My heart pinched with foreboding. I felt justified in keeping my expectations low. But the need to protect Adleigh was too strong to push away. “You know what? Who even likes to move other people, right? It’s the worst. And he’s old. He probably didn’t want to tweak his back.”
She snickered. “He’s not that old.”
“Oh my gosh, he’ssoold,” I argued. “And feeble. We probably dodged some hospital bills.”
“You’re crazy,” she said, but she was laughing.
I bumped her shoulder with mine. “It’s one day. Don’t make a big deal of it. We’re having fun regardless.”
She brushed her hands over her dusty shorts. “This is fun to you?”
I gestured at the beautiful, open, modern, lovely place of my dreams. “I live here now, Ad. I live here.”
“I definitely said yes to Shane too soon.”
“No way. He loves you. You guys could be living on the streets and be happy. That’s better than a perfect floor plan and a thirty-second work commute.”
“Yeah, you sound really convinced about that.”
It was my turn to snicker. “Well, maybe I’ll change my mind when I fall in love.”
“Who’s falling in love?” Eliza asked from a stool near the sink.
“Ada,” Adleigh declared, grinning. “And apparently, he’s homeless.”
Everyone turned to stare at me. It was so out of context and so absolutely ridiculous, I expected everyone to start laughing. Instead, it was like I could hear them blinking, trying to figure out which homeless guy who lived nearby had stolen my heart.
“She’s joking,” I told them.
“It’s cool, Ada,” Eliza teased, finally relaxing a little. “Don’t be shy. We want to know which guy is good enough to get not just a second date but a lot of dates.”
“I go on second dates.” But I sounded too defensive for anyone to believe me. So I backed off and dropped it completely.LIES.I doubled down. “Sometimes I even go on third dates. And fourth dates.”
“You’re a liar!” Eliza accused, standing up and pointing at me.
Adleigh fell backward on the couch in laughter.
Traitors. The both of them.
Eliza slammed her palms on the counter. “The last guy you went out with got drunk and puked all over your shoes. You sent him home in an Uber.”
I jumped to my feet, gasping. “How dare you, Eliza English!”
The boys in the room watched us shout at each other like they had front-row tickets to a cage match. All of them were too stunned or too smart to react visibly or audibly. Meanwhile, Adleigh cackled, and Eliza gloated. And I contemplated throwing myself out the nearest window.
The need to defend myself was stronger than ever. I looked at the men around the room, collected my dignity, and said, “Don’t listen to her. I have a very robust dating life.”
Adleigh choked on her pizza. Eliza trembled with laughter.
I decided to get new friends. And sisters. And move states. Eff these bitches.
Miles raised his hand like he was in school. I nodded regally for him to ask his question like I was the queen attending her court.
“What does it mean to have a robust dating life?” To his credit, he kept a straight face.
Shane followed Adleigh’s example and choked on his pizza.
Before I could come up with an answer to maintain my cool factor while also not turning me into a giant skank, Case turned to Miles and said, “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.”
