“Bribery will get you everywhere,” I said, opening the door.
She handed me a mug, the smell instantly forgiving me for every poor decision of the past twelve hours.
“You okay?” she asked softly.
I nodded. “Getting there.”
She smiled, bumping my shoulder. “Good. Because I’m driving. And you’re picking the first antique store. Deal?”
“Deal,” I said, taking a long sip of coffee. “But only if we promise not to talk about Drew for at least an hour.”
“Fine,” she said. “Fifty minutes.”
I gave her a look.
She grinned. “Forty-five?”
I laughed and shook my head. “You’re impossible.”
“Still sounds like a compliment,” she said, echoing Drew perfectly.
It hit me square in the chest, that familiar mix of irritation and affection. I rolled my eyes and walked away before she could see me smile.
Because the truth was, the morning might have started rough, but the world hadn’t ended. The snow was easing, the coffee was hot, and for the first time since he walked out, I didn’t feel like running.
And maybe that meant something too.
By the time we’d finished our coffee and I’d pulled myself into something resembling a functioning human, Lydia was rummaging through her purse for her keys.
I leaned against the counter, still nursing my second cup of caffeine and watching her with narrowed eyes.
“So,” I said casually, “when exactly were you planning on telling me you were pregnant?”
Lydia froze mid-dig, her head snapping up.
Then she laughed one of those deep, belly laughs that made me want to both hug and throttle her.
“Oh my God. You finally noticed!”
My mouth fell open. “Finally noticed?”
She grinned, pulling on her coat. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for that.”
“You…what?”
She waved her hand. “Callum and I had a bet going.”
“Abet?”
“Mm-hmm,” she said cheerfully, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “To see which one of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum would figure it out first.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
Her grin widened. “Relax. You’re not Tweedle Dum—at least not in this scenario.”
“Oh, well,” I said dryly, setting my mug down. “That’s comforting.”
She started laughing again. “You should’ve seen Callum’s face when I said you’d pick up on it before Drew did.”
