Are you sure this needs to end in August?
I’m falling in love with you, Drew.
“I didn’t mean to start a fight,” he says, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. “But honestly, Ally?—”
“It’s fine,” I interrupt. “It’s not the first time I’ve clashed with my dad. My mother will wait a week or two, then reach out and invite me to dinner as though nothing happened.”
He glances over at me. “You sure?”
“Of course.” Conflict like this isn’t new; the big difference this time was that Drew was fighting my side of the fight.
“I didn’t like Justin,” Drew says abruptly.
“I kind of guessed that.”
A smile tugs at his lips. “That obvious, huh?”
I shrug. “I’m pretty perceptive.”
His smile broadens as he parks the car, and he holds my hand as we walk to the elevator. It feels so natural, coming home together like this.
What are we doing, Drew?”
But I can’t bring myself to ask the question.
THIRTY-ONE
ALLY
On Sunday evening, we’re loading the dishwasher after dinner when Drew’s phone pings with a text.
“It’s from Nina Tate,” Drew reports after he reads it. “She’s accepted a post-doc position in San Francisco. Starts in August.”
“That’s good news, right?” I ask. “She’s basically given up on you. I mean?—”
“I know what you mean,” he says with a chuckle. “And yes, it’s good news.”
This seems like a great opportunity for another define the relationship talk. After all, Nina was one of the reasons for our fake relationship, so now that she’s no longer in the game, it would make sense to review the rules.
But Drew doesn’t bring it up, so I don’t either.
I keep kicking it around in my head, though. And by the time I walk to work Monday morning, I’ve convinced myself that we’ve moved way beyond a fake relationship, or even a casual fling.
After all, he showed up in the ER when I cut my arm. He invited me to move in with him. He even asked me to go with him to his appointment in Toronto, and there was nothingcasual about that. And the way he jumped to my defense at Hayley’s graduation dinner wasn’t casual either.
And I sometimes catch a look in his eyes when he looks at me—kind of soft and amused—that I’ve never seen when he looks at anyone else.
I resolve to tell him how I feel, but by the time I get to work, I’ve changed my mind. Maybe I should wait until I hear whether I get into nursing school.
Maybe I’m just a chicken.
I try to put the problem out of my mind so I can focus on my job. Heather’s chairing a meeting for the entire morning, and I go along to keep the minutes.
It’s pretty dull work, to be honest. They’re discussing projected staffing needs for the next fiscal year, and in my opinion, it’s the sort of meeting that could have been an email. I’m relieved when we finally wrap up for lunch.
I walk to my cubicle to grab my lunch, then head toward the elevator. There’s a little outdoor patio off the cafeteria, and since the weather’s gorgeous, I’ll eat there.
“Oh, Alexandra,” Heather calls as I walk past her office. She’s standing in her doorway, talking to her other assistant, Janine.
