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“Babe, you still pouting about the not-boyfriend boyfriend?”
I glared at Jana.
“I’m telling you, I have the solution.” Wren sat on the stool at my little table, legs crossed and a stiletto dangling from her foot.
My best friends had come straight from work, so Wrenwas dressed to perfection in high-waisted pants and a tight white button-down, and Jana and I were in jeans. But while Jana was wearing a cute sweater, I’d thrown on a worn T-shirt today. At least it was clean. For the last few weeks, while we’d been working to stop the spread of the flu, I had been showering and disinfecting at work.
“It’s not the worst idea.” Jana shrugged, propping herself up against the counter.
“I don’t want to go out on a date. Even if I did, who would I go out with?”
My friends, in their never-ending quest to try out every bad idea in existence, had decided that the answer to my issue with Chris was to go on a date with another man.
“Then why not talk to Chris about trying for more?” Jana tapped her black nails on the granite next to her. “I don’t get what the issue is.”
“What if I feel this way about him because he’s what I’m used to? What we have is easy, yeah, but maybe it’s because we know each other so well. Because we’ve spent all our free time together since last summer.” I shrugged. “And dating has always been intimidating for me. That’s why I’d just force myself to fit into the mold of whatever my boyfriend at the time was looking for in a woman.” My stomach knotted. “Maybe I should take another year off. I’m clearly not any closer to being comfortable out there again.”
Wren blew out a harsh breath. “If you want to know whether you just like the idea of datingsomeoneor if it’s Chris in particular, then go out with another guy. What will it hurt? Either it’ll feel like it does when you’re with Chris, or it’ll be totally different. Then you’ll get your answers.”
“But what does it matter when he made it pretty clear that he didn’t want me kissing him?”
“What if you just caught him off guard?” Jana asked. “Actually talking to him would probably go a long way in solving the issue.”
I didn’t disagree, but he’d told me twice that we’d talk face to face. And I wasn’t going to rush the weirdhey, I love having you as a friend, butthat’s itconversation.
At the sound of a knock, I hopped off my stool and headed for thedoor, thankful for the interruption. If that conversation had gone on too much longer, one of them would’ve decided they had the perfect friend to hook me up with.
I pulled the door open, and a smile split my face. “Dad?” I asked, throwing myself into his arms. “What are you doing here?”
When I stepped back again, he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back on his heels. “Got in today and wanted to take my daughter to dinner. Is that wrong?”
I led him into the apartment and closed the door quietly. “No, but Wren and Jana are here. Would it be okay for them to come along?”
“Ooh, look. It’s big daddy.” Wren smirked at my dad from where she was still perched on a bistro stool.
My father’s jaw ticked as he glared at her.
“Hi, Mr. Wilson.” Jana waved.
He gave her a quick nod and a small smile, then cocked a brow at Wren. “See how easy that was?”
She let out a breathy laugh. “So much less fun.”
“Wren.” I sighed. “Dad wants to go to dinner. You can come too, but only if you can behave.”
She rested her chin on her fist and batted her lashes. “I can behave. Scout’s honor, Mr. Wilson.”
I couldn’t even look at my father. Wren was gorgeous, and if he noticed, I might puke.
“I’ll go pull the car around, then,” my dad said as he backpedaled.
“Great,” I chirped, ushering him to the door. Once he was gone, I stomped back to the kitchen and pointed at Wren. “If you make me want to throw up at dinner, I swear that will be the last meal you’ll ever eat with us.”
With a chuckle, she hopped off the chair. Then she wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “I’ll be good. And honestly.” She rested her head against the top of mine. “The solution to your problem is simple. If you’d talk to Chris, I think you two would realize you want the same thing.”
Maybe, but I had no idea what that was. For now, I’d push thoughts of Chris to the back of my mind and enjoy dinner.
Dad’s favorite pub, O’Hannigan’s, was only a couple of blocks fromthe stadium, so the ride was an easy one. Particularly since Wren had stopped trying to annoy him. And when we stepped inside the place, we were immediately seated.
