The Love Wager

“The guy was lying.”

“I don’t think so.” Hallie picked up her beer and said, “He didn’t talk about cars or houses or anything braggy that would score him lady points; he literally just said he doesn’t work because he doesn’t have to.”

“I bet we see him drive away in a Kia,” Jack said. “With a taped-on bumper.”

Hallie drained the rest of her beer and said, “I bet we see him drive away in a Kia with a taped-on bumper and a pile of diamonds in the trunk.”

He gave her a look. “Diamonds, she says.”

“Diamonds.” Hallie grinned at Jack and was shocked that she was having a great time. She’d assumed the night would be an awkward bust, but since they’d left the date-a-thon and snagged an outdoor table at Taco Hut, she was actually having fun.

“Here you go.” The waiter set down Hallie’s taco basket and said, “Two chicken tacos with cheese on the bottom for you.”

Jack looked at her and gave his head a slow shake, like she was ridiculous.

“And four steak tacos with the works for you.”

As soon as the waiter walked away, Jack said, “Seriously, Piper? Cheese on the bottom?”

Hallie shrugged and picked up one of her tacos. “If it’s on top of the lettuce it doesn’t melt, and what is the point of cold, hard cheese?”

He just looked at her for a long moment, and then he said, “I have no idea.”

It was a gorgeous night, the downtown streets were buzzing with activity, and she herself was buzzing from the two quick beers. Jack had been wildly entertaining as he described in great detail the conversations he’d had with his candidates, and he’d thrown his head back and laughed his ass off when she told him about the TV-hater.

“So speed dating sucks.” Jack drained the last of his tequila on the rocks and set the glass on the table dramatically. “Let’s never do that again.”

“Agreed.”

“Want another one?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m going to have to go camp out at Starbucks for an hour as it is to get rid of this buzz.”

“Pathetic. What happened to my Crown-guzzling buddy?”

“She hit rock bottom when she found herself in a stranger’s hotel room.”

“Whoa.” Jack looked offended. “You consider me your rock bottom?”

“No,” she said, laughing, “but I consider the event my rock bottom.”

“Well,” he said, looking amused, “I thought your rock bottom was an amazing fucking time.”

Hallie laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Being with Jack was so different than being with Ben; it was so chill. Although it was ridiculous that she was even comparing the two, since she barely knew Jack Marshall.

“Okay. Jack.” Hallie cleared her throat and looked straight into his devilish eyes. “I only know you in the context of rock-bottom night and the dating app. But we don’t really know each other, do we? Are you from here? How many siblings do you have? What does a landscaping architect do?”

“You’re obviously stuck in the speed dating line of questioning,” he said. “Yes, I grew up here. I have a sister, Olivia—she was the bride on the rock-bottom night—and a brother, Will. I also have a sister-in-law, a brother-in-law who happens to be my best friend, and two nephews.”

“And the job . . . ?” Hallie was picturing someone who did yard landscaping, which she knew wasn’t correct.

“Um,” he said, grabbing a straw from the center of the table and unwrapping it. “The easy definition is that I design outdoor spaces. What about you? Is being a tax accountant as exciting as it sounds?”

“I know—it’s a job that’s literally used in movies to show how boring a person is.” Hallie laughed. “Want the viewer to know how bad your date was? Just say he was a tax accountant and that’s all the characterization needed. But it’s not boring to me. It’s lame, but there’s something very satisfying about numbers and reconciliation.”

Hallie watched as Jack started winding up the clear straw like she and her friends used to do in high school. He said, “I think that’s really—”

“Don’t say cool. It’s not cool. I like my job, but in no way is it cool.”

He gave a little laugh as he held out the straw and gestured for her to flick it. “Fine, it’s lame as fuck.”

“Easy”—she flicked the straw and smiled at the loud pop—“that’s my career you’re talking about.”

“What do you want from me, Hal?” He dropped the cracked straw onto the table. “Tough to please much?”

She leaned back in her chair and kicked her legs all the way out in front of her. It was such a nice late-summer night, and she was glad she was out enjoying it instead of at home in her jammies.

“So how long have you been single, TB?”

Hallie glanced at Jack, and he looked ultra-relaxed, too, leaning back the exact same way as he looked at her with friendly curiosity and no judgment.

“Um . . .” She looked down at the date on her phone. “A year . . . ?”

“Holy shit.” He looked at her like she’d just professed herself to be a llama. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Why is that so shocking?”

She knew why. That dude had had a ring in his pocket less than a month ago and he was already back out there—obviously he was all about relationships.

“It’s not,” he said, looking at her with a tiny crinkle between his eyebrows. “But when you said your whole winter-of-your-twenties thing, I assumed it was a fresh breakup.”

“Oh.” That made sense.

“So . . . you’ve dated during that time, haven’t you?”

She cleared her throat. “Before joining the dating app?”

He just gave her a duh look.

“Um, that’s a no, then.”

“Oh my God, TB, you are blowing my mind,” he said, and it was obvious he’d never considered someone could live their life without dating for that long of a stretch.

“That’s not that long, you know,” Hallie said. “I just didn’t want to rush into something I wasn’t ready for.”

“That’s smart, actually,” he said, and looked like he meant it.

“And it was the winter of my twenties.” She started explaining her thought processes and goals of the past year, feeling compelled to defend her actions even though he wasn’t asking her to.

“So you figured since your douchebag ex had broken your heart, you were going to spend the next year being miserable . . . ?”

“Oh, my God, you’re missing the point on purpose. I used that shitty time to save more money and improve myself so I’d be ready to take on the world when my spring arrived.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Is this your spring?”

She tilted her head and squinted. “I think it might be.”

After that they decided to walk back to their cars. She told him about Ruthie and he didn’t believe her that someone could be so unique, and then she told him about her new apartment. When she told him where it was, he suggested they walk to it so they could check it out at night and make sure the neighborhood wasn’t shitty.

On the way there, he pointed at the Carson building and said, “That’s my old building.”

“For real?” Hallie looked up at the high rise that was like a historical monument in Omaha. “Fancy.”

“My roommate made a shit ton of money and let me move into his condo and pay next to nothing on rent, so I was basically a mooch.”

“I’ve always wanted to see the inside of the building. They used to light it up every Christmas, and I always wondered what it looked like up close.”

“Wanna go in?”

“What?”

“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and yanked her toward the entrance.

“Jack—”

“Just shut up and come on.” He walked right up to the keypad beside the door and pressed a button.

A second later, a voice came out of the speaker and said, “Yes?”

“Olivia, it’s Jack. Can I show Hallie your apartment?”

“Who’s Hallie?” the woman—Olivia—asked.

“Jack, come on,” Hallie whispered, feeling like an idiot all of a sudden.

“She’s the wedding bartender,” Jack said.

“Wait—your dating buddy?” Olivia asked, sounding surprised.

“Bingo.”

“Come on up.”

Hallie gave him side-eye as the door buzzed open. “Who is she and how does she know about me? Obsessed much?”

He gave her a tiny shove. “She’s my sister, Olivia, the one who got me on the app—that’s the only reason she knows.”

“So your sister is—”

“Married to my former roommate and best friend. You were at their wedding.”

“Ahh, she was the bride.” Hallie followed him into the building, and the early-twentieth-century structure did not disappoint. Everything was meticulously designed and maintained, so it was almost like stepping into a fancy building from the past.

“I miss this building,” Jack said, leaning against the wall after knocking on his sister’s door. “So quiet.”

After a few seconds, the door opened and his sister—whom Hallie remembered the minute she saw her—smiled warmly. “Well, hello. It’s so nice to see you when my brother’s date isn’t throwing wine in your face.”

Hallie smiled back. “Right?”

“Where’s Col?” Jack asked, leading Hallie inside as Olivia held the door open.

“Colin,” Olivia yelled, “your little play friend is here.”

A door opened, revealing a room that looked like an office, and a guy walked out. She remembered him from the wedding because he was quite possibly the most attractive person she’d ever seen, and he grinned when he saw Jack.

“Did you come over for the game?” He walked over to the living room and picked up a remote. “Three minutes left in regulation.”

“I missed the whole damn thing,” Jack said.

“This is Hallie, by the way,” Olivia said, hobbling into the room. “Hallie, this is my husband, Colin.”

He smiled from across the room. “The wedding bartender. Nice to formally meet you.”

She felt a little weird about the fact they both seemed aware of her existence, but then Jack said, “My entire family sees you as a hero because you broke up me and Vanessa.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she said.

“Don’t ruin it.” Olivia laughed. “You’re like a legend.”

Before Jack had a chance to give her a tour of the condo, Olivia linked her arm through Hallie’s and said, “We’re going out on the balcony to chat. Don’t bug us.”

Jack

“Is she going to ask Hallie a hundred questions?” Jack asked, watching Olivia close the sliding door behind them.

“She’s your sister—what do you think?”

Jack looked at the girls through the window. “Maybe I should go out there.”

“Do you care, though?” Colin tipped back his bottle, drained the last of it, then said, “I mean, if she’s just a friend, who cares if nosy Liv pokes around?”

“Y’know what?” Jack stared at Colin for a second. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter.”

“She’s cute, though.”

“Huh?”

“Your bartender. Not too hard on the eyes, right?”

Jack looked at Hallie, chatting with Olivia out on the balcony.

No, she was not.

He’d barely noticed her looks the first time he’d met her at the jewelry store, probably because she’d been such a smartass while showing him rings, but now he found that fact pretty tough to believe.

Her green eyes, that lush mouth, the way she fell into easy laughter—TB was fucking hot. The image of her in those squirrel panties popped into his head, and he quickly pushed it away. That ridiculous undergarment shouldn’t have been sexy, but it sure as fuck had been on her.

Dammit.

It felt important that he forget—or at least try to forget—their sexual details and history. He liked their partnership (friendship?), and he didn’t want to get confused by attraction.

Again.

Hallie

“So.” Olivia sat down on a deck chair, propped her foot on the small matching table, and said, “Jack told me you’re, like, perma-wingmen to each other, is that right?”

“That’s actually a perfect description.” Hallie sat down on the other patio chair, relaxing a little since it was clear she wasn’t trying to grill her or something. “We’re both trying to find someone through the app, so we commiserate.”

“But the two of you . . . aren’t . . . like, interested in each other at all?”

“God, no.” Hallie shook her head and said, “We’re absolutely platonic.”

“And you’ve actually discussed that you aren’t into each other?”

“Wait, are you thinking he’s into me or something?” Hallie asked. “Because he’s totally not.”

“No, no, not at all,” she said. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Of course.”

“Jack’s kind of a hot mess right now. He’s always breezed through life, enjoying flirty-fun relationships with women like an overgrown child. But last year—”

Olivia leaned her head toward the door, making sure no one was coming out.

“Last year, his life was kind of upended. First, Colin and I fell in love and moved in together, so he kind of lost his best friend. Then our uncle Mack, his favorite relative and totally his hero, passed away suddenly.”

Hallie remembered Jack mentioning that his uncle Mack was with them at the baseball’s corresponding game. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. But for Jack, it was like everything in his life changed overnight. And then when Mack died and the only people who came to his funeral were people in our family, it really screwed with Jack’s head.”

“No friends?”

“None.” Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and said, “It was so unbelievable that this guy who was the life of every party and a total ladies’ man would die alone. Not a single friend or girlfriend—and he’d had so many—was close enough to him to feel compelled to show up for his burial. Like, what the hell, right?”

“Oof,” Hallie said.

“Total oof,” Olivia agreed. “It was right about that time that Jack started dating Vanessa.”

“Ah.”

“I have a theory that he was having a mini-crisis and latched onto Van out of panic.” Olivia gave her head a little shake and said, “He spent his whole life wanting to be like Mack, worshipping our fun party uncle, and then, just like that, he realized he had it all wrong.”

“That makes sense,” Hallie said quietly. It explained why someone like him would be with someone like his horrible ex. It also explained why he was already on a dating app, trying to make love happen.

“He went from single and loving it to moving in with his new girlfriend. Next thing I knew, he was buying a ring and talking about popping the question.”

Hallie could still picture Vanessa’s beautiful, bitchy face.

“Not gonna lie, I was thrilled about their inauspicious breakup. Sorry about the wine, by the way.”

“It happens.” Hallie shrugged and smiled at the memory.

“I put him on the app right away after that, hoping he’d meet someone nice, normal, and not in a race to the altar.”

“The opposite of Vanessa.”

“Bingo.” Olivia crossed her arms and said, “So when he told me he was talking to the wedding bartender, I was terrified. Not that you’re not awesome.”

Hallie coughed out a laugh. “I get it.”

“But I just worry about him jumping in too fast again,” Olivia said. “He was so lonely that I was worried he’d start dating you simply because it’s comfortable.”

“Low-hanging fruit, right?”

“Exactly. Like, low-hanging fruit can be the best fruit, don’t get me wrong, but you have to check the whole tree just to make sure.”

Hallie nodded. “I’m not sure if that analogy is perfect or terrible.”

“Perfectly terrible.” Olivia snorted and said, “It was just so weird how fast he did things with Van. It didn’t even seem like he really loved her, but more like he was forcing it, trying to make it fit.”

I think I was in love with the idea of you, Hallie, instead of who you actually are.

Yeah—she was familiar with the concept. Ben and Jack were of like minds, it seemed.

“But now, I’m thrilled by how things are going. He’s actually trying on the app, and he has you to encourage him. It’s a win-win.”

“For me, too,” Hallie said, and then Olivia launched into a hilarious story about when she and Colin first got together and Jack tried to kick Colin’s ass. After they went back inside, Hallie got the grand tour, and twenty minutes later she and Jack headed back out.

“I hope my sister didn’t grill you,” Jack said, giving her a questioning look.

“She didn’t. She seems great. Although . . . I do have to ask you something, and I’m pretty scared of your answer.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Your Ditka comment, coupled with your reaction to the overtime finish we just witnessed, has me seriously terrified that you’re a Bears fan. Say it isn’t so, buddy.”

They debated football as they walked toward her new apartment, and Hallie was disappointed to discover not only was he a Bears fan, but he also liked the Bulls. She could accept a lot of idiocy, but the Chicago Bulls?

Come on.

Thankfully they were both Liverpool fans, so she supposed they found some common ground. Outside her apartment, she pointed to where her balcony was and he pretended he could see it amongst the myriad others in the darkness.

She knew he couldn’t, but it was nice to have someone to dream with.