“Is it your birthday and you didn’t tell me?”
She scoffs. “Trust me, you’d know when it’s my birthday. Griffin makes a huge deal about it at Seven Stools. It passed a few months ago.”
Entering her house, the smell of sugar, cinnamon, and something warm in the oven hits me first. Lily passes me a glass of sangria almost immediately before her eyes scan my face with the kind of attention that feels like care.
“Sit,” she orders nicely. “You look like you went twelve rounds with sheetrock.”
“I kind of did.” I laugh.
“Wait, what?”
“The ceiling in the master bedroom sort of fell right on top of me today. It was way worse than I thought it would be.”
“Jesus,” Lily says with wide eyes. She reaches for my hair, fingers picking out a piece of dust that’s stuck there. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks. I’m definitely okay. It wasn’t as heavy as I thought it was. It was more embarrassing than anything. Becauseyou know…” I exaggerate the word, almost rolling my eyes. “The camera got the whole thing on film.”
She sits up tall, smiling. “Well, at least you can look back when the project is finished and know you went through literal hell for the masterpiece of a room that’s to come.”
The front door opens, and Blair walks through the house as if she lives here, too, dropping her purse on the counter and settling on the couch next to me.
“Well,” Lily urges her. “Did you come with the information?”
Blair shakes her head. “He never texted me back. You know how he is with texting. And you know you’re not inviting me for dinner and drinks, only to take back the inviteyousent if I show up without information.”
Lily groans, falling back on the couch.
“All he said was that it’s a friend from high school in town for the night. And said something about them catching up.”
“He had a lot of friends in high school, Blair.”
Blair shrugs. “I don’t know what to tell you.” Her eyes narrow into slits. “Is there a reason you need this information,Lily?”
“No reason.” She turns her head away from us.
“Then why do you look like you’re about to fake a phone call and leave the country?” I say to Lily.
“I do not,” Lily argues. “I just…I didn’t know Griffin was still in touch with people from high school. Besides, he said it was a friend and didn’t specify which one.”
“Okay, no,” Blair says with a pointed finger in the air. “You don’t get to dodge like that. Who do you think it is? Should I be worried?”
Lily shakes her head. “I don’t want to get into it tonight, but one of his friends didn’t believe in goodbyes.” She shrugs like it’s nothing, but I can see it means everything. “But it was a lifetime ago.”
I tilt my head. “Are you spiraling right now?” I face Blair. “Is this Lily spiraling?”
Blair laughs. “I don’t know anymore. But I have so many questions.”
“I can’t stand either of you.” Lily lifts her glass in the air. “Let’s just toast to unresolved feelings staying unresolved, yeah?”
Both Blair and I look at each other, silent before we raise our glasses and leave the topic be. I know I don’t want to push Lily into talking about something she doesn’t want to talk about, andfrom the look of concern laced with understanding on Blair’s face, she won’t either.
“So,” Blair says to me. “How are things with Tucker?”
Nice change of subject.
But not the subject I’d like to discuss.
I take a sip from my glass and swallow. “Fine.”
