Page 9 of Memories of You

“Empty locker Renly?”

“Yup.” I turn to face Renly directly. “I know Lilah becauseof you,” I say. “Lilah, Renly. Renly, Lilah.”

“I inherited your locker,” Lilah tells him. She holds out herhand to shake his as we reach the porch. “You kept it clean. There was no sweatyboy smell at all.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, but I have a feeling that’smore to do with the janitorial staff than me. I was definitely a sweaty boyback then.”

She looks at me, then grins. “He’s got a good aura,” she says,then adds, “I would tell you to come out and sit with me and have some wine soI can interrogate you both about your childhood, but I have to blow offtonight’s drinking session. Turns out that I have a date.”

“Really?”

“Yep. With a charming little man who has a thing about clownfish.”

I laugh. “Babysitting?”

“All night. My cousin and her husband are doing theiranniversary at a hotel. So be as loud as you want,” she adds with a sly look atRenly.

She lowers her voice, as if whispering a secret. “Abby’sbedroom shares a wall with my living room.”

To his credit, Renly barely reacts, but I see the way hiseyes brighten with humor, and the corner of his lip twitches. I shake my headas if in exasperation. “Lilah. You know we’re just friends. Like friend friends.”

“Friends with benefits. It’s the only way to go. Way lessmessy than a relationship.”

I shake my head, then glance sideways at Renly. “Lilah’s agreat friend and I love her, but if you want to demonstrate how you can killher with your bare hands I won’t hold it against you.” I shift my attentionback to Lilah. “All that SEAL training, you know.”

“And that’s my cue,” she says. “Seriously, you two have funcatching up. I want to hear everything about how you found each othertomorrow,” she adds, pointing to me before she picks up her wine and pushesopen her front door.

I unlock my door then usher him inside. I’m about to step inmyself when Lilah pops her head back out and mouths, He’s hot.

“He’s a friend,” I whisper, but I can tell by her expressionthat she doesn’t believe me. Unlike me, Lilah is more than happy with thefriends with benefits thing.

I give her a stern look, then head inside to find Renlyleaning against the wall of my entryway. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet herback in high school.”

“Her family lived in Los Angeles until they moved toCastaic. They bought that ranch that went into foreclosure. She’s cool, butshe’s also a pain in my ass.”

He laughs. “I’m glad you found such a good friend.”

Happiness blooms in me. Because Lilah really is a good friend,and it’s clear that Renly still knows me well enough to realize that.

“At any rate, I like her.”

“Thank you for the seal of approval.” I sweep my hand, usheringhim into the rest of the place. It’s small, only a two bedroom, one of which Iuse as an office. The living room is roomy, though, and the kitchen is open andflows into the space.

The back door is an actual door, not glass, but the yard itleads to is awesome. Open and grassy with a picnic table and flowers lining thefence. Lilah tells me that when her parents bought the place, there was a fencedividing the two sides, but she took it down when she moved in. She planned toput it back up again once she found a tenant, but since the tenant turned outto be me, we’ve left it down. It makes for some great parties.

“I’ve got a pair of my dad’s old pajamas that I wore when Ipainted my bedroom. That and one of my T-shirts should do you, right?”

“Sounds good,” he says, and I lead him into my bedroom. Ipull out the blue-and-white striped bottoms then grab an extra-large Disney teethat I often wear to sleep.

“Minnie Mouse?”

I shrug. “You’ll do her proud.”

“Right,” he says as I point him to the bathroom.

While he’s changing, I grab a loose maxi dress and change inthe closet, then toss my wet clothes into a basket and wait for Renly to emergeand give me his. He does, and then he follows me to the laundry area off thekitchen, where I start a load of cold.

I’m about to offer him the full tour when I see him rubbinghis temple, one hand pressed against the wall.