Julie laughs and gives me a high five.
“When one of us gets a sugar daddy, we all win,” Blaire says, repeating the hilarious thing we’ve said to each other since we were old enough to drive. It’s ridiculous.
“We’rejustfriends trying to scare off my ex,” I say as we continue working. “You both know Sebastian won’t stop. Boundaries don’t exist for him.”
“Rat boy is very stubborn,” Julie says.
“You’re right,” Blaire agrees. “Guess that means Alex is not only your dream man, but your knight in shining armor.”
At six on the dot, I move to unlock the door, seeing Zane is the first in line. He’s holding another bouquet of hand-picked flowers with a black ribbon tied around the stems and hands it to me.
“Thank you,” I say, glancing down at the peach-colored roses.
