If the Sun Never Sets - Ana Huang Page 0,56
their conversation.
Before anyone could answer, Kris let loose an expletive. “Who the fuck is that?”
Their heads swiveled toward the entrance to the house. Sammy had returned…with a gorgeous, leggy blonde in tow. The mystery woman had a face that could put Charlize Theron to shame, and she wore a stylish red jumpsuit that Farrah recognized from the latest issue of Mode de Vie.
“Hi, Nardo,” the blonde lilted.
“Hey, Jess.” Nardo cast another wary glance at Olivia, who was frowning at the newcomer.
Sammy cleared his throat. “Guys, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Jessica. Jess, this is everyone.” He introduced the group, tripping over Olivia’s name.
Silence greeted his announcement.
Shock slid through Farrah’s veins. Girlfriend? Sammy hadn’t so much as hinted at a girlfriend before today.
Nate was the first to speak. “Nice to meet you, Jessica. I’m Nate.” He reintroduced himself even though he was the last person who needed a reintroduction.
Jessica smiled. “I know who you are.” No fangirling, no blushing. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“She just arrived in New York. She couldn’t make it to the opening yesterday because she had a court case,” Sammy explained.
“Oh. Are you a lawyer?” Kris’s tone indicated she couldn’t care less about the answer.
“Technology law, which is why the Bay Area is my stomping grounds. You can say a lot of things about Silicon Valley, but it’s never boring.” Jessica smiled.
Kris yawned. “Fascinating.”
Farrah snuck a peek at Olivia. She’d wiped the expression from her face, but Farrah could read the tense set of her shoulders and the way she fiddled with her watch strap. Olivia was pissed.
Nate cleared his throat. “Hey, why don’t we eat before the food gets cold? Hot dogs are on the grill, but the burgers are done. Let’s dig in.”
The clatter of plastic utensils and light chatter broke the tension, but an undercurrent of unease remained.
“Looks like I’m not the only person Olivia wants to drop into the middle of an axe-throwing competition,” Blake murmured. “I thought she and Sammy have been over for a while.”
“It’s complicated.”
Olivia was not the type who liked to discuss her feelings in public, so Farrah spared her friend the third degree for now.
Reminder: stock up on Ben & Jerry’s before I go home.
“Complicated, I get. But you know what’s simple?” Blake wiggled his eyebrows. “A nighttime walk through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Not a date, I swear. Just two friends with floral benefits, smelling roses and shit.”
Maybe it was the sunshine, the giddiness of being surrounded by old friends, or Blake’s boyish smile. Either way, Farrah threw caution to the wind.
What could it hurt?
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go to the garden.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The next month flew by. Farrah still hadn’t landed an interview at any of the design firms she’d applied to, not even after she’d dropped off copies of her resume and cover letter in person and called to follow up.
As a result, she’d started looking for more individual clients, à la her previous arrangement with Blake. It wasn’t ideal—she wasn’t ready to go full-time freelance yet—but it gave her a sense of purpose amidst rising panic over her career.
Meanwhile, Blake helped distract Farrah from her nagging worries. Their night at the garden, post-Sammy’s barbecue, proved to be the first of many non-carnal activities Blake persuaded her to indulge in. Farrah didn’t know how he did it, but she found herself picnicking in Central Park, taking day trips to Coney Island, and going on midnight strolls across the Brooklyn Bridge with the man she’d once sworn she’d never allow back into her life.
What was worse, Farrah enjoyed their non-dates. Very much. Each one aimed some sort of special Godzilla ray gun at the butterflies in her stomach, causing them to grow larger and larger until they threatened to take over her entire body.
“How long are you going to be in Miami?” she asked, shivering as the night chill skimmed over her skin.
August was the hottest month in the city, but it was eleven p.m. and they were 100 stories above the ground. Farrah wished she’d worn a jacket over her dress and sandals. Then again, she hadn’t planned for their lunch date—er, non-date to stretch this late into the night.
“A week. Lots of meetings and walkthroughs planned.” Blake pulled her to his chest and rubbed her arms, flattening some of her goosebumps. Warmth trickled into her stomach and she shivered again, this time for a whole other reason than the cold. “Don’t miss me too much.” His voice contained his signature cocky, teasing lilt.
“You