Crushing on my Billionaire Best Friend - Jolie Day Page 0,16

up.

“Yeah, totally,” I quipped, lifting my fork to punctuate my smartass comment. “Two actually. One’s named Linzar, and the other one’s called my application for the PhD program at NYU.”

“Weird names for dudes, but whatever floats your boat.” He spun around to hand me a steaming mug of delicious-smelling coffee.

I inhaled the scent of my caffeinated yumminess before taking a slow sip. Whatever the hell kind of coffee-making contraption he had, it was worth every penny. “This is the best coffee in New York, I swear. If I’d known this is where the good stuff was being served, I would’ve started stopping by here for breakfast a long time ago.”

“You’re always welcome here, Laney. You know that.” He turned to me with his own cup in hand. “Hey, whatever happened to that one guy you were dating in college?” he blurted out of nowhere. “What was his name? Herbert?”

“Ha-ha! You got jokes this morning.” I nearly sprayed the coffee out of my mouth and through my nose from laughing. “Herbert?” I wiped my mouth with a cloth napkin. “His name wasn’t Herbert, Muffin. No, his name was Hugo. And that was a very short-lived…fling.” I had several nicknames for him. Obviously, Oliver wasn’t a muffin (and that’s just cheesy), but he liked them—a lot—especially banana nut. He always got annoyed when I called him by his “pet” names, and so…that’s why I did it. He just had to bring up Herbert. Game on.

“He was using you, anyway.” Oliver shrugged. “I do love your term of endearment for me, though. Muffin. That never gets old, Bookworm.”

“Nope. It’s here to stay.” I quirked my lips into a smirk of my own. “But, maybe I was using him. Did you ever think of that?” Bookworm? Oh, he thought he was “original” with that one. Pfft. I had better names than that.

He flashed that self-assured smile of his that always slayed me. I’d built up a lot of confidence over the years (granted, a lot through my friend Lisa), but I would have killed to have it come as naturally to me as it did Oliver. And somehow, even with all the money and women any guy could ever dream of having, he still managed to preserve his kindness and a sense of humility.

“Were you jealous of him for some reason?” I asked, trying not to blush.

Oliver hadn’t done much to hide his dislike for the guy back in the day, which made my wishful-thinking emotions even more confused about his feelings for me—The never-ending saga of “does he or doesn’t he”? It only ever ended up with one very clear, resounding conclusion: “Sorry, Sug’, he does not feel the same way about you.”

“Not jealous.” His expression appeared serious. “I just want the best for you. Always.”

I tried not to let him catch me rolling my eyes. I’d always hated the way he insisted nobody was ever good enough for me. All the while I thought he was the perfect one for me.

“So, what do you have planned for the day?” He pulled up a stool across from me, causing me to have naughty thoughts about those muscular arms and what the rest of his glorious body looked like naked, when he sat down with his own plate of food and cup of coffee.

I let out a long sigh, clearing the sexual fantasies from my brain and realizing I hadn’t planned that far ahead. “Well, since you’ve forbidden me from returning to work for a few days, I guess I’ll go visit the wreckage of my apartment. I’ll need to stop by a drug store and buy all the necessities I’m suddenly without. You know, girl stuff. I also need some clothes. I’m sure there’s some insurance stuff to sort out. Oh, I have to call my dad and deal with the heart attack he’ll have from this news.”

“Huh. Sounds like you’ve got nothing to do all day.” And the smirk was back.

“Right, Gym Sock.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Want to go with me to my dad’s house instead of calling him? I know it’d be the highlight of your day.”

His face paled a bit, and he shook his head. “Nah. I’ve got to work. You’ve got your hands full. But, seriously, though, if you need me, just call.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what I thought.” I eyed him over my coffee mug.

He leaned forward and grabbed his own cup.

“Maybe I’ll go check in with the homeless ladies on the other side of town,” I said.