The Difference Read online

  Lucas looks over at me and smirks. “Yes, but I told her to wait about fifteen minutes before she heads this way. I was thinking the same thing.”

  “We’re fine,” I protest.

  “It’s not that far,” Harper says half-heartedly. I can tell she’s not ready to say goodbye.

  “It’s settled then.” Justin slides out of the booth and offers her his hand. Lucas does the same, and I’m on to his game, but I let him help me out of the booth all the same. No point in causing a scene and ruining Harper’s night.

  The night air is sticky, but the sky is clear, as clear as it can be in the city. Justin and Harper walk ahead of us, walking close, their arms touching, hands open as if one is waiting for the other to take charge.

  “He’s a good guy,” Lucas says.

  “Yeah? What about you?”

  He laughs. “You can trust us.”

  “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t buy that line. Did you already forget my dating history woes?”

  “So, you want to date me?” he asks, grinning.

  “You know what I mean.” I smack at his arm playfully, and his grin grows even wider.

  “I do.” He pulls out his phone. His fingers tap away at the screen before he puts it back in his pocket. “I sent you a message.”

  Sure enough, my phone beeps. Pulling it out of my bag, I see a new message from Lucas Prescott. Clicking on it, I see his full name and an address. Followed by a picture.

  “You keep a picture of your license on your phone?” I ask him.

  “I had to send it to my insurance agent for my car insurance renewal. He was traveling while I called him. He told me to text it to him, so I sent him a pic of my license. That prevents me from transposing the numbers, and it was faster.” He shakes his head. “You have my info. So rest assured that you’re safe with me knowing where you live.”

  “So you keep trying to convince me.”

  “You’re a hard nut to crack, Addyson.”

  I shrug. “Yeah, I didn’t used to be. Life has hardened me. You seem like a great guy, Lucas, but it’s going to take more than a few beers and a chivalrous walk home to convince me that you’re worth trusting. I no longer give that freely.” I can’t risk another gash in my heart. I’ve been down that road too many times to count. It’s more than just a broken heart. I’ve been used, lied to, cheated on. The list is endless. I need a break from the drama dating brings to my life.

  “Sounds like a challenge to me. I guess I’ll just have to prove it to you.”

  I have to make an effort to not roll my eyes. He talks a good game but so did all of the others. “You do that,” I say, not really caring what he thinks he has to prove. Same old song and dance.

  “This is me,” I say when we reach Harper and Justin. They’re sitting on the front step of my condo.

  “Roommates?” Lucas asks.

  “No, best friends since we were like three.” I laugh.

  “Those are rare these days.”

  “Don’t I know it.”

  “Well, ladies.” Justin stands. “It was a pleasure. We should do this again sometime.” He never takes his eyes off Harper.

  “Definitely.” She grins up at him.

  “Catch you later.” Lucas lightly leans his shoulder into mine before they turn and head back to the bar. I watch as he lifts his phone to his ear, calling his sister, or who he claims to be his sister to let her know they’re on their way back to the bar.

  “Addy,” Harper squeals. “Best girls’ night ever.”

  “It was a good night,” I agree, walking up the steps and unlocking my condo door. We sit on the couch for a while, and she talks about how much she likes Justin, and how great of a guy they both seem to be. I have to agree with her as far as first impressions go, they gave a good one. The true test will be if they reach out to us.

  “Did you give him your number?” I ask.

  “No.” She sighs dramatically and leans her head back against the couch. “I ruined it.”

  “I gave Lucas mine, well, kind of. He asked to use my phone and texted himself.”

  “Wow, what happened to sitting the bench?”

  “Him stealing my number has nothing to do with me and the bench. He claimed that Justin would forget to ask for yours, claiming his friend has no game, and he wanted to be able to give it to him.”

  “Did he take my number too?”

  “No.”

  Her eyes crinkle with mischief. “I see.” She grins.

  “You see nothing. I’m going to bed. Show yourself to your room.” I stand, and head down the hall. My spare room is set up for her and hers for me. We contemplated living together, but we wanted our own space. Nothing says adulting like paying rent on your own space all alone.

  Climbing into bed, I can’t help but replay the night. I’m happy for Harper. She needs a good man in her life. She’s not had the dating woes that I have, but then again, her walls were taller than mine. Not anymore. My walls are constructed and it’s going to take one hell of an army, or one hell of a man, to bring them down.

  Chapter Two

  Lucas

  * * *

  My ass barely hits the chair Monday morning before Justin is striding into my office.

  “I messed up,” he says, plopping down in the seat across from my desk.

  “Tell me more.” I struggle to contain my amusement.

  “I didn’t get her number. Who does that?” He throws his hands in the air in frustration. “I mean, we talked all night, walked them home, and my dumb ass failed to get her number. I spent all day yesterday trying to look her up online. She could be the one, and I fucked it all up,” he sighs and relaxes against the seat.

  “You done?” A grin tilts my lips.

  He glares at me. “Why in the hell are you smiling? Wait.” He studies me. “Please tell me you got Addyson’s number?” He’s bright-eyed and eager.

  “Maybe.”

  He scoots to the edge of his seat, pulling his phone out of his pocket, tapping the screen before looking up at me. “Let me have it.”

  “Not so fast. First of all, I don’t have Harper’s number, and second, you can’t call right now.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “We need a plan.”

  “We?”

  “Yes, we.”

  “And me calling Harper, the one woman I’ve met in recent months who is laidback and doesn’t seem to understand that I’m an Atwood is not a good enough plan?”

  “No. You like this girl. You can’t just call and say hey, do you like me? Check yes or no. You must have a plan. Dinner? Movie? Something. You have to call with a plan. Let her know you’ve been thinking about her and can’t wait to see her again. You reveal the plan, letting her know you really have thought about it.”

  “Right. Yeah, good idea.” He laughs. “Now what’s mine?”

  “How old are you again?”

  “Twenty-nine, and this is a first for me. I’ve never had to try. I tell them my last name and all bets are off. Hell, half of the time they already know who I am.”

  Justin Atwood is loaded. Well, his family is loaded and him by association. His grandfather was involved in the food service industry, making enough money that Justin’s grandkids never have to work a day in their lives. Justin has a trust fund that he’s never touched, choosing to make his own way in the world. He’s a damn fine architect. We went to college together where he graduated a year before me. When it was time for my externship, he gave me the inside track here at our firm. Like him, they offered me a job as soon as it was over.

  “Exactly,” I tell him. “It’s why you need to have your shit in order before you call. Besides, I don’t have Harper’s number. I have Addyson’s, remember?”

  “You interested?” he asks me.

  “You heard her, right? She’s jaded. And in no way is looking.”

  “Not what I asked you,” he says, calling me out.

  “She’s gorgeous, but she’s not into it.”


  “Why’d you take her number?”

  “One, I knew you would forget. I could tell you were really into Harper, and that’s not something I’ve seen with you before. Two, she’s a good time, and it never hurts to have the number of a beautiful woman.”

  “I need something… epic.”

  “Epic?” I raise my eyebrows.

  “First date and all that.” He shrugs.

  “Right, so what you got?”

  “Dinner?”

  “You call dinner epic?” I counter.

  “Fine, what do you suggest?”

  “I’ll ask Addyson.” I grab my phone and fire off a text.

  * * *

  Me: Hey, so Justin’s crazy about your girl.

  * * *

  Addyson: Is that so?

  * * *

  Me: Yep. He wants to ask her out but wants it to be “epic.”

  * * *

  Addyson: Epic, huh? What’s he thinking?

  * * *

  Me: That’s where you come in.

  * * *

  “What’s she saying?” Justin asks.

  “Nothing yet. I told her you wanted the date to be epic.”

  He groans. “Kill me now.” I throw my head back in laughter.

  * * *

  Addyson: We have plans this weekend and she works Friday night.

  * * *

  Me: Care to let me in on those plans?

  * * *

  Addyson: I don’t know…

  * * *

  Me: Come on, Addyson. We’re the good guys.

  * * *

  Addyson: That is yet to be determined.

  * * *

  Addyson: But she likes him too.

  * * *

  Addyson: There’s a festival going on at St. Pierre Park on Saturday. We go every year.

  * * *

  Me: We’ll see you there.

  * * *

  Addyson: Tell Justin he better not make me regret this.

  * * *

  Me: She’s in good hands.

  * * *

  I wait for her reply, but it never comes. Tossing my phone back on my desk, I look at Justin. He’s still sitting on the edge of his seat, watching me, waiting for me to tell him. “I guess there’s a festival this weekend at St. Pierre Park. Addyson says she and Harper go every year. Harper has to work Friday night, so this is your only shot this weekend.”

  “We could go to dinner one night this week.”

  “You could,” I agree. “Or you and I can go to this festival and we can run into them. Then you can ask for her number on your own.”

  Slowly, he nods. “Yeah, that could work. Did she say anything?”

  “Focus. We are not in junior high.” I chuckle. “She said Harper was into you, and to not make her regret telling us where they’ll be.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Looks like we’re going to a festival.” He stands and straightens his tie.

  “What if I had plans this weekend?”

  “Cancel them.”

  My laughter follows him out of my office door. Grabbing my phone, I fire off another text.

  * * *

  Me: We’re in. What time?

  * * *

  Addyson: Six.

  * * *

  Me: Where?

  * * *

  Addyson: Come on now, where’s the fun in that? I told you where we would be. It’s up

  to you to find us.

  * * *

  I smile down at my phone.

  * * *

  Me: See you Saturday.

  * * *

  This time I don’t wait for the reply that I know won’t come. Instead, I call Justin.

  “I just left your office,” he says in greeting.

  “They’re going to be there Saturday at six.”

  “Right.”

  “So we need to be there at least at five thirty.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re not meeting them there. We have to find them.”

  “Done.”

  “You’re driving.”

  He laughs. “I don’t care who drives as long as I get to see her again and this time get her damn number.”

  “What would you do without me?”

  His reply is laughter and the line going dead. Pushing our weekend plans from my mind, I get busy on the plans that I have spread out on the table in my office. Time to earn my paycheck. Lucky for me I have a job that I love.

  Chapter Three

  Addyson

  * * *

  I haven’t told Harper that Lucas and Justin might be at the festival today. I didn’t want to get her hopes up. I’ve been down that road too many times to count, and if I can spare that for my best friend, I will. Besides, even if they do show up, who says they’ll actually find us. I probably should have told him that we would meet them, but where’s the fun in that? Justin needs to work for it if he wants her. Harper deserves that and nothing less.

  Even though I have no intentions of dating, I still take my time getting ready. Just because I’m not interested doesn’t mean I don’t want to impress. Besides, a night of flirting with Lucas doesn’t sound so terrible. With one final glance in the mirror, I grab my phone and crossbody purse. Making sure I have my keys, I head out the door. I told Harper I’d drive today. Just in case there is an off chance that they do show up, and they hit it off, I wanted to give her an easy out for him to drive her home. I’m not a complete hater when it comes to relationships and men, just when it involves me. I’m cursed in some way.

  When I pull into Harper’s apartment complex, she’s sitting outside on the bench, nose buried in her phone. I blow the horn, causing her to jump. I laugh when she scrambles to keep from dropping her phone.

  “Nice welcome.” She smiles as she buckles herself into the passenger seat.

  “Hey, I do what I can,” I tease.

  “I’m starving. I swear my mouth is watering just thinking about the festival food.”

  “You and me both. That’s the only reason I go.”

  “Come on, you love the atmosphere as much as I do.”

  “You’re not wrong. There’s just something about it that brings back childhood memories, but I wouldn’t be destroyed emotionally if I never got to go again. I mean, if they were no longer serving food.”

  She throws her head back against the seat and howls with laughter. “You and me both. All I’ve had today is a banana. I needed to save room.” She pats her flat stomach. “So, have you talked to Lucas?”

  I’ve been waiting for this question to pop up. “Yeah, he texted me earlier in the week.”

  “What? When? Why didn’t you tell me?” She fires off questions.

  “This,” I say, taking a hand off the wheel and pointing at her, “is why. I knew you would freak out.”

  “I’m not freaking out,” she backtracks. “I just don’t know why you didn’t tell me.”

  Here goes nothing. “Because I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “What?”

  I quickly glance over at her, before putting my eyes back on the road. Her brow is furrowed; she’s utterly confused. “They’re coming today. Well, I think they are. Lucas said they’d be here.”

  She reaches over and smacks my arm. “And you didn’t tell me. Look at me.” She looks down at her cut-off jean shorts and flip-flops. “I’m a mess.”

  “No, you’re you, Harper. That’s why I didn’t tell you. I know how much you like this guy after only a few hours at the bar. I wanted you to be you. If he can’t like you for who you are, then you don’t need him in your life.”

  “But I could have made an effort.”

  I laugh. “You did. Your hair is curled, you have on makeup, and your cut-offs show off your legs. You look like you, beautiful as always.”

  “What time are they coming? Are we meeting them?”

  This part is probably going to piss her off. “Well,” I say slowly. “I told them what time we woul
d be here, and they’re going to find us.”

  “What do you mean? They’re going to find us?”

  “I didn’t exactly make plans with them. I told them where we would be and what time. I told him that if they found us, we could all hang out.”

  “Why? Why would you do that?”

  “He needs to work for it.”

  “He’s not one of your laundry list of guys who’s shit on you, Addy. He’s a great guy who I believe actually liked talking to me and didn’t even try to get me back to his place or in the back of his car.” She stops talking, and I wait her out. I’ve known her long enough to know she’s not done yet. “This isn’t even about me, is it? This is about you. About you and Lucas.”

  “What?” It’s my turn to be surprised. “No. I mean, yes, he’s hot as hell, but I told you. I’m on a break. A really nice, long break.”

  “Then why not give him my number to give to Justin? Why the game?”

  “I want to see you happy. If he finds you here, you’ll know he’s really into you. He’s not looking for easy. He’s willing to put in the work.”

  “It’s a festival, Addyson.”

  “Right, but there are going to be thousands of people there. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”

  “Exactly!” she says, exasperated. “They might never find us.”

  “True, but what if they do?” I ask, pulling into a prime parking spot and turning off the engine. I feel a twinge of guilt. I know she likes him and wants to get to know him. I probably should have just told them where to meet us. However, I like the idea of him working for her affection. He needs to earn it. It’s better to find out now if he’s not willing to put in the effort.