“For what?”
“Lunch! The girls are coming by, and you need to meet them.”
“Oh—” I hesitate for half a second, then shrug. “Okay, yeah. That sounds fun.”
And it is.
It’s really fun.
We grab food from this awesome Chinese restaurant downtown, and we sit around chatting, and trading stories.
For the first time since I moved back, I feel like I’m building something that’s just mine. And it feels good.
Friends haven’t always been easy to come by for me. Girlfriends, especially..
I don’t mean just friendly faces or familiar names.
I’m talking about actual, sit-down-and-laugh-with friends.
And this? This feels like it could go somewhere.
There’s Elissa—sharp-eyed, confident, and clearly the kind of woman who runs things without raising her voice. She’s married and mated to the Maverick Pride’s Neta, that’s Tiger-speak for Alpha.
And Gretchen, whom I’ve already met. She runs Cut It Out, the best hair salon in town, and she is super sweet, a little mischievous, and very observant.
And then there’s Kylie.
The Kylie.
As in Kisses by Kylie.
I absolutely, completely fangirl for a solid thirty seconds before I get my life together.
“I’m sorry,” I say, pressing my hands to my cheeks. “I just—I love your designs.”
She laughs.
“Thanks, I love your ice cream!”
“I’m glad someone does.”
“Someone? Try everyone in town. Seriously, folks are thrilled Agatha’s is back in time for summer,” Elissa chimes in.
We all laugh, and just like that, it’s easy.
Comfortable.
Normal.
And then it gets a little bit weird.
“So,” Gretchen blurts, way too casually, “are you really not going to talk to Rob?”
I freeze.
My fork is halfway to my mouth.
“Wait—what?” Elissa asks, her head snapping toward Gretchen.
