“She’s just someone I’ve noticed lately.”
“Name?”
“Natalie.”
He tilted his head. “Natalie…?”
“She’s one of the moms at school. Her daughter’s in Ivy’s class.”
Evan squinted. “Wait, is she the one Ivy’s always talking about? Her best friend’s mom?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Her daughter and Ivy are inseparable.”
Evan froze mid-sip. “Oh, man. That’s dicey.”
“Nothing’s happening,” I said quickly. “I just… I don’t know. She’s been in my head this week.”
“Because she’s super hot?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “It’s more than that. Something about the way she is. Last week at the Christmas concert, there was something more.”
Evan leaned forward. “And that’s when you realized you had a crush? Over a Christmas tune?”
I hesitated. “Okay, smart ass. Maybe. I don’t know if it’s a crush.”
“You’re lying.”
I smirked. “Maybe.”
“Alright. So she’s grounded, sad, mysterious. What’s the catch?”
“She’s married.”
That’s when Evan let out the whistle. Long and low.
“I never saw this coming fromperfectWill Parker.”
“I’m not doing anything,” I said. “It’s not like that.”
“But you’re thinking about what you want to do.”
I didn’t answer that.
Evan tilted his head. “You’re telling me Ivy’s best friend’s mom is hot and married and you are thinking about her?”
“It sounds worse when you say it out loud.”
“It is worse. But also kind of poetic.”
“She’s smart. And quiet, in a way that makes you want to know what she’s really thinking. She notices things. And the way she is with her kids—she just… gets it.”
Evan raised his beer. “God help me. You’ve got it bad.”
“I don’t know what I’ve got.”
“Is she happy in her marriage?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. He doesn’t seem to be around. He wasn’t at the concert.”
