Grant: Congrats, Riley.
Two words. That was it.
Riley's throat went dry. She read it again, trying to decode the tone, but text didn't give her anything. Was he surprised? Hurt? Relieved?
Why do you even care?
Because she did. Because even after all this time, even after convincing herself she'd moved on, the idea of Grant Lawson thinking she'd found someone else made her chest ache in a way she didn't want to examine.
Her phone buzzed in her hand.
Hannah: RILEY ANSWER YOUR PHONE.
It rang a second later.
Riley answered. "Hi, Hannah."
"WHO IS HE?"
"Can I not have five minutes to settle in before?—"
"No. Absolutely not. Who. Is. He."
Riley stood and paced to the window, staring out at the snow-covered yard. "Just someone I've been seeing."
"For how long?"
"A few weeks."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it's new. I didn't want to jinx it."
Hannah paused. "Riley Monroe. Are you lying to me?"
"Why would I lie?"
"Because you're a terrible liar and I can hear it in your voice."
Riley's pulse spiked. "I'm not lying."
"Then bring him. I want to meet this mystery man."
"I will."
"To the reunion."
"Yes, Hannah. To the reunion."
Another pause. "Okay. I believe you."
"Good."
"But if you show up alone, I'm staging an intervention."
Riley laughed, even though her stomach was in knots. "Noted."
They hung up, and Riley dropped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
