“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because you’re thirty-seven. Because you’re still running. Because every time you call me, you sound like someone waiting for permission to want things.” Her voice softens. “And I think it’s time to stop waiting. Not for Levi—for yourself. Figure out what you actually want instead of what you’re afraid of.”
“What if I want him?” The words escape before I can catch them. “What if I never stopped wanting him, and that’s the entire problem?”
“Then that’s not a problem, sweetheart. That’s an answer.”
We talk for another hour.
About the flower shop. About Ruffy and his fence-surveillance habits. About Aunt Patricia’s shuffleboard rivalry with a woman named Doris who allegedly cheats. About everything and nothing, the way mothers and daughters do when they’ve finally stopped pretending.
By the time I hang up, I’m emotionally wrung out and ready for a quiet evening of overthinking on my couch.
The doorbell has other plans.
Ruffy launches himself toward the front door, barking like he’s found his life’s purpose. I follow, expecting a package or maybe a lost tourist.
It’s Jo. And Michelle. And Amber. And Jessica.
Jo’s holding a bottle of wine. Michelle has a cheese board. Amber has what appears to be an entire pie. Jessica is just holding her phone, probably documenting this ambush for posterity.
“We brought provisions,” Jo announces,pushing past me into the house. “And questions. Mostly questions.”
“How did you?—”
“Dean told me about Rex’s adventure.” Jo’s already in my kitchen, hunting for wine glasses. “Which means I know Levi was here. On your porch. Alone. For an extended period of time.”
“It wasn’t that extended?—”
“Long enough to help with the wedding song,” Michelle adds, settling onto my couch like she owns it. Ruffy immediately goes to investigate her, decides she’s acceptable, and flops at her feet. Traitor.
“The wedding song thing is not a big deal.”
“The wedding song thing is a huge deal.” Amber sets her pie on the counter. “You helped your ex-boyfriend write a love song. That’s peak romantic comedy behavior.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Jo returns with wine glasses and starts pouring flawlessly like she’s done this many times. “Okay. Start from the beginning. Rex escaped. Then what?”
I accept a glass of wine because I’m clearly going to need it. “Then Dean and Levi tracked him down. He was in my backyard. With Ruffy.”
“Cute,” Michelle says.
“Thedogs are not the point.”
“The dogs are absolutely the point,” Jessica says. “Dogs are always the point. Continue.”
“There’s nothing to continue. They came to get Rex. Levi stayed for a few minutes. We talked. He left. End of story.”
Jo narrows her eyes. “Dean said Levi described it as ‘a moment.’”
“Dean needs to stop narrating my life to his fiancée.”
“Dean tells me everything. It’s called communication. You should try it sometime.” Jo settles into the armchair with her wine. “So. Was it a moment?”
I take a very long sip. “I don’t know what that means.”
“It means,” Amber says, cutting into her own pie because apparently we’re skipping dinner, “did you feel something? Butterflies? Stomach flips? The overwhelming urge to touch his face?”
“I did not want to touch his face.”
