Page 48 of Perfect Alpha

“I do,” I reply, hoping she’s going to tell her brother. “He’s so sexy and charming.”

These facts are true, so I don’t regret sharing them, even though I couldn’t care less about either attribute when applied to anyone other than Cade.

“He’s looking for something serious, which is a nice change from the one-night stand bandits,” I continue.

“So, you’re going to be settling down in New York City then,” Hannah whispers.

It’s a statement, not a question, and she sounds so unbearably sad. No matter what I do, it seems that I’m always letting someone down.

“I live here,” I reply gently. “The guys I date are also going to live here.”

“No, I know that. Of course, I do. I just always hoped…”

“What?” I ask, even though I already know.

“I just hoped you’d eventually decide to move back home,” she whispers. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, but I’m where I need to be.”

“But Cade–”

“Hannah, enough,” I plead. “There’s nothing between me and Cade anymore. I’m not moving back to Montana to be with him. Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, he’s occupied.”

“Those girls mean nothing to him,” Hannah stubbornly insists.

“Regardless,” I sigh. “I have to get to bed, but we’ll talk tomorrow. I’ll be home for Halloween before you know it.”

“I love you, Victory.”

“Love you, too.”

Nothing about tonight makes sense. I’ve always been able to sense Cade before he comes into view, and I’m positive he was here. But Hannah wouldn’t lie to me.

What the hell is going on?

I’m sulking at my desk with my third espresso when Fiona approaches.

“I have somegreatnews,” she says.

“I’d love some great news,” I reply. “I’m doing a mental inventory of my social life, and it’s not a pretty picture.”

“Tell me about it,” Fiona groans. “Have I told you lately there arezeroeligible bachelors in this city?”

“You told me yesterday,” I reply with a smile.

“Now I’m telling you again today.”

“Men are the worst,” I complain.

“How was your date, anyway?” Fiona perches on the edge of the desk and keeps her eagle eyes trained on me.

I debrief her, excluding the part about hallucinating Cade, and she whoops. “It sounds like you may have found a good one.”

“Maybe,” I reply glumly. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. He’ll probably tell me he’s still madly in love with his ex, or I’ll discover he’s good at hiding the fact he’s socially stunted. Remember the last guy I dated?”

Fiona winces. “The taxidermist?”

“Him, yes. But I was thinking about the one who lived in his mom’s basement and spent his days playing video games. Not exactly the computer scientist his profile led me to believe. Or the cop who proudly told me that he slept with seventy-six different women in three months, as though I should be super excited at the prospect of being number seventy-seven.”

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