an hour to pack everything I own into a single suitcase should have probably been a huge warning sign that this relationship wasn’t built to last. I mean, who was I kidding? We’re not actually a committed couple living together, I was just a long-term guest in his apartment—probably because it was more convenient for him to have a live-in hookup than to go to the trouble of picking up tricks whenever he wanted to get laid.
I’m seriously an idiot.
With a growl of aggravation, I grab my to-go bag and bottle of wine from where I left them on the counter before wheeling my sparkly blue suitcase out the door and slamming it behind me.
I order a Lyft and head straight to Lily’s place. I know having me crash is the last thing she needs when she has a seven-year-old to wrangle, but it’ll only be for one night. I’ll be heading to Vegas tomorrow for my brother’s bachelor party, then onto Finchley for the wedding. I guess I’ll just have to figure out a new living situation during my week away.
Lily’s bright blue eyes widen the moment she opens the door to see me on the threshold. “Oh my god. What…?”
“I’m boyfriendless and homeless,” I tell her, knowing I sound completely pathetic. “But on the bright side, I have wine and cheesecake.”
She offers a bright smile and steps aside to allow me to enter the apartment. “Well, in that case…come on in!”
“Thanks. And I’m sorry for showing up like this. Hope I didn’t wake Joel.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “It’s fine. His class had a field trip today so he’s basically dead right now.” She turns and leads me into the living room of her apartment. “Of course, he’ll probably be up at some ungodly hour tomorrow morning, but that’s tomorrow’s problem.”
Ah, kids. I love them—I mean, I wouldn’t be able to do my job properly if I didn’t—but I definitely prefer being able to leave them with their parents and just walk away once my shift is over.
I set my suitcase next to the sofa in the living room, then move to the kitchen, setting the to-go bag down and retrieving a plate from one of the overhead cupboards.
“Damn, that smells good,” Lily says from the other side of the counter as I heat up my dinner.
“It should,” I say with a wry smile. “It’s a hundred-and-sixty dollar steak.”
She mouths the word ‘wow,’ before shaking her head and fixing me with a pointed look. “So are you going to tell me what happened?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Well, he took me to dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. Then he proceeded to wait until after we’d ordered to break up with me.”
Lily cringes. “Ouch.”
“I can’t believe I thought he was planning to propose. I’m such an idiot.”
“It was hardly an unreasonable assumption,” she says in a fierce tone, loyal as ever. “You’ve been together for two and a half years. And who the hell takes someone to a fancy restaurant just to dump them?”
“I guess he figured I wouldn’t make a scene somewhere fancy like that.” I take my dinner and the bottle of wine over to the small kitchen table and sit down. “There’s cheesecake in that bag, by the way—help yourself.”
“I’ll wait until you’re onto dessert,” Lily says, bringing two wine glasses over and taking the seat opposite me. She arches one of her dark blonde brows at me. “Please tell me you made a scene anyway.”
The corner of my mouth quirks up in a smile. “Of course I did. What do you take me for?”
Okay, I’m going to admit: the steak is pretty damned good. But for a hundred-and-sixty dollars, you’d think it’d be accompanied by more than a few green beans. I’m suddenly really craving the steak, crispy fries, and salad that’s my favorite meal at the Finchley saloon.
“Cheesecake?” Lily suggests after I’m done with my meal.
I nod eagerly. “Yes, definitely. I hope it’s more filling than that was, or I’ll be raiding your fridge.”
She gets up and moves to the kitchen, bustling around setting the pieces of cheesecake on plates for each of us, and retrieving forks from a drawer under the counter. She returns to the table and sets my dessert in front of me before taking her seat.
“So, how are you feeling?” she asks gently, sympathy plain in her voice.
“Like an idiot,” I grumble, stabbing my fork into the cheesecake. “I mean, it’s weird…I should feel