“That they’re in love?”
“Right! Are they already having sex?” Luke’s eyes widen. “Does Rob even know he wants her? Is he stupid, or just super private about it?”
“Luke, I think–”
“They’re best friends, Ally. It’s just the way it’s always been. But now maybe they’re fucking, and Emma’s always ready to throw down with bitches who want to hook up with Rob. Which means…” he frowns. “Damn. I’m in so much trouble.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m always tossing girls at him! Jesus, Ally. I owe Em a giant fucking ‘Sorry’.”
“For being his wingman?”
“Exactly! Why hasn’t she kicked my face in yet? She must hate me.”
I shrug, because honestly, from what I see in Emma’s eyes when she looks at Rob, I don’t know why she hasn’t hurt the guy’s twin brother. “She was here last night,” I say. “I got up for a drink around midnight, and they were cuddled up on the couch.”
“Cuddled?” he asks slowly. “Or sitting near each other?”
“They were…” I try to think back. “Well, not cuddled. But she put her feet in his lap.”
“Which is a totally acceptable thing to do with your best friend.” Then he flashes a wide grin. “Wanna be my best friend?”
“What?”
“You just said you don’t have one. Now you do.” He smacks a kiss to my lips and steals a small chunk of my heart. “But Rob and Emma… they’ve been besties since they learned how to spell B-F-F. No one looks at them twice, because it’s always been this way. But now you’re putting these ideas in my head, and suddenly, I’ve decided I’m gonna enjoy the Emma and Rob show. She’ll be the end of him,” he chuckles. “It’ll be so much fun to watch.”
“Okay, well…” I pull away from Luke’s hold and take a step back. “You enjoy that telenovela life. Let me know when they decide to kiss.”
“I sure will, best friend. You’ll be the first person I tell.”
“Uh… okay.” I try not to let my heart flutter from the ‘best friend’ references. “I’ll… um… dinner?”
“Yep! I’ll be at your door at seven… best friend.”
“You can stop calling me your best friend now.”
“Never! It’s brand new, and I ain’t done playing with it yet. Have a fun day, best friend.”
“Luke…”
“You can call me ‘best friend’, too, ya know? The phrase can be male or female.”
“I’m just gonna go.”
“Okay, best friend. Have an awesome day.”
“Goodbye, Luke.”
“Goodbye, best friend! See you tonight.”
It’s already closing in on eight a.m., so I have less than an hour to get showered, changed, across town to the bakery for my iced coffee – Darcy would assume I died if I stop my routine now – then I have to get to Sonia’s office and pray the llama drama is over, and my job remains.
Nevermind the pesky fact that, yesterday, I swore I had never slept with Luke.
Now… that fact isn’t all that factual.
I race back toward my hotel, but I make sure to enjoy the warmth of the sun as I go. Fall is already here, and soon, winter will take over and steal this kind of pleasure, so I study the fallen leaves, the closing flowers, I search for bees, though I know they won’t be about. They’ll be somewhere else in the world, pollinating flowers and lapping up the spring warmth, and while they’re doing that, we’ll be here, grumbling about the incoming snowy winter.
So for today, just before I walk inside my hotel and lose the sun for as long as it takes to shower and change, I look up to the sky and smile at the warmth that tickles my cheeks.
You’d think, by this time in my life, I’d know that walking with my eyes closed is a bad idea.
I crash into something solid, squeak out my surprise, and prepare to fall to the ground when my feet tangle. But then strong hands wrap around my biceps, and hold me up. My eyes snap to a pair of green with golden flecks, to short, sandy-brown hair, to a man’s jaw whose stubble is trimmed short and neat.
“Oh my gosh!” I stumble and try to right myself. My feet imitate a cartoon octopus slipping on a banana peel. My hair flips into my eyes, and my hands clutch at the man’s arms before I fall to my face and completely humiliate myself.
But I guess I already did that.
“I’m so sorry!” I fix my footing, slam a hand to my thundering chest, and when I’m no longer at risk of falling down, I take another look at this man who looks to be mid-thirties, perhaps forty. He’s not old, and he’s not ugly. “I’m so clumsy, and I’m so sorry.”
The man chuckles good-naturedly. He smiles in a way that arrows straight for my heart, and when he speaks, his voice is low and dark, rumbling and sure. “It’s fine. Are you okay, Miss…?”
He waits for my name, and though I’m not usually one to hand it over so easily, for some reason, I thrust a hand forward now. “Ally. Allyson, sir. Did I hurt you?”
“Me?” He takes my hand and shakes with a slow, firm pump. “You didn’t hurt me.” Releasing my hand when it would be impolite to hold on any longer, the guy pokes a thumb over his shoulder toward the hotel. “You staying here?”
“Um… yeah.” I exhale a soft laugh. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice in there. You too?”
“Well, not yet. I just got to town, but I was heading in to get myself a room.”
“Oh, well, welcome to town. I can vouch for the hotel; it’s nice enough. It’s no five-star in the city, but it has its charms.” And why am I blurting out words? Unimportant words. “This town is nice too,” I rush on. “I don’t think I’ve eaten anything bad since I got here, so whatever you tend to eat, it’s unlikely you’ll be disappointed.”
“Well, that’s comforting. Do you int—”
“Ally?” A deep, booming voice makes me jump with surprise.
I spin, and find Luke jogging across the street in sweatpants and a Rollin On Gym tank, and though he’s smiling, he watches my companion with something a little short of friendly.
“Hey.” He jogs right up to me, wraps an arm around my hip, and I guess he’s into being the most obnoxious person in a group, because he slams his lips to mine and makes the kissy noises a little girl might make when marrying her Barbie and Ken dolls.
Luke releases me after a moment with a loud, seal-breaking gasp, and then he sets me back on my feet and looks to the guy watching us. “Bro… You good?”
“Luke!” I smack his chest and turn back to the guy who watches us with a lifted brow. “Geez. I’m so sorry. First I almost knock you over, then you’re treated to… well… that.”
“It’s okay.” He looks to Luke and offers a hand. “I didn’t intend to step on toes. I’m Jason. I’m new to town—”
“And need a tour from the first cute girl you happen across?” Luke scoffs under his breath. “Yeah, I’ve used that one before.”