“So,” Jen says, taking everything in, “he was the guy you were talking about with me and Mom the other night? The guy you were texting?”
“Yes.”
She finally sits down on the bed and pets Duke. He drops backwards into her lap in exhausted relief. “I need to hear more. Start over and elaborate.”
Jen swings her legs onto the bed and leans back against the cushioned headboard. Duke snuggles into her, having no intention of ever leaving her side again.
I groan and belly-flop onto the bed. It takes me a good half hour to get through the entire story, beginning at Cristina’s party and ending last night.
“So you’re still not over him,” Jen says.
“Apparently not.”
“And you need him to finish your novel.”
“It would seem so.”
She nods, mulling over my confession. “What’s your next move?”
I let out a short, empty laugh. “My next move is no move. I’m remaining immobile.”
“Unacceptable. Where’s the list Maggie wrote?”
I begrudgingly get up from the bed and go over to my bedroom bookcase. I pull out my old tattered copy ofThe Devilish Dukeand open it, finding the list folded up inside where I stashed it. I hand it to Jen and she reads it over.
“Okay, this is all doable. You already have one step marked off from last night and you can check off thechallenge himstep, too. From what it sounds like, all you two do is challenge each other.”
“Exactly,” I agree, “we challenge each other too much for our own good. I think I’ve aged ten years since he got here. I’m developing gout.”
“You’re not developing gout. Now I get to pick what you’re going to do next.”
“Why are you encouraging me? The last time Ryan was in the picture, you were glad I broke up with him.”
“Yeah, but that was a long time ago and we were all a mess after everything with Dad. From what you told me, Ryan seems like he has his act together now. You should pursue this for real. You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
“I hate it when you and Mom act like I’m one birthday away from death’s door just because you were a child bride.”
“I got married when I was twenty-nine years old, Kara.”
“Irrelevant! I’m just not good at this stuff.”
“It sounds like you did a good enough job last night.”
“Sure, and he flew out of here this morning like a bat out of hell.” I try to keep the bitterness out of my voice, but I can’t quite manage it.
“So he got a little spooked, big whoop. Know what you should do now? You should go out with someone else. Jealousy. I choose the jealousy step. Ryan needs some competition.”
“I don’t want to play any more games, Jen.”
“You’re not playing games. If anyone’s playing games, he is. You’re a successful writer doing what she needs to do for her career and you’re also a single woman. There’s nothing wrong with what’s happening here.”
I fold my arms behind my head as I look up at the ceiling. “Maybe.”
“Try to make something happen for tonight and don’t tell Ryan where you’re going or when you’ll be back. The less details you give, the better.”
“Tonight might be pushing it,” I say, scouring my brain for a dating prospect.
“You don’t have anyone you want to go out with?”
