“Hey,” River said.
“Hey. You can totally hang up on me. It would be okay. I won’t be mad at all.”
“Lace, what’s going on?”
“Um… I don’t know what to wear, and I have a date.”
“Oh,” River said. “Got it.”
“Yeah… Feel free to hang up on me now. I’m a bad person for calling my ex-girlfriend about this. I just didn’t know who else to call.”
“Hey, it’s okay. I can help. I know your wardrobe better than anyone.”
“Really? Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“I told you I wanted you to move on, right?”
“Yes. But saying that and helping me pick out clothes for a date with someone else is different.”
“I’m assuming this someone else is Cameron.”
“Yes.”
Lacey smiled.
“Well, good. I’m glad.”
“Are you, really?”
“I am weirdly calm about it. That’s all I’ve got,” River replied. “I’m making an order that someone is going to pick up tomorrow, so can we make this short?”
“Yeah. Hey, are you okay? Did you-know-who call you?”
“Kennedy?”
“Yes, River. You know I meant Kennedy.”
“No, she didn’t. But I waited a few days and called her myself to make sure she was okay.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“River, did you ask her? Did she ask you?”
River breathed hard into the phone and said, “I asked. She said no.”
“What? She did?”
“She told me she needed time because everything’s about to get hectic for her. I imagine that’s true for Cameron, too, but she must be able to handle it better.”
“She seems a little moreflexiblethan Kennedy.”
River chuckled and said, “Yeah, I can see that. I didn’t get the impression that she didn’t want to go out, just that she couldn’t right now, but she’d be coming by the shop. We’re going to hang out. Who knows, maybe we’ll turn into friends or something.”
“Maybe. Just… Take care of yourself, River.”
“I will. Oh, where are you going?”
