Pellican said with a warning tone. “Your ass better be there.”
Bardo slumped in his seat, accepting his fate. With a chuckle, Matt tapped him on the arm. “It was a decent try.”
“Oh, by the way, ” Pellican said, relaxing his tone now and reaching toward the carton. “My sister’s helping, too, and she said she’ll probably bring her friend, Hailey. Tragan, I think you might be feeling her.”
“ Really?” Tragan said, though he was not particularly interested.
“ Yeah, Hailey’s really cute,” Pellican told him. “You know that girl Mia you used to date? Hailey sort of looks like her. I think she’s your type.”
“Okay,” Tragan said with an acquiescent shrug, which was his way of saying “we’ll see.” Deep down he knew it wasn’t going to happen. Even if Pellican’s sister’s friend was cute as hell, Tragan was already way too into somebody else. As frustrating as this whole Andy thing was, right now she was the only girl he wanted--and the only girl he could picture as his.
Chapter Eigh teen
On Friday that week, Andy met her sister at the Copley Mall for lunch. Emma worked flex hours at the science fiction magazine, Alien Notion , which rented an office suite on the sixth floor. After they ordered Caesar salads, Andy reached for her glass of water--and almost did a double-take.
“What is it?” Emma said, noticing.
“Oh, nothing,” Andy replied, realizing she’d been mistaken. “I just thought I saw Tragan. That guy over there...” She waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the sporting goods store across from the restaurant. “It’s not him.”
“Hmm, ” Emma murmured thoughtfully. “That’s the second time you thought you spotted Tragan. Before, it was over by the escalator. I’m thinking that either a fleet of sinister doppelgangers have descended on the city-- or --he’s on your mind for some reason.”
Rolling her eyes, Andy laughed. “ Sinister doppelgangers? That’s the Alien Notion talking.”
“ Fine, but still.”
At twenty-seven , Emma seemed perennially youthful in her appearance--especially now, with her cute, sardonic smile, and her shiny brown hair hanging straight, with a slim, narrow braid falling along each side of her face. One would never guess she was a widow and the mother of two small boys.
“ No, he’s not on my mind, per se,” Andy said now. “Though, I feel like I haven’t seen him in a few days,” she admitted. The truth was, she was starting to miss Tragan a lot. He’d been working long hours and life in the apartment seemed incomplete without him.
“So what’s he like?” Emm a asked now, sipping her soda. “Is he turning out to be semi-obnoxious like Ethan said?”
“Not at all,” Andy stated emphatically. “I really don’t get what Ethan was talking about. Tragan’s really nice. He has a good sense of humor, too--and he’s fun.”
“Good sense of humor? I ’m already seeing the disconnect between him and Ethan,” Emma remarked dryly.
Just then the waitress set down their salads . Immediately she apologized for forgetting the dressing, before hurrying off to get it.
“ Plus, he’s considerate,” Andy went on. “And he’s really cute,” she added without thinking.
“Wait, he is ?” Emma said, pausing as she stabbed into the lettuce. “I don’t recall you mentioning that detail when you first moved in.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I didn’t realize it at first.” Strangely, it was the truth. Her attraction to Tragan had definitely grown since their initial meeting--though it was hard to believe she could have missed how incredibly hot he was.
Appearing thoughtful, Emma didn’t say anything to that. Then after a moment of Andy pushing her salad around, she asked, “So what about Brad?”
Guiltily, Andy looked up, somehow feeling caught. “What about him?”
Innocently, Emma said, “How are you guys
Bardo slumped in his seat, accepting his fate. With a chuckle, Matt tapped him on the arm. “It was a decent try.”
“Oh, by the way, ” Pellican said, relaxing his tone now and reaching toward the carton. “My sister’s helping, too, and she said she’ll probably bring her friend, Hailey. Tragan, I think you might be feeling her.”
“ Really?” Tragan said, though he was not particularly interested.
“ Yeah, Hailey’s really cute,” Pellican told him. “You know that girl Mia you used to date? Hailey sort of looks like her. I think she’s your type.”
“Okay,” Tragan said with an acquiescent shrug, which was his way of saying “we’ll see.” Deep down he knew it wasn’t going to happen. Even if Pellican’s sister’s friend was cute as hell, Tragan was already way too into somebody else. As frustrating as this whole Andy thing was, right now she was the only girl he wanted--and the only girl he could picture as his.
Chapter Eigh teen
On Friday that week, Andy met her sister at the Copley Mall for lunch. Emma worked flex hours at the science fiction magazine, Alien Notion , which rented an office suite on the sixth floor. After they ordered Caesar salads, Andy reached for her glass of water--and almost did a double-take.
“What is it?” Emma said, noticing.
“Oh, nothing,” Andy replied, realizing she’d been mistaken. “I just thought I saw Tragan. That guy over there...” She waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the sporting goods store across from the restaurant. “It’s not him.”
“Hmm, ” Emma murmured thoughtfully. “That’s the second time you thought you spotted Tragan. Before, it was over by the escalator. I’m thinking that either a fleet of sinister doppelgangers have descended on the city-- or --he’s on your mind for some reason.”
Rolling her eyes, Andy laughed. “ Sinister doppelgangers? That’s the Alien Notion talking.”
“ Fine, but still.”
At twenty-seven , Emma seemed perennially youthful in her appearance--especially now, with her cute, sardonic smile, and her shiny brown hair hanging straight, with a slim, narrow braid falling along each side of her face. One would never guess she was a widow and the mother of two small boys.
“ No, he’s not on my mind, per se,” Andy said now. “Though, I feel like I haven’t seen him in a few days,” she admitted. The truth was, she was starting to miss Tragan a lot. He’d been working long hours and life in the apartment seemed incomplete without him.
“So what’s he like?” Emm a asked now, sipping her soda. “Is he turning out to be semi-obnoxious like Ethan said?”
“Not at all,” Andy stated emphatically. “I really don’t get what Ethan was talking about. Tragan’s really nice. He has a good sense of humor, too--and he’s fun.”
“Good sense of humor? I ’m already seeing the disconnect between him and Ethan,” Emma remarked dryly.
Just then the waitress set down their salads . Immediately she apologized for forgetting the dressing, before hurrying off to get it.
“ Plus, he’s considerate,” Andy went on. “And he’s really cute,” she added without thinking.
“Wait, he is ?” Emma said, pausing as she stabbed into the lettuce. “I don’t recall you mentioning that detail when you first moved in.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I didn’t realize it at first.” Strangely, it was the truth. Her attraction to Tragan had definitely grown since their initial meeting--though it was hard to believe she could have missed how incredibly hot he was.
Appearing thoughtful, Emma didn’t say anything to that. Then after a moment of Andy pushing her salad around, she asked, “So what about Brad?”
Guiltily, Andy looked up, somehow feeling caught. “What about him?”
Innocently, Emma said, “How are you guys
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