Page 82 of The Billionaire Mismatch

“You should buy it,” he tells me.

“No…” I say apprehensively, though still smiling as I unlatch it and set it back on the rack.

“Why not?” he asks. “If you love it, buy it.”

My only reaction to that is to laugh lightly. “If only that was how life worked. Love it, buy it. And still be able to pay the electric bill and buy wine to boot.”

“It could be how life works,” he says and I don’t know what he means by that. It stirs something in me deep enough to make my chest flutter, and I decide not to let him elaborate.

“We should go,” I tell him. “There’s another store I want you to see.”

I make my way towards the front, and my phone buzzes again. Sadie. I really should text her back. Stepping outside, I pull up the text stream.

Sadie: I need coffee. You want to get coffee?

That was the text from earlier, the one that interrupted us at the studio.

Sadie: Girl. It’s your day off. Aren’t we going to hang out? Coffee? Brunch? Shopping? Shit, I’d go for a run right now. My new job is boring af. I need some girl time.

Olivia: Sorry. I was taking care of something at work…

It’s a lie. Sort of. I don’t know. Ugh. Who even am I right now?

Sadie: It’s your day off. You shouldn’t be dealing with work things.

She sounds demanding; I know. But Sadie is just protective. She cares about me and knows that I am a workaholic. Which makes me feel worse when I lie again.

Olivia: I forgot to plug in my tablet. I wanted to make sure it would be fully charged.

Sadie: Right. Brunch?

I bite my lip. I’m torn. On one hand, I’d love to. On the other hand, I’m really enjoying this date.

Olivia: Rain check?

Sadie: Ugh. For real? Livv…I’m bored to death here. You’re my best friend.

Olivia: I know, I know. I’m just…running errands.

Sadie: I’ll run them with you. I don’t care if you’re at the DMV. I’ll go with you and we can grab mimosas after. Or go to that new beer wall. Anything.

Olivia: What if we hang out tonight?

I am about to say we can watch Pretty in Pink and eat Thai food in our pajamas and practice TikTok trends on each other’s hair. I may or may not have given in and bought the newest hair wand. But before I can type that, she answers back.

Sadie: Yes! Let’s go out! Seriously, how long has it been since we have gone out?

Olivia: Go out?

Sadie: Yes. You know…dressing up, dancing, eye-fucking men across the bar until they buy us drinks.

Right. That. I’m not sure how to answer, and I’m pretty sure my vanishing and reappearing ellipses on her phone tell her that.

Sadie: Unless you have plans…

She doesn’t say Luca’s name. And yet, by not saying his name, we both know she is saying his name.

Speaking of Luca…where is he?