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“I’m glad.”

“Thank you so much for staying with me,” she whispers near my ear. “I’m sorry about our date.”

I’d be picking her up right about now for our plans. “It’s okay,” I admit. “Rain check.”

“Definitely,” she murmurs. “I need to properly thank you.”

I’m about to tell her she doesn’t need to do that, but hey, who am I to object?

“You know, you can thank me now if you want. I never get sick. But only if you want. No pressure.”

She cackles, a sound I’ve never heard from her before, and I laugh in return.

“How about I thank you in a few days when I’m less contagious?”

“Deal,” I say a little defeated, which makes her laugh again. It’s my favorite sound, so at least I can’t complain about that.

Only a few more days until our next date, anyway. I can make it until then, right?

Chapter Thirty-Three

Scarlett

“Knock. Knock,” I hear a voice say as I glance up and notice Sebastian at my office door with a brown delivery bag.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask. I rarely see Sebastian midweek, deep in the football season, even if it is near the end of the day.

“I was in the neighborhood. I stopped at my favorite nearby restaurant for some soup and thought you’d like some too. How are you feeling?”

“I’m doing much better. Thank you,” I say as my brother places the white takeout bag from the familiar French restaurant on my desk.

This is my first day back in the office since being sick. It was just a twenty-four-hour bug, but I stayed home yesterday just to be sure.

“I’m glad. That bug is going around. Calvin and a few other guys were out sick today.”

I straighten up at the mention of Cal.

“He wasn’t at practice today?” I try to ensure my question sounds casual and friendly.

“I didn’t see him. He had a fever, and Coach sent him home as soon as he walked in the building.” My mind goes in a million directions, and before I can think of anything to say in response, he shakes another brown paper bag that remains in his hands. “I grabbed him some soup too.”

“Aww. Taking care of your bestie,” I tease.

His cheeks turn a light shade of red. “Kind of. I’m leaving this at his front door so I don’t get sick.”

“Thoughtful,” I say with a chuckle. I’m sure if it was Annie, it would be an entirely different story, though.

“So are you flying out tomorrow?” Sebastian asks, breaking my thoughts.

It takes me a second to realize what he’s talking about. Thanksgiving. Flight. Family.

My mom, sister, and I usually meet up somewhere for an intimate family Thanksgiving, usually somewhere halfway between us. Sometimes my brother comes as well, depending on his football schedule, but he misses more often than not, which we all understand.

This year he doesn’t have a game, but he’s skipping it to spend Thanksgiving with Annie and her family down in Plymouth.

“Yeah.” I’m flying to meet my sister and mom in Michigan, where my youngest sibling is currently studying. It’s less of a flight for me than for my mom in California, but it makes the most sense.

“Nervous to meet Annie’s family?” I ask.