“No.”
“Then put that agent to work. Let him find out how in-demand you are.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Dean looked shocked that I didn’t argue with him.
“Yes. I think that’s good next-step advice. Stop smiling like that.” If nobody wanted me, I’d have my answer.
“Smiling like what? Like I can’t believe how much better your secret talents are than mine?”
“That’s because you don’t keep your talents a secret. Everyone who’s ever met you knows you’re great at being the boss and telling other people what to do.”
“Ow.” Dean clutched his chest. “That one hurt.”
“No, it didn’t. You know the truth.”
He raised his eyebrows at me, forcing me to elaborate.
“It’s a real talent, Dean. You encourage people to step up and do the things they haven’t been doing. You cut through the garbage they’re hiding behind. You make them braver and better than they would be without that nudge. I’m a recipient of that. So is Isaac.” I wasn’t usually one to drop heartfelt compliments, and now I knew why. It made me feel naked and vulnerable, and I immediately wanted to go back to Dean thinking I hated him.
He was touched by what I’d said, based on the expression on his face, and I… I just couldn’t deal with it.
“I’m gonna go check on Piper.” I launched up and fled the room, snuggling in next to my daughter on the couch.Captain Princesswas literally the dumbest children’s show on the planet, but I stayed put and watched the last ten minutes of the episode like it was the season finale ofThe Bachelor. Dean left shortly after that. I gave him a wave. A wave. I really was a bad friend.
Maybe I would call him later when I didn’t feel like I was upside down and inside out. I’d promised myself after catching feelings for him that I would never, ever let him know about it. So far, our one-day renewed friendship had been a series of me letting out more of myself than I ever intended.
Piper and I went and closed up the flower shop, and then we headed to the bookstore where we bought Cookie Crimes, Donut Disasters, and Éclair Emergencies. Once Piper was cleaned up and ready for bed, we snuggled in together and readall three, even though that made her bedtime way later than usual. She fell asleep with the books tucked under her arm.
I was just about to text Dean when Henry called. I hopped onto the couch and pulled a blanket over my legs.
“Hey, Henry. How are you?”
“I’m good. How are my girls? What did you two do today?”
I told him about Piper’s lemonade stand and mentioned I’d gone on a hike, though I left out the details of who I went with. Henry didn’t mean to be a gossip, but he loved to talk so much that sometimes he spread news without meaning to. If Dean had told him about going with me today, I’d already know it. He would have opened with that.
“I love hiking around this time of year.” Henry launched into a story about the last hiking trip he went on with some business associates up in Prescott. “I know everyone thinks all the business deals are brokered on the golf course, but you have to be good at golf for that. And like the sport.”
“You don’t like golf? Don’t you live by a golf course?” In fact, now that I thought about it, his gorgeous backyard had a view fence that backed up to the course.
“I do, because I like golfers. They make great neighbors. They’re social people and for some reason they adore yardwork, so they’re always outside ready for a chat.”
I bet he loved that. I put him on speaker so I’d have my hands free and got out my tablet and stylus, working on the last few touches for a scene in Gummy Bear Gamble.
“Have any wayward golf balls made it into your yard yet?” I asked.
“Just once that I know about. Found it in the pool. I chose a spot pretty far away from the sixteenth hole and not in the direction people should be hitting. But you never know. I’m sure there are plenty of golfers out there with a killer arm and worse aim than I have. Did I ever tell you about the time I played racquetball with a couple of NBA defensive coaches?”
“No.” I laughed. Henry had a story for everything, and the great thing was, he had so many of them, he rarely repeated himself.
Henry sighed. “They beat the socks off of me. But before I get too off into the weeds, I wanted to ask you something. I even wrote it down on a sticky note so I wouldn’t forget the purpose of my call. I have to do that more and more these days. Either I’m getting more long-winded or my mind is aging. Don’t say it’s both.”
“You’ve always been this long-winded, Henry.”
“Oh good. It’s my best and worst quality.”
“I like you just the way you are. Now what was your question?” I prompted him.
