Page 48 of A Lot to Unpack
‘Yeah, definitely, I’m starving,’ I tell him. ‘And I promise I’m not a weirdo, or a stalker – I’m not like Joe fromYou.’
‘From me?’ he replies, puzzled.
‘Joe Goldberg, fromYou, the TV show,’ I explain.
‘Do you ever think you watch too much TV?’ he jokes – well, he’s laughing, so I assume he’s joking.
I’ve seen an almost embarrassing number of TV shows and films set in New York over the years.Sex and the City,Friends,Gossip Girl,When Harry Met Sally,The Devil Wears Prada– even watchingHome Alone 2as a child made me sick to visit. It’s like the city’s been quietly living in my head for years, drip-fed to me through glossy screens and quippy dialogue.
‘Months of unemployment will do that to a girl,’ I reply.
I don’t tell him that binge-watching anti-love shows and chain-eating chocolate buttons was what got me through my break-up.
‘Do you think it’s too early for pizza?’ he asks. ‘It is basically lunch time…’
‘It’s never too early for pizza,’ I reply.
‘Great, I know a place that does the best pizza in Manhattan, and it’s not far from here,’ he says.
As we stroll for our pizza, we make small talk about the weather – like I wasn’t just literally stalking him like a maniac.I notice that he hasn’t really pressed me on why I was following him, which is interesting.
The pizza place is kind of low-key. No gimmicks, no unnecessary fanciness – but it smells terrific, like melted cheese and Italian herbs.
‘Take a seat, I’ll order,’ he replies.
‘I’m not sure what I want,’ I say.
‘I’ll surprise you,’ he replies.
‘Okay,’ I say and, yes, I’m into the idea. Excited by it, even. Normally I would think the idea of having a man order my food for me would piss me off, but I want to see what Jordan chooses.
I slide into a booth, watching him as he heads to the counter. He points at something on the board as he chats with the woman serving him. A minute later, he comes back with two bottles of soda and two enormous slices of pizza. They’re piled high with toppings, mostly vegetables, and they look so good.
‘So,’ he says, twisting off his bottle cap and taking a sip, ‘what were you really doing following me this morning?’
I take a sip of my own drink, trying to play it cool.
‘I was just… watching to see where you were going,’ I tell him. ‘It’s pretty obvious that you don’t want me here, and I’m supposed to be assisting you, so… I was just making sure you weren’t leaving me out of anything to do with work.’
‘It’s nothing personal,’ he insists. ‘I know, you have a job to do, but I really don’t need an assistant, and to be honest with you, I sometimes wonder if Paige is asking people to spy on me…’
‘Oh, that’s not what that was,’ I say, although I’m sure he can tell I’m lying about something.
‘So you’re not going to report back and tell her you saw me in a tree?’ he jokes.
‘Would she believe me if I did?’ I reply. ‘The only thing worth reporting to anyone is how incredible this pizza is – my God.’
‘I thought you’d like it,’ he says with a smile.
I don’t know, something about that – him thinking of me – makes my stomach do a little flip. Whatever it is, it’s not part of the plan. None of this is part of the plan.
We sit in easy, comfortable silence for a few minutes while we eat. There’s something sexy about the way he eats – the way he devours his food, like he’s in love with it.
‘Do you take all your stalkers out for lunch?’ I ask, breaking the silence.
‘Only my favourites,’ he jokes.
Oh, I like his little jokes, they’re so charming – which is a dangerous thing to think.
