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I pictured Woofarine as the ring bearer. Our dog, running down the aisle carrying a little pillow. Would he take it to Larissa? Or would he take it to me, standing next to the groom? Would there be an awkward moment when I’d have to hand it to my friend and the guests would chuckle and I’d have to act like it was funny when there would be absolutely nothing funny about it.

He got up. “I’m getting in the shower.” He reached out and squeezed my neck. “Thanks.”

I couldn’t even look at him.

We didn’t talk about it again. I took him to replace his screen, dropped him off. And prayed to God if they got married, it happened long after I stopped caring if they did.

29

LARISSA

Lexi wiped around the coffee station. “It wasn’t my finest moment, but sometimes you just gotta do it for the plot, you know?”

She’d hooked up with one of the cooks.

The restaurant was closed and we were doing our side work. It was November. The café was decorated with autumn leaves, but soft snowflakes were coming down outside.

I shook my head. “It’s going to be weird working with him now.”

“How?”

“You’ve seen him naked?” I said.

“So? He gets me my rush orders faster.”

I choked on a laugh.

“What happened with the guy who came in last week?” I asked. “I thought you were texting him,” I said, still smiling.

“The finance bro? Hard pass. He sent me a black-and-white dick pic.”

I paused with a syrup bottle in my hand. “Black and white?”

“Yeah. Super stylized, like an engagement shoot, only with a penis? He used portrait mode.”

I burst out laughing.

“Male audacity is at an all-time high,” she said. “I’m in the trenches out here—you have no idea.”

“God, I’m so glad I’m not on the dating apps.”

“What a time to be alive.”

She tossed the rag in the sanitizer bucket and went to collect sugar caddies, and I stopped and looked at my phone. Chris sent me a picture of Woofarine. I smiled.

Last week he’d sent one with him in it too.

I didn’t save it to my camera roll like I usually did when I got Woofarine pictures because it felt weird saving a picture of my boyfriend’s best friend. But I kept going back to the text thread to look at it. It was getting farther and farther up the feed as more messages between us came in. It would be easier to save it, put it in a folder where I could find it.

I didn’t. Because I shouldn’t want to find it. I don’t know why I did.

I hadn’t seen him much lately. We’d both been busy, me more than him.

I’d started the graze board gig right after the engagement party three months ago and it was taking up all my spare time. I hadn’t had time to read, so we weren’t sharing books right now either. And I wasn’t taking Woofarine as much as usual because Donna made a comment about him being in the guesthouse. I couldn’t have him at home because Phil didn’t like dogs. He’d swatted Woofarine off the sofa a couple of months ago and Woofarine bit him. After that I let Chris keep him most of the time. I felt bad. I’d agreed to co-parent with him and I wasn’t. I still came after work to walk him when Chris was on shift, but Chris wasn’t there when I did, so I didn’t see him.

I missed seeing him. I missed it a lot.

Next month we were all going to the cabin again for Christmas and staying until New Year’s Day. Mike was driving up early like last time, and I was getting a ride with Chris again because I had to work. I was more excited about that than the trip itself. I wanted to catch up with him, see what he’d been up to.