She grimaces at me. “What are you even saying right now? Of course, if done right, he should be using his knees.” She waves this off. “Enough about Jack. How areyou?”
“The same as always. You?”
“Boring. I can’t even be my own test subject on the dating app. I have no time. You won’t do it. I mean, the project is doomed, but more importantly”—she sips from her cup—“have there been any more notes from your secret admirer?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks with just the idea of lying to Jess. Actually, I can’t lie to her. So I don’t. “One,” I say. “Just one.”
Her brows shoot upward. “And?”
“And I wore my hair down.”
“Wait. What? I don’t understand the connection between your secret admirer sending you another note and the hair, but”—she holds up her hands—“I need to get this straight. You wore your hair down to work?You.Mia Anderson, the Queen Librarian who goes out of her way to look the role.” She presses her hands to her face and drags her hair back farther, as if imitating my normal hairstyle.
I shake my head at her antics. “I never wear it that extreme. But yes, I wore it down. And yes, I know. I’m just wild, aren’t I?”
“So wild,” she teases. “What in the world got into you? And feel free to connect the dots here for me at any point.”
“It all ties back to that one guy on the dating app. I think I told you about him. The one who messaged me and said the girl in the second photo I posted looked like she was afraid of being the girl in the first photo you posted.”
“Right. Right. I remember. He was kind of right on that.” She doesn’t give me time to argue. “Did he write to you again? Wait.” Her brows dip. “Isheyour secret admirer?”
“Okay, he insulted me, so I’m not sure how in the world you could surmise he’s a secret admirer. But his comments did stick with me. I felt like he was being a jerk, but you know, he also jump-started my engine a bit.”
“And?”
“I tried something new, and it felt good to wear my hair down. I got compliments.”
She waggles her eyebrows. “You mean you weren’t invisible?”
“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you? You had to say that.”
“You know I had to do it.” She motions to the muffin bag. “Eat one. I know you love them.”
“I can’t eat and talk, and I know you’re in a rush.”
“Right. Yes. Damn my work. Okay, don’t damn my work. I love my job, but I hate I’m rushed.” She downs the rest of her coffee. “Before I go, I talked with your dad yesterday. He called and thanked me again for the referral. It seems like the bidding war is heating up.”
“Yes,” I confirm. “I’ve been chatting with him most evenings. He said the attorney is negotiating with everyone involved and has actually pulled an extra bidder into the mix. It seems to be going well. Thank you, Jess.”
“Everyone keeps thanking me. I made a phone call. That’s not a big deal, like, at all. However, I want in on the champagne celebration when it happens. Does your mom know what’s going on now?”
“Considering she’s cornered me into coming over for lunch tomorrow to talk to him about theLion’s Denoffer, I would guess the answer to that question isno.”
“Okay, that’s just uncomfortable. Have you asked your dad why he’s shutting her out?”
“No. And don’t ask me why I haven’t, either. I have no answer. I should have. I’m just not sure I can bear to hear that either of them is having an affair. It’s like, you know, we just don’t want to know our parents have sex with each other, let alone other people.”
“Hmm,” she murmurs. “True. So true. I give you a pass on this one. No wonder you haven’t asked him directly.”
“I might this weekend. He and I always spend time in his man cave.”
Her cellphone buzzes, and she sets her now-empty cup down and glances at it, reading the message with an ensuing sigh. “My boss. He wants to know when I’m coming by the office.” She slides off the stool and says, “You know, I might take a muffin to Jack and nudge him to be my dating-app guinea pig.”
I push to my feet with the intent of walking her to the door. “You’re going to take a muffin to Jack? You? As in my friend Jess who never has a conversation with Jack unless forced?”
“I’m forced. And I have extra muffins in the car. He can have two, but he has to wait until after my meeting.” She grins and hugs me. “Gotta run, beautiful.” She grabs her purse, and I follow her to the door. “Call me after your family get-together.”
“I will,” I say. “Good luck with Jack.”
