Two Men and a Baby - Isla Olsen Page 0,12

the words. It’s been like this for the last couple weeks—just random texts asking me questions and starting conversations, and then just randomly thrown in somewhere along the way is another request for a date. I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of nice to know he’s thinking of me and I can’t deny he’s been on my mind a lot as well. I haven’t flat out said no to any of his date suggestions, but I haven’t said yes either; I’m still on the fence about what to do here.

Me: Hands down Brandon Sanderson, you?

Connor Kelly: Ann M. Martin

I’m a little confused for a moment when I see the name. I’m pretty well read but I can’t for the life of me place that author, although it does sound slightly familiar.

Me: Is she a relation of George. R. R.?

Connor Kelly: Hell no. If George had Ann’s dedication people would not still be waiting for the sixth ASOIAF book!

I won’t lie, the fact he knows the series is called A Song of Ice and Fire and not simply Game of Thrones has definitely won him some points in my book. Curious, I switch over to my internet app and do a quick google search, my brows shooting up as I see the first result.

Me: No seriously, who’s your favorite author?

Connor Kelly: I just told you

Me: Your favorite author is Ann Matthews Martin, best known for writing the babysitters club series??

Connor Kelly: Yes

Me: According to Google those books for pre-teen girls

Connor Kelly: Well Google obviously hasn’t read them! There’s something for everyone in there - Ann is a masterful storyteller

My mind is suddeny populated with an image of Connor, with his big, bulky frame, tattoos, piercings and beard, sitting around reading Baby-Sitters Club books. I can’t help sputtering a laugh at the completely contradictory picture, which prompts Ben to arch an eyebrow from across the table.

Connor Kelly: I’m going to visit the building where Stacey lived when she was in New York later today. You should come with me and then we can go on our date afterward *wink emoji*

I decide to side-step the date question, like I usually do.

Me: How do you know where a fictional character from a book lived?

I can kind of understand visiting a ficional TV of movie character’s house if the filming was done on location, but I can’t imagine a children’s author included an actual address in one of her books.

Connor Kelly: She lived in the same building as John Lennon so it’s a pretty famous building

Me: Shit how old are these books?

Connor Kelly: Pretty old, but still relevant *smile emoji*

Connor Kelly: So, date later?

“And you’re seriously trying to tell me you’re not interested?” Ben says skeptically. “You’re practically fucking glowing.”

6

Connor

By February I’m starting to feel like I’m really settling into life in New York. I liked it fine in Denver, but this was always the plan—to get a job at a big Manhattan architecture firm and move back home.

In this business it turns out who you know can get you a long way, and in my case who I knew was my favorite college professor, Esther Levine. She’s a partner at this firm now and when they were hiring back in December, she reached out to me to come over for an interview. And, of course, I killed it.

The timing turned out to be kind of perfect because my brother Brendan had just decided to move in with his new boyfriend, Wade, over on Statan Island, which meant he needed someone to take over his apartment lease. Way uptown probably wouldn’t have been my first choice in terms of location, but I’m settled in now and I like the neighborhood. Besides, I can’t imagine I’d have been able to afford something else on such short notice without it coming with a roommate.

Things are starting to get a little chaotic around the office right now; our firm’s one of three that have been asked to pitch a design for a new luxury hotel one of New York’s biggest property developers wants to build in Atlantic City and I think the stress is starting to get to a lot of people.

“A fountain, Karen?” my colleague Doug snaps at a fellow member of our design team, rolling his eyes. “Get your head out of your ass—Spencer Cox won’t want to see a giant fountain outside his hotel.”

“It was just a suggestion,” Karen says, before turning narrowed eyes on Doug. “What brilliant idea have you come up with,