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“Yeah, Saylor told me the plan. Kinsley is off this weekend, but I’ll be here in case they hit it off and she wants to show him the spare room.”
“I bet the room won’t be all she’ll want to show him,” I said wryly, walking over to the door.
“I wish I could disagree,” Holley said, turning to watch me. “I’d ask you if he’s hot, but I already know you don’t care. Is one of these coffees for me?”
“No, I bought myself two but asked Johanna to write your name on one.” I looped the link through the catch on the bell and pulled the pliers from my back pocket. “I guess as far as it goes I would consider Dylan hot. He’s a personal trainer so he’s in good shape, he’s got black hair, bit of a beard. He gets plenty of attention wherever we go, usually after he’s started talking.”
“I’ll bet.” She sat on the edge of the table and cradled her cup. “Do you have a picture of him?”
“Why? Are you going to meet him first and hope you can get his attention instead of Saylor?” I surveyed my handiwork and gave the bell a little tug. It stayed on, so I jumped off the chair and grinned at Holley.
“No,” she replied, unbothered. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that most people pale in comparison to Saylor,” she said dryly. “It’s her larger than life personality. And her boobs.”
“Can’t say I’ve paid them much attention.” I flipped the sign on the door and put the chair back where it belonged, then opened the door to show her the bell worked.
“Thank you.” She gave me a closed-mouth smile from behind the takeout cup. “Well, they’re hard to miss. I just want to know what he looks like so I can piss her off.”
“Why would that piss her off?” I grabbed my own coffee. “Why do you want to piss her off?”
“She ate my muffin.”
“She ate your muffin.”
“She ate my muffin,” she affirmed. “I was saving it for today, but she ate it. And I know she’s dying to know what Dylan looks like, so if I can find out, I get to really get under her skin.”
I stared at her for a moment. “You guys all have the weirdest friendships.”
“And you get to be a part of it all again for a few months. Aren’t you thrilled?”
“Thrilled is a strong word.” I put down the coffee and got my phone from my coat pocket. “I can pull up his Facebook. I think there are some photos on there.”
She jumped off the table and came over to me, peering over my shoulder. I typed his name into the search bar on the app and brought up his profile, then tapped on his picture.
“Damn.” Holley took my phone from me to get a closer look.
Then she tapped off the profile picture and started scrolling his actual profile.
“Do you mind?” I asked when she sat down at the table. “That’s my phone.”
“He’s not,” she said. “There’s no way she’s going to be able to resist this guy. Oh man, I am gonna annoy her so much.”
Seriously.
The fucking weirdest friendship ever.
“Yeah, right, thanks.” I plucked my phone out of her hands and closed the app, then put the phone in my pocket. “Are you done?”
“You took the phone, so I guess so.” She looked up. “What? Are you all bothered because I think he’s hot?”
I stared at her. “You know, I came here for a reason, but I can’t remember what that was.”
“You are!” She gasped and stood up, her eyes following me as I grabbed my coffee from the counter. “Oh, my God.”
“You sound shocked,” I said dryly. “I thought it was obvious the other night that I feel something for you.”
She stopped. “Well, it is now.”
“Holley.”
“What? I don’t like hints. Just say what you need to say.” She waved a hand, then folded her arms across her chest. “I just didn’t think me thinking your friend was hot would get you all bothered.”
“I’m not bothered.”
“You look bothered.”
“I’m not bothered.”
“You look bothered.”
“Holley.”
“Sebastian.” She stared at me. “I can do this all day. I really don’t have anywhere else I can go.”
“I do.”
“And you’re welcome to go whenever you please.”
This was hard work. She was hard work. “Don’t you think we need to talk?”
“If you think two o’clock on a Thursday afternoon in the middle of my bookstore when I have a sleeping newborn in the back room is a good time to talk, then sure. Go wild.” Holley held out her hands expectantly. “I can think of better times, but—”
“Well, corralling you to talk isn’t the easiest thing, is it?”
“Oh, that’s a low blow.”
“Is it?”
“No. Not really. It’s annoyingly true.” She sighed. “Look, in all seriousness, I know we need to talk.”
I waited.
