Which was ridiculous when she’d already told me that shedidn’twant to go out with me.
Then I got a text from Brian.
I don’t know why the hell you were walking around the city with Duffy Distefano this morning and hugging a cat, but you are BRILLIANT, my friend. People are eating that shit up.
My stomach dropped. There it was again, another reminder of what I was doing. I appreciated his job and the fact that he was looking out for me and what he knew I wanted for my career, but his comment made me feel like a user.
Like I was usingherfor “clout.”
But the truth was that I’d been dying to see her again and I’d wanted to fucking jump for joy when I found her earbuds. Hell, I would’ve given Dale Earnhardt Junior a fucking paw massage with my own two hands if that’d been what convinced her to meet me at the coffee shop.
But by the time I had our beers in hand and was on my way back to our seats, I had it together. I reminded myself that she’d happily volunteered to come with me for the sole purpose of good media, and in turn, I was going to use the night to convince her to actually go out with me.
It didn’t matter that I’d gone all lovesick at the sight of her, because nothing had changed.
She was along for the ride as my “friend,” and I was here to make her want more.
Challenge fucking accepted.
13
Duffy
“This isn’t necessary.”
“Sure it is,” Connor said, walking beside me down the city street. “And it gives me the chance to walk off my buzz before I go home.”
“Well, thank you.” Since I’d come straight from work and met Connor at the game, I had to walk back to the office, where my car was sitting in the parking garage. I was going to Uber home since I’d had some drinks, but I needed to grab my laptop and purse from my back seat before I could go.
And Connor was committed to being my security guard, apparently.
“By the way, a friend texted me during the game that apparently there are photos of us—and Dale—from this morning that have popped up on the internet,” he said, glancing over at me like he was trying to gauge my reaction.
“Really?” His life was so surreal. “I didn’t see anyone with a phone out—did you?”
“No, but I wasn’t looking,” he said. “I was way too into your cat to see anything else.”
“Dale is such an ass to treat you so well,” I said with an eye roll. “The guy claws my back anytime I take too long getting out of bed and preparing his meal—and I forgive him for this on a daily basis—yet all you do is plop your big ass in a chair and he gives you unconditional love.”
“Did you just call my ass big?” he said, giving me an overdramatic look of hurt. “Do you think I have a badonkadonk?”
“Please don’t use that word.”
“Are you or are you not throwing junk in my trunk, Duffy?”
“I amnot,” I said, obsessed with the way he was so stupidly easy to be around. “My unfortunate usage of the term ‘big ass’ was simply referencing your overall size, as in, ‘That giant walked his big ass over to the car and got in.’ It had nothing to do with your, um,posterior.”
“Oh. Good,” he said. “And Dale is right to love me unconditionally because my big ass is the shit.”
“Y’know, if the people on TikTok who are obsessed with your appearance knew how unserious you are, it might just ruin everything for them.”
“So now you’re saying my personality makes me ugly.Sucha ballbuster.”
“Yes, I am, you eyeball-assaulting troll,” I said dryly.
The rest of the walk was relaxed and fun, and I was disappointed when we reached the parking garage. He insisted on walking me all the way to my car, and then he insisted on waiting until my Uber arrived.
I found myself feeling nervous because he was such a gentleman and suddenly this felt a little date-like. Which was good, right? Although to be fair, every time I’d been friend-zoned in the past, it’d shocked the hell out of me and I’d absolutelynotseen it coming.