Chapter 42

42

“Fancy meeting you here.”

It’s Nick.

He’s with his daughter, and he’s leveling a curious and completely knowing stare my way.

Truly stops in her tracks, flinching, then recovers to smile at the tiny redhead by Nick’s side. “Hey, you!”

“Truly! We’re going to the dog rescue after softball!”

Truly offers up a hand to high-five Skye, sliding perfectly into kid mode. “And you’re going to get Jason the dog today?”

“I hope so. Look at him. Daddy, show Jason to Truly. I mean, please. Please show Jason the dog to Truly.”

Nick grabs his phone and slides his thumb across the screen, sharing a picture of a Chihuahua min-pin mix. “Pretty adorable, right? In spite of the name.”

“Completely adorable. Also, that’s an awesome name,” I second. My voice barely sounds like my own because Nick’s eyes return to me and he’s staring like he has something to say. He turns to his daughter, fishing in his pocket for something then handing her earbuds. “Hey, sweetie. I want you to listen to that new song you like so much. Can you do that right now?”

“Yes! Double yes!” She pops the earbuds in and starts bopping.

Nick looks to me then to Truly, then shakes his head knowingly. “How’s the friend zone working out for you guys?”

Truly shrugs sheepishly. “Not real well, it seems.”

Nick laughs. “Let me give you guys a piece of unsolicited advice. You need to deal with this head-on. I know you didn’t ask. But I’ve been there, done that, on both counts. Falling for a friend and falling for my best friend’s sister. And hey, look at the result.” He ruffles his daughter’s hair as she dances. “And don’t forget my son either. He and Harper popped into the bakery around the corner.”

“I don’t think we’re going to start popping out babies,” Truly jumps in, quickly squashing that notion. “Or popping into bakeries around the corner with them, for that matter.”

“That’s not the point. The point is, if I run into you here on the way to softball practice—and incidentally, we weren’t even stopping at your building—what happens when Malone does the same?”

The image he paints is unappealing. I don’t want to blindside my friend like that.

“Just tell the guy. Also, for the record, everyone has known for the longest time that the two of you have this ridiculous chemistry.”

I blink. “Everyone?”

He rolls his eyes. “Every single one. As in, all of your friends, as in everyone you’ve ever encountered, as in all of New York. In fact, I’d be willing to bet Malone won’t be the least bit surprised.”

“Seriously?” Truly asks.

“Seriously. You guys give off that whole we hate each other, yet we can’t stop flirting vibe, and you’ve given that off since the dawn of time.”

A new voice cuts in. “It is kind of wafting off you.” That’s Harper, who’s arrived with Carson out of thin air, it seems, a bakery bag in her hand. I swear the woman can apparate. “Like, it’s so strong you could bottle it, sell it, and make some serious jack.”

Truly jerks her gaze toward Harper. “How did you do that? Just figure out exactly what we were talking about?”

Harper taps her temple. “Women’s intuition.”

“The force runs strong in this one,” Nick says.

Harper gestures wildly to us, the bag flapping around. “Plus, hello. Look at the two of you. I mean, really. It doesn’t actually take any intuition. We’ve had a pool betting on when it would happen.” She leans in to whisper to her husband. “I won. Pay up, sweetie pie. Pay up.”

Nick scoffs but pretends to hand over some money to his wife, who then mimes pocketing it.

“He bet you two would become a couple a year ago,” Harper continues. “I said you were both too stubborn, so I predicted, hmm, right around now as the starting point. But does this mean you’ve finally, officially put us all out of the misery of watching you behave like, well, cats who chase each other into corners but then snuggle up at night?”

“I like cats. Can we get a cat too? I want to name our cat Calvin and Hobbes,” Carson chimes in. “And Malone can give him his shots.”

“We will definitely consider a kitty cat. But can he be Calvin and Hobbes McDoodle? Because that’s a fun name,” Harper says.

“That’s a super-fun name,” Carson says.

“Speaking of Malone,” Harper says, shooting Truly and me one of those purposeful looks that women shoot from their eyes like laser beams. “You know what to do, and like I said the other week, he probably suspects it anyway. He’s kind of smart like that, especially when it comes to, ahem, cat behavior.”

I heave a sigh. “He is. And message received. You guys are probably right.”

“Of course we’re right,” Nick says. “But listen, are you coming to softball practice? Because we’re on our way to the park. My woman and my kids are going to watch me hit home runs because I’m awesome like that.”

“And humble too,” Harper adds, squeezing his arm.

“Yes, I’ll be there shortly,” I say.

They take off, daughter holding her father’s hand, son holding mom’s, while they stroll up the streets of New York on a summer day.

I turn to Truly, the Saturday morning crowds scurrying by. “He’s right.”

“I know.”

“Why don’t we try to talk to your brother later today? I know we haven’t entirely sorted out what this is, but I also think we both know it’s not stopping, and we ought to be honest with him.”

“Because of that whole ‘crazy for you’ thing?”

I smile. “Yes, because of that little part. I’ll invite him to lunch. And we’ll go together.”

But later that morning after we parted, a message from Truly arrives, asking me to meet her first.