Ainsley rolls her eyes. “I should have known I couldn’t count on you for this. I guess I’ll have to call Chet from the trucking company.”
“Chet’s sixty,” I remind her.
Chet, the truck driver who does a lot of deliveries for our store, is a nice man. But definitely not someone Ainsley would marry.
“Love doesn’t need a number,” she replies.
“Apparently, neither does revenge,” Lucy offers helpfully. “Okay, now that we’ve decided not to get married, I’m going to make us some panini.”
I jump up from my spot on the couch, eager to get away from my sister. “I’ll help.”
FIFTEEN
Miles
What a night. Ainsley stayed overnight, sleeping on the couch since Lucy is in the guest room now. When she had mentioned marriage to the two of us, I’d wondered if I could ship a sister away in a UPS package. Although Prime would be faster.
I was worried that she would scare away my roommate if she stayed too long, but luckily, she said she had to head home this morning. The three of us ate breakfast together, then went our separate ways. Lucy looked eager to get out of there. I don’t blame her—poor thing.
My sister had just proposed to her. For me.
The idea of being married to Lucy has taken root in my mind like an invasive weed. And it just doesn’t make sense. Of course I wouldn’t marry her. But the idea doesn’t make me sick to my stomach like it did Lucy.
When I get home from the office, Lucy’s already home, sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in her hands. It’s my cup. But she clutches thatStud Muffinmug like it’s her lifeline.
I kick off my shoes and set them on the shelf.
“You’re home early,” I say tentatively.
We haven’t spoken since Ainsley left. Nothing like a little sister to drop a bomb and ruin the entire mood I’d had going on with my roommate. Lucy is missing her characteristic smile, so I know I’m in deep trouble.
I’m gonna have to pull out the big guns. “Willa, Kingston, Meyer, and Archie invited us to their group dinner tonight, but I was thinking maybe we could just order a pizza and watchLove & Lies.”
Lucy blinks and looks at me as if she just realized I was home. She finally says, “I think we might get in trouble if we keep disappearing at the same time. We’re gonna have to coordinate our introverted recovery times.”
I nod. “We have ditched a couple of things lately, haven’t we?”
“Someone’s bound to find out that we’re notactuallythe life of the party,” she says.
I walk to the coffeepot, pour myself a cup, and sit down next to her, deliberately taking the barstool as close as possible. I’m a little scared that if I give her too much space, this will be even more awkward. We were getting along so well until Ainsley suggested we get married.
Lucy doesn’t even shift or move away from me, so I guess that’s a good sign.
“What happens if you do win this bet for Ainsley?” she asks, running a finger around the rim of her coffee cup.
The question surprises me. I thought she would avoid the topic at all costs.
“Well, I’d have to find someone to marry first.” That goes without saying.
“Obviously. But I don’t think you’d have a hard time. You’re a nice guy. You could probably find someone relatively normal to date and marry within a couple of months.”
I look at her with raised eyebrows. “Relatively normal?”
She waves her hands through the air. “You’re not gonna find someone completely normal who’s willing to marry you in two months. You’ve got to have realistic expectations.”
I clink my coffee cup against hers in agreement. “Excellent point. Any suggestions on who?”
“Do you need the money?”
