The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

            “Sorry, sorry.” She heard him clear his throat before he said, “How’s Tig?”

            Hallie rolled over onto her side and grinned. “Everything I could ever want in a bestie.”

            His chuckle was deep and raspy, like he was tired. “I should bring him some catnip. I can’t give it to Meowgi anymore because he gets too hyper.”

            She loved the way he sounded annoyed and in love all at the same time whenever he talked about his kitten.

            “You should. He misses you.” Hallie kind of felt like she did, too, because they hadn’t hung out in a while. “He wants to show you his new place.”

            When she’d gone back to the shelter with Alex to officially adopt Tigger that day, she’d been shocked to see Jack after she’d told him he didn’t have to come. He said that he was on his way home and just thought he’d swing by to see if she needed any help, and then he’d been surprisingly friendly to Alex as the three of them got her fluffy boy into his carrier.

            It had been unexpectedly sweet, and she honestly hadn’t known what to make of it.

            He said, “I’ll be in Minneapolis for the next two weeks on business, but I’m having dinner with Kayla the Friday I get back. Maybe I’ll swing by afterward.”

            “Sounds good.” She looked over at the window and at the darkened city beyond it. “How are things going with Miss PhD, by the way?”

            “Good.” He cleared his throat and said, “We’re both so busy with work that we haven’t talked a lot, but good.”

            “Dinner is promising, though, right?” she asked, wishing he’d share a little more about Kayla. He said things like She seems great, but he never really went into any detail.

            “Yeah, it’ll be great,” he said. “I imagine I’ll be over at your place around ten, if that works.”

            It’ll be great. What did that mean? She said, “We can DoorDash ice cream and watch a movie.”

            “It’s a date,” he said.

            Hallie turned her eyes back to the ceiling. It’s a date. She wondered, not for the first time, if she was being honest, what it would be like to actually date Jack. She didn’t want to—she loved their friendship—but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t think of their hot hotel sex and their Pride & Prejudice moment in her living room from time to time.

            They ended the call not long after that, and then Alex called her.

            She liked talking to him, really, but she couldn’t help but notice their conversations lacked the fun that always accompanied a call with Jack. It was probably an unfair comparison, though, because no one had the easy banter she and Jack had. They were friends, which was what made it so comfortable and natural, and she and Alex were still becoming something.

            It had nothing to do with Jack, and everything to do with their newness.

            Easy explanation.





Jack


            Jack was waiting for the hotel elevator when his phone buzzed. It was Hallie.

            Hallie: Help! Going to dinner and can’t choose.

            The picture that followed was of two pairs of shoes— high-heeled black boots and a pair of black pumps.

            The elevator doors opened, and Jack stepped inside before texting her back.

            Jack: Depends on the outfit.

            Hallie: Okay, one sec.

            As he rode the elevator down to the lobby, he had a hard time not smiling, picturing Hal hopping on one foot as she tried putting on her shoes quickly.

            She texted: Option #1.

            It was a picture of the whole outfit, and he did smile then. Hallie looked gorgeous in a black dress, tall boots, and red lipstick, but her tongue was out and her eyes were crossed.

            The doors opened and Jack started walking toward the lobby.

            Jack: Boots are sexy, that face is not.

            Hallie: How about this sexiness?