Somewhere in Between (Madison Square #1) Read Online Free

that was a tad overdramatic. The sun was up, but barely.
    Overall, Madison Square is the best place to live, at least in my humble opinion. I was lucky enough to find a gorgeous apartment in an old townhouse three blocks from work. It had everything I wanted and so much more: beautiful hardwood floors, windows spanning from the floor to the cathedral ceilings…
    I was overwhelmed by the design potential and the little quirks that reminded me of its past: The linen closet that always smells like pine needles, the initials carved into the baseboard behind my bed, the nail in the hallway just beyond the kitchen that refused to stay down no matter how many times I nailed it back into the floor.
    What sold it for me, though, was the view. It overlooks Madison Square Park, a beautiful little Eden that covered an entire square block. The trees were full of color in the fall, and there were jazz concerts near the fountain in the center of the square every summer. I would throw open all the windows and sit on my couch with a glass of wine, letting the music sweep me away.
    I plopped down in our place, a bench in the center of the square, and rested my elbows on my knees to wait for Drew. He lived just across the square, which was very convenient when stumbling home drunk. It may have seemed like just a bench, but it was the place where our lives met. It was neutral territory, a place dead center between his apartment and mine.
    I rested my head in my hand, blowing a stray piece of hair out of my face, wishing he would just hurry the hell up.
    “Good morning, Red!” Drew dropped down next to me, stretching an arm out on the back of the bench.
    “You said you would have coffee,” I said, lazily rolling my head to the side to look up at him.
    “Chill. Here.” He handed me my extra-large coffee with cream and sugar, my usual from our favorite coffee place, Down the Street. That was the name of the coffee place as well as the directions to it. Every time someone suggested getting coffee, it had a tendency to start an Abbot and Costello “Who’s on First?” routine, which, apart from the excellent brew, was why I loved Down the Street.
    When there was enough caffeine running through my system to string words together, I focused on him. “What was so important you had to wake me up at this unholy hour?”
    He grinned. The amusement he felt was reflected in his deep blue eyes. I know that look all too well. He was up to something. “No reason. Just thought you might like to know that I scored an invite to Rags & Riches.”
    I gulped, sending scalding hot coffee down my throat. Coughing and sputtering, I spilled half my cup all over the sidewalk in front of me. Drew laughed and handed me a napkin from the bag at his feet.
    When I finally got a hold of myself, I turned on him. “Are you serious?”
    “Yep, but if you don’t want to go, I can find someone else to be my plus one.”
    I slapped his arm for even suggesting such a thing, and he rubbed it, pretending to be in pain.
    “How did you pull this off?” My voice wavered and my eyes watered with excitement. Well, from excitement and from almost choking on my coffee.
    Drew just shrugged. “I’m awesome.” He shot me the cheesiest smile he could come up with.
    Rags & Riches was a gala benefit for the arts. It gave upcoming artists a chance to rub elbows with the masters in their field. Musicians, visual artists, writers, playwrights, actors, etc., were all given a chance to mingle with their heroes. As an interior designer, I’d been dying to go for years.
    I couldn’t contain my excitement anymore. I launched myself at Drew, wrapping my arms tight around his neck, catching him off guard as he tried to catch his balance.
    “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” I squealed.
    Drew chuckled, pulling at my arms to release him. Once he was free, he pulled the invite from his pocket. I snatched it from his hand and scanned over every inch, trying to commit every detail to