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“True. I don’t want to think about our sister newlywedding.” The made-up verb sounds strange even coming out of my mouth.

Madden winces. “Can we just never repeat that word again?”

Odette shakes her head at our dramatics. “I hope it’s okay I interrupted your guy time. Your mom wanted the kids to come over for pancakes this morning. And I needed some adult interaction before Madden heads back to D.C. again.”

“Of course! You’re way nicer to look at than Drew, anyway.” I give her an overly dramatic wink, knowing it will irritate Madden. He glares at me and Odette laughs.

Our usual waitress brings three white mugs to our table and sets them down as I slide into the booth across from Madden and Odette.

“Hey, Sugar!” Bonnie greets me warmly, her eyes crinkling in the corners.

I give her my winning smile. “How’s the prettiest girl in the Midwest doing on this glorious morning?”

She pretends to fluff her short, white hair. “Oh, stop! You rascal!” Bonnie giggles, then heads back toward the kitchen.

Madden shakes his head. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

His words give me pause, and my thoughts trail back to Molly … about how she’s single. About how she’s hopefully done with Todd Du Pont—or as I like to call him, Turd Da Punk—for good.

Madden must see something in my facial expression and eyes me with a curious expression. “Okay, what’s up?” he asks, setting his coffee mug down and giving me his full attention.

I huff out a laugh. It sounds fake, even to me. “What? Nothing is up.”

He continues staring me down. I run a hand through my hair, trying to appear casual, but he keeps staring.

“Listen,” Madden says in a serious tone. “Drew is doing … let’s not even go there. And David is gallivanting around the world with Isa.” He pauses and I gulp. “If you have something on your mind, now is your chance to discuss whatever it is without an audience.”

Madden and I stare at each other for a few seconds before I breathe out a heavy sigh. “Molly is single.”

“Again?” Madden asks, his face void of emotion. He then slowly picks up his mug again and takes a drink, his eyes not leaving mine.

Odette glances from me to Madden and then back again. “Can somebody fill me in on what the heck is going on?”

Madden smiles at her sympathetically before shooting me a tentative glance. I can tell he’s silently asking my permission to explain things to Odette. I nod once.

“Brooksy here has had it bad for his bestie for, what? Five years now?” Odette’s eyes widen and he continues. “She’s the only girl to ever friend zone the poor boy.”

My sister-in-law glances at me, her eyes big and sad like Madden just told her my dog died or something. “Aw, Brooks.”

Madden doesn’t feel sorry for me at all and keeps trucking along. “Anyway, she and her idiot boyfriend have broken up at least half a dozen times. And every time, Brooks gets his hopes up that this time will be different.”

Odette blinks slowly a few times, wrapping her mind around this news. “Wow. That’s rough. Working together must be torture. But I mean … it’s not like you haven’t stayed busy all these years.” She’s too nice to come right out and call me a dude-bro.

“Yeah, it sucks,” I admit.

Madden rests his elbows on the table and clasps his hands together. “So, do you like her because she’s a challenge for you? Or do you really think she’s the one?” he lowers his voice on the last two words to give them more impact. “And if it’s the latter, what are you going to do about it?”

Bonnie interrupts, arriving at our table with our orders. She places our plates in front of us, notices our nearly empty mugs, and hustles back to the kitchen for the coffee pot. I relax against the back of the booth and drape my arm across the top, thankful for the reprieve from my brother’s probing questions. Bonnie returns and tops us off with a sweet smile and leaves us to our conversation.

Once she’s gone, I finally answer: “If soulmates are real, Molly is mine.”

“I don’t get it,” Odette says, looking stupefied. She takes a bite of her scrambled eggs, then chews and swallows it quickly. “Why date so many women when you’re in love with Molly?”

“Because she’s always been with Todd!” I throw my hands up in frustration. “Do you know how much it sucks to sit home alone when the girl you’ve fallen for is out on a date with another guy?”

“Sooo, you were distracting yourself?” Her nose scrunches up, causing her freckles to bunch together.

“Yes. Well, kind of. I kept hoping I’d fall for someone else and get over her.”