The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

            “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.