“I feel like there’s so much I could learn from you. I wish I could stay—” Mikey cuts herself off, looking at me with a pained expression.
“You’re welcome in my kitchen anytime.” Ruby offers Mikey a reassuring smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“You’ll invite a girl you just met but not me? You wound me, Ruby.” Slater pushes his lip into a faux pout, and his ridiculousness eases the tension.
“I don’t think Mikey would try to dump hot deep fryer grease into a plastic container,” Ruby deadpans.
“That wasone time.And you stopped me before I could do it, so no harm, no foul.”
When was Slater helping Ruby dump fryer grease?
“Anyway,” Stella says before Ruby can retort, “if you ever want more boudoir photos done, just shoot me a text. I’d love to have you in my studio.”
“She wants more,” I say immediately. “How much for a whole album?”
Everyone chuckles like I’m making a joke, but I’m dead serious.
I’ll blow up one of the pictures and put it in my bedroom, too. Just so I can look at her all the time.
Stella stops laughing and clears her throat. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’ll pay whatever it takes.”
“Well then, whenever you can spare a weekend, I’ll clear my schedule.”
“We’re all dancing around the topic, then?” Slater mumbles.
“Yeah. No one wants to bring the mood down like you just did,” Ruby snaps.
“Wellexcuseme for wanting to know if I’m going to have to pick up the pieces of my best friend’s broken heart after today.”
“Saint and I…” Mikey starts but trails off, like she’s not sure what to say. “We’re figuring it out. I don’t have any intention of breaking his heart.”
“But we haven’t talked about what happens next, so fuck off,” I add.
“Glad to see your efforts weren’t a total waste then, my friend. Mikey, it was great to meet you, and I’m happy to know you’ll be sticking around, but I have some business to attend to. Thanks for breakfast, Ruby.” Slater gives Mikey a hug before he leaves. I’ll have to interrogate him another time.
Ruby, Stella, and Mikey spend the rest of their time together exchanging numbers and making plans for a girls’ night out soon. Stella and Ruby want to go to Salem to see what their nightlife has to offer, and Mikey seems excited about the prospect.
It makes me happy to know she’s made friends with people who are important to me, but is it enough to convince her to move here for good?
23
I’ve prolonged the inevitable as much as possible. After breakfast, Saint and I spent another few hours leisurely exploring each other’s bodies well into the afternoon. I need to get back to Salem to check on my apartment and prepare for the next week, and I have to get back to the shop to fix Saint’s van and make sure Rob hasn’t fucked anything up.
Why does leaving Cupid’s Cove feel harder than chasing an electrical draw through an entire vehicle?
It’s crazy to feel this attached to a town—aperson—in such a short amount of time. This quirky, little Valentine’s town has wormed its way into my heart, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I could find a home here.
With Saint.
Saint didn’t worm his way into my heart. He smashed his way in, and I know I’ll never be able to get him out. I meant what I said about not breaking his heart, but I still have no idea what it means for us. What the future holds. Are we going to try to make this work long distance? How often will we see each other? Are we going to call each other every day?
I can’t bring myself to ask these burning questions.
Before they left, Ruby handed me a cooler packed with food, even though the drive is less than two hours, and Stella gave me a bag full of clothes she thinks I’d like. I slip on my boots at the front door and go to gather the bags when Saint’s body heat surrounds me.
“I’ll take those for you,” he rasps, but he doesn’t pick them up.
