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“There was a hot barista.”

I don’t realize I’ve said it out loud until both of them look at me.

Dani sits up straighter, hand still on my cat’s fur. “Where?”

“This morning.”

“No, where is she now?”

“I don’t know, Dani. Presumably at the coffee shop where she works? Maybe at her house where she goes after work?”

“Back the fuck up,” Veronica says. “You met someone?”

“I did not meet someone. I ordered a latte.”

“From someone hot,” Dani adds.

“And?”

“And nothing! The universe is delivering a man on a silver platter to me and I don’t want it, but also…”

I tell them about The Spindle, although there isn’t much to tell. I have passed it almost every morning for months without ever going inside, and today, with nowhere I needed to be and the weather too beautiful to justify going straight home after my walk, I finally did.

“Her name is Flora?” Veronica asks.

Dani presses one hand dramatically against her chest. “Oh, you flirted.”

“And then I choked on my coffee, and she looked disgusted, so…”

Before anyone can say anything else, the front door closes with a loud bang.

None of us reacts at first, which says a lot about how accustomed I’ve become to people apparently treating my little house like public property.

Then something hits the floor in the entryway, and Dani gasps.

“No.”

I already know exactly what is happening. Rose appears around the corner wearing long flowy pants, a cropped tank top, approximately eleven necklaces, and a flawless tan that can only be obtained by never being indoors.

“Hi.”

Veronica is off the couch immediately. “Rose.”

“Oh my god, Vero.”

They collide in the middle of my living room like they’ve been separated by war rather than whatever vaguely defined adventure my sister has been on for the last several months.

Dani abandons Aurora to join them. “When did you get back?”

“Like an hour ago.”

“From Oregon?”

Rose makes a face. “Northern California.”

I stare at her. “I thought you were in Oregon.”

“Originally, yes.” Rose finally looks at me. “Hi, Merry.”