I plaster a bright smile on my face and step to the side, allowing her access to the shelf. “Of course. You have a wonderful day.”
Seems she’s not as verbose when her backup singers aren’taround to egg her on. She snatches a jar and averts her gaze. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem. Enjoy yourself.”
Am I laying it on thick? Absolutely, but for the first time in months, I’m not the one squirming.
For once, I didn’t give a damn what she thought of me, because I have people who think I’m fine. No, better than fine.
Worthwhile and fun.
Lucky me, I’m seeing two of them tonight.
Chapter 4
Glitter and Other Problems
Eddie
Ipull up to Kiki’s place and throw the truck into park, my fingers drumming against the steering wheel as a restless energy hums under my skin.
I’m being stupid, or am I?
Here’s the thing. Kiki’s expecting Theo and me tonight. We’ve become a package deal over the last month—pizza, dinosaurs, whatever movie Theo needed to watch a hundred times.
Except tonight… I’m showing up alone, a fact I failed to mention.
Yeah, you know exactly why you didn’t cancel, man.
Because somewhere along the way, this stopped being about Theo insisting she tag along… and started being about me wanting to see her.
Theo acted as a buffer from my feelings, allowing me to maintain a safe distance.
But tonight, he’s not here.
I am.
“Jesus,” I mutter, scrubbing a hand over my face. “Whydoes this have to be so complicated? It’s just dinner with a friend.”
Yeah, sure. Right.
Grabbing the wine and cookies, I give myself a final glance in the rearview mirror, and stroll to her door.
Deep breath. Just act natural.
Which would be so much easier to do if she didn’t swing the door open while I was still in the middle of my internal pep talk.
An infectious smile curves Kiki’s lips. “Right on time.”
God, I love that smile. It didn’t exist a month ago.
But it falls from her face as her gaze shifts past me, scanning the porch. “Where’s Theo?”
“Don’t take it personally, but he got an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
Kiki leans against the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest. “Wait a second. He’s standing me up?”
I chuckle, running a hand over my jaw. “If it makes you feel any better, he stood me up too.”
