When Stars Collide (Second Chance Romance #2) - Sara Furlong-Burr Page 0,49

returned her attention to me and Phineas’s coat around my shoulders. “It’s okay,” I assured her. “He’s already saved me once tonight.”

Jo nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you at home, then?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Have fun. Keep tube top girl away from my stuff.”

“Oh, she was a drag, so I ditched her for a redhead with a nose ring named Courtney.”

I rolled my eyes. “Only you. Be careful.”

“You too.” She looked from me to Phineas again. “Keep her safe, too-young-to-be-called Phineas.”

“You have my word.”

We hurried out of the club and ran down the sidewalk, until we were both comfortable that the coast was clear and that we were probably not being followed by the lumbering mouth-breather from the club.

“So, where are we going?” I asked.

“Not another club, that’s for sure.”

“You won’t hear any argument from me there.”

“That’s a first.”

Although he wasn’t directly looking at me, I could still make out a hint of a smile. “You know, I’ve just been through a pretty traumatic event, which pretty much obligates you not to be a dick to me.”

“A dick? I’m sorry, was I being a dick when I rescued you from said traumatic event?”

“See? Now you’re just bragging. What were you doing at the club, anyway?”

“A certain someone thought I should get out more, and I decided I would see what all the fuss was about. By the way, I’m convinced more than ever that my decision to remain indoors was the smart one.”

“What you’re saying is, by putting the idea into your head to get out more, I actually saved my own life?”

“Something like that.”

We stepped to the curb, where Phineas hailed a cab. “Do you mind telling me where we’re going?”

“I’m going to show you why staying in isn’t always a bad thing.” He opened the door to the back of the cab and motioned for me to get inside.

“That sounds like something a serial killer would say.”

Phineas sighed. “Just get in.”

I entered the cab and slid over for Phineas, listening to him give the driver an address in Long Island City.

“You don’t live in the office, after all.”

“You don’t seem too pleased by that.”

“Only because it would seem that I now owe Cheryl in accounting twenty bucks.”

“I’d be a little more sympathetic toward you if not for the fact you were betting against me.”

“I mean, can you blame me? You’re almost always there when I get into the office every morning and are pretty much always there when I leave at night.”

“To be fair, you’re usually five or ten minutes late every morning, so I may be getting there on time, for all you know.”

“You noticed that, huh?”

“Noticing things is kind of my job.” He paused, perhaps waiting for some sarcastic comment from me. When one wasn’t forthcoming, he spoke again, “But, when everyone else is running out the door at the end of the day, you’re still right there with me. That’s something I’ve also noticed.”

“That’s because I have nothing to go home to,” I said matter-of-factly. I felt Phineas’s eyes on me, silently questioning me, wanting me to continue my thought, but also not wanting to pry. “If I’m being honest, I give you grief for not having a social life, but since I’ve been here, the only person I’ve really connected with is Jo. Most of my life is in Virginia.” I looked over, meeting his stare.

“Peter?” he asked. I couldn’t be certain, but the inflection in his voice when he said Peter’s name made it almost seem like he wanted me to refute his question.

“Yes, and Elle and Luke, too.”

He nodded, processing what I told him. The gears were obviously turning in Phineas’s brain. His nose scrunched up and worry lines appeared on his forehead.

“But, I’m here in New York, doing work I’m passionate about. It’s my choice to be here. Not everyone gets to do the job they had in mind for themselves when they graduated from college. I’m living in one of the best cities in the world, and I’m successful.”

Phineas nodded, the smile returning to his face. “That you most certainly are.”

“If you tell anyone about our little breakthrough moment, I’m going to flat-out deny it.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.”

Unfamiliar streets began to appear outside of my window, though that wasn’t saying much. For me, pretty much everywhere outside of a five-mile radius of my apartment complex was unfamiliar territory, especially the more affluent parts.

“So,” Phineas began, “it’s officially the weekend. Aren’t you supposed to be jet-setting to