“Jesus, you scared me to death,” I said. “Why would you go around the car specifically to creep up on my window?”
She laughed. “Sorry. Were you talking to Jade?”
“Oh, um…” I blanked. I was a bad liar. I didn’t have a way out. “Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, we’ve actually kind of been making friends?”
She beamed. “No kidding? I knew you were a total sweetheart, but I hadn’t expected you to warm up even Jade so fast.”
“Well, let’s not say that,” I laughed awkwardly. “Friendis a big old word. But I think there’s something there.”
She smiled, but she didn’t quite look at me. “I’m glad,” she said. “Now, give me the zucchini so I can finish this damn food. I’m so hungry.”
“You’realwayshungry. But! I present,” I said, pulling the zucchini from the bag on the passenger seat. “One zucchini. Because I’m a great friend.”
“Thank you kindly,” she said, taking the zucchini. “In return, I will give you dinner. Come join me in the kitchen?”
I joined her in the kitchen, where, just as I’d expected, it smelled divine. I sat at the table while she finished cooking, and I guess it was me not knowing how to mind my own business that had me saying, almost as soon as I sat down, “I met with Cat and Jade.”
“What—while you were out?” she said, looking back over her shoulder at me.
“It was explicitly what I went for. Jade met me at the party yesterday and gave me Cat’s number, I texted with her, Cat asked me to meet her, and she got Jade there too, and we all chatted.”
“Oh…” She gave me a wary look, and I decided to meet it head-on.
“They weren’t trying to align me against anybody or anything like that, I promise.”
She barked a laugh. “Okay,” she said. “Okay, touché, I guess that is what I was wondering.”
“Mostly we just chatted about life. It was fun. Cat’s really cool. And, um…” I clasped my hands together. “She thinks Jade has feelings for you.”
“What—she said that?” She put down her spoon, turning back to me and leaning over the table. I think she tried to seem like she didn’t care too much, and I think it didn’t work out. “Were you talking about me catching feelings?”
“No, no,” I laughed. “We were just talking about Jade’s relationships with everyone. And why Jade was particularly touchy about the topic of you. Cat thinks she’s sensitive because she has feelings for you, and honestly, I can kind of see it…”
She shook her head, looking at me incredulously, before she went back to the stove. “You just got here, and you’re trying to play matchmaker?”
That was ridiculous. I laughed. “Yeah,” I said. “Honestly, yeah, kinda. I mean, you know I was rooting for you and Candle Girl! And I know this whole thing with her and Cat and Drew is messy, but… I don’t think anybody means badly by it,” I said, leaving out the part that maybe Drew did. “Cat was the one who made sure Jade visited the party last night, because she wanted Jade to get her connections back, start moving past it all. And Jade wants Cat to be able to move on. I think everyone just wants to make things better.”
She laughed. “Okay, I mean… look, it’s a messy situation,” she said, keeping her back to me, hunching her shoulders a little. “But if you manage to get Jade to talk to me again, I’d be pretty stoked.”
“Yeah?” I sat up taller, my heart fluttering with excitement. “I could do that. Is she coming to the Sunday market?”
“Oh, you heard about that?” she said, and I shrugged.
“Charlie told me to come. It sounds fun.”
“I was planning on inviting you too. I think you’ll like it. I just thought you might want a couple days to relax before getting invited to events,” she laughed, and her face fell. “Jade’s always there, but… well, she hasn’t been since the whole thing went down. I’ll have to find somewhere else to buy my candles now.”
“So, I’ll convince her to go,” I said. “And if I can do that, then you’ll believe me that things can still work out with you two, right?”
She was quiet for a long time—just long enough for me to convince myself I said too much and to blush, regretting it—before she finally turned back and gave me a soft smile. “You’re too good for your own good,” she said. “You know you don’t have to do anything for me.”
“Trust me, Ireallywant to.”
“If you can somehow fix things, I’ll keep cooking you things for life. Even if you shacked up with a guy I don’t like again, I’d still come around and bring you both food!”
I laughed. “It’s a deal,” I said. “I’ll make sure she’s at the market. Just promise you’ll be good with her when you see her there.”
She grinned. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
