Read Online You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross and Mark Perini - Free Book Online Page B

“You don’t have to—”
    â€œSit,” she orders, pointing at a chair pulled up to the counter. “You slept on my balcony without permission, so now I’m forcing you to eat my cooking.”
    â€œTalk about hardships.” I sit as commanded and watch Finley move around the kitchen in pajama pants. “The view is really nice here.”
    She glances over her shoulder and sees that I’m looking at her backside, not the balcony. She cracks an egg into a bowl one-handed. “No more of that. We’re done with that.”
    I grin. “Are you convincing me or yourself? I couldn’t tell.”
    â€œI’m serious, Eddie.” She sets the bowl down and crosses her arms. “I need to succeed at the one-night stand, which means you and I are just having a friendly, coworker-type chat. Got it?”
    I hold my hands up in surrender. “Got it.”
    She gives a satisfied nod and spins around again. I lean on one elbow and continue enjoying the view. In a little while, I’ll have to go back to my hellhole apartment with way too many dudes in it, so this is nice. Accidentally getting caught.
    My cell, with its one percent battery remaining, buzzes. I glance quickly at the newest calendar event: Manhattan Trust, meeting with lawyer, one hour . My stomach flips at the reminder, and I must look nervous or something, because Finley stops what she’s doing.
    â€œWhat?” she asks.
    The knot in my stomach double-ties itself. But I shake my head and force a grin. “Nothing. Just a thing I have to go to in a little while.”
    â€œA thing?” Finley asks. “That explains so much.”
    She’s just set a freshly made omelet in front of me, so I busy myself shoving a big bite into my mouth. The cheese is so hot, it burns my tongue. “This is really good.”
    I’ve distracted her with compliments, and we discuss anything but my “thing” while I finish eating and then convince Finley to let me wash all the dishes—it’s the least I can do.
    A little while later, I glance at the microwave, checking the time, and immediately snatch my bag up and toss it over my shoulder. “I better head downstairs and get a shower before my…meeting.”
    â€œYeah, sure,” Finley says while shoving a clean bowl up into a tall cabinet. “Wait…” She stops and turns to face me. “Downstairs? Does that mean your agency apartment is…”
    Uh…yeah. I give her a grim smile. “I didn’t mention that earlier? I could have sworn that I did.”
    â€œNope.” She shakes her head slowly. “Perfect. Just perfect.”
    â€œWe might not run into each other much,” I offer. I don’t know what else to say. She offers up a halfhearted nod and good-bye when my hand ends up on the doorknob seconds later. I guess that’s to be expected.
    But would it be that terrible if we did hang out?

CHAPTER 13
    Finley
    â€œWould it be that awful if we did hang out?” I ask Summer. “I mean, like, every once in a while, not all the time. He seemed like he needed a friend.”
    It’s probably lonely lying to everyone you know.
    â€œOnly you could turn a one-night stand into a charity event.” Summer snatches the bag of mini rice cakes from my hand and closes them. “I said you could have one, not one hundred.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Elana says to me from her spot at the end of Summer’s bed. “My mom will be back from the store any minute, and I’m sure she’s got something planned for dinner.”
    I groan internally, and Summer groans out loud. “How many sticks of butter do you think she’ll use tonight?” Summer snaps. “Three? Maybe four?”
    â€œProbably olive oil too,” Elana adds. “Last night, she wouldn’t let me leave the table until I cleaned my plate. She said that’s what American children