“Yeah.” Somehow reassuring him helps me too. Like him being calm makes me calm too.
He laces our fingers together and steps back, taking me with him. “Okay, well, I kind of like—”
“Lake?”
Lake whirls around, his hand tightening around mine. “Sadie?”
Sadie? I know someone named Sadie. Except that the woman standing a few feet from us, with a shopping bag in one hand and a takeaway coffee cup in the other, isn’t my boss’s sister. I’ve never seen this woman before in my life.
Chapter six
Lake
“Ohmygod,it’sso good to see you!” Sadie’s familiar voice greets me at the same time I find myself with an armful of her. She’s still wearing the same floral perfume she used to. I remember liking when we cuddled because the smell soothed me. It’s nice, and nostalgic, but I don’t want to cuddle with her anymore.
Extricating myself is hard. If I squeeze Grady’s hand two times, will he understand the secret message and carry me away like a princess?
He doesn’t respond when I squeeze. So much for telepathy. We lined up in the wrong place when receiving fun superpowers.
“You too,” I say, huffing to get some of her hair out of my mouth. She can let go now. Is this too long for a friend hug? I’m not sure. Zach and Felix have to deal with it, however long I decide I want to hug for. Being on the other end is mildly uncomfortable.
Two more squeezes of Grady’s hand. Maybe that’s not what two means? I try three times this time and even turn my head to look at him, for maximum effect. He looks frozen to the spot, like he’s trying to decipher the situation. It’s not that hard. I’d like her to let go now, and he’s supposed to be my knight in shining armour. Or shining… suit. The point is, he’s strong enough to tug me back and into his arms.
She finally pulls back, and I have an urge to bury my face in Grady’s chest and inhale his scent so the floral-y one is gone. He has nice cologne. Musky, sexy,Grady.
She beams at me. “What are the odds of running into each other, huh?”
Not likely, considering she lives in a whole other state. Or… she used to? I haven’t kept track of her. Maybe she doesn’t live in Perth anymore. “Are you here on holiday?” I ask.
“I moved back here a few weeks ago! I was gonna call you next week, see if you wanted to get dinner…” She falters, looking to where I’m still holding onto Grady’s hand. Not that it’s helped me. We’ll have to discuss our secret messages when we get home. Get a notebook and write them down. We can practise them until they’re second nature, like muscle memory.
“I’m so sorry, how rude of me.” She holds out her hand to Grady. “I’m Sadie!”
He returns the gesture with a tight smile. “Grady.”
“Hey, that rhymes.” I laugh, grinning up at Grady. “The Grady and Sadie Show.”
Grady gives me an unamused look. “Cute.”
“Are you—” Sadie hesitates, glancing back down at our joined hands. “Uh…” She tilts her head. “That ring is on your—”
“We’re getting married!” I burst out happily. I’ll never tire of saying it. I should tattoo it on my forehead. No, that won’t age well. Waiting until we’re married and puttinghusbandthere seems like it’d be a better idea for longevity. We’ll be husbands longer than fiancés. In three months, I’ll get to saythis is my husband.“We should buy a notebook.”
Grady’s brows draw in. “What?”
“And a pen.” I’ll need a lot of pages to perfect my new signature. “A few different colours. Multiple colours. And not just the regular colours.” I gasp, mouth opening. “Gel pens.”
“Alright…” he says slowly. “Avery probably has those at his store?”
He would. An excellent idea.
“Did you say you’re getting married?” Sadie asks, looking between us as if she’s waiting for the punch line. “The two of you?”
I nod enthusiastically.
“I didn’t know you were gay.”
“I’m not. It’s just Grady.” Grady-sexual. Maybe that should be the tattoo? I can write the ideas down in my new notebook. Oh, shit. Our appointment. “We have to go see the florist; they’ll be waiting for us.” I tug Grady’s hand, and he stumbles into me, one hand falling to my hip to steady himself. “Maybe we could—another time?” I’d love to catch up with her, when I don’t have a prior, very important engagement. Are peonies good wedding flowers? What even is a peony? Lilacs.Orchids. I don’t know anything about flowers. That’s what the florist is for.
