3
Tessa
Aringing startles me as I dump a handful of chocolate chips into the bowl of batter on the counter. I whip my head around, finding the timer on the oven. "Three minutes left," I whisper, confused as the noise pours out again.
It takes me entirely too long to realize it's my phone going off and not the oven, and even longer to find the towel I thought I had draped over my shoulder to wipe my hands off before answering it.
"Hey, where are you?" A familiar voice hits me louder than expected.
"Well, hello to you too, future Mrs. Anderson." Brooke giggles like I've never heard my tough friend do before, and the thought makes me smile. "I'm in my kitchen."
"Wait, why?"
I wedge the phone between my ear and shoulder and begin stirring the chocolate into the yellowish goo. "Because I don't have an oven in the bathroom. I'm making banana bread."
"What?" Brooke asks quickly.
I sigh. "I'm unemployed, B, remember? I have to keep moving. I already made Trevor's favorite macadamia nut cookies, and now I'm making banana bread."
"No," Brooke groans. "I'm not questioning the whole potassium-carb situation at 12:47 on a Thursday afternoon. Well… maybe I am a little. But why are you baking when you should be on your way to Liam's for your interview?"
I pop a chocolate chip into my mouth. "Uh, because it doesn't take me twenty-four hours to get to that side of town."
She scoffs. "Well, then it's a good thing you only have… twelve minutes. Aw, twelve."
I roll my eyes at her blushing on the other end of the phone because she said her fiance's jersey number, then respond. "No, Brooke. It's tomorrow. I put it in my calendar."
She hesitates. "It's definitely not, Tess. The boys play at 1:00 tomorrow," she says cautiously. "Away."
"Huh?" My eyebrows crease as I process her words. "Well, then why would Liam schedule an interview for the same time as his…" The silence that falls between us speaks volumes. "Brooke!" I yell. "You told me it was Friday!"
"I did not!" she shoots back. "I said…" Her voice trails off, and I can only assume it's because she's opening our text thread. "Hey, girl. Are you still looking for a job? Liam, the Gators' shortstop, has the coolest daughter and needs a nanny. You said, 'Yes, please! I'm going crazy, and Trevor keeps sighing loudly every time I enter a room.' To which I said, 'Wait, why? What's his deal?' To which you responded, 'He's being weird about the whole Randolphs thing. When can I meet him?' Then, you texted again and asked, 'Krunk this week?'
"I remember the conversation, Brooke," I squeeze in. "Please hurry and get to the good stuff."
"Right," she continues. "So, you asked about the workout class, and I said, 'Perfect! Friday?' And you said, 'Yes!"
Taking the phone in one hand, I rest my other on the counter. "I thought you meant the interview was Friday!"
"Oh… well, I meant Krunk on Friday."
"Krunk is Saturdays, Brooke! Always has been. Zumba is Fridays, and we don't Zumba. We've had this conversation."
She gasps quietly. "Shit."
I blow out a heavy breath. "Hey, B…"
"Yeah?"
"I'm still not hearing the wordThursdayanywhere in there."
"Uh huh, wait." Brooke mumbles through the rest of our conversation, which, if I remember correctly, somehow circled around to an ottoman she had recently purchased. "Damn," she says eventually, realizing what I already know to be true.
I throw my hand over my head, barely missing the spoon handle propped against the bowl.
"You're right," she continues. "I'm sorry. This whole house thing is making me all flustered. We're moving in so fast, and it's not furnished or painted. I swear I'm having nightmares about fifty shades of grey… and I'm not talking about the fun kind."
I pinch the bridge of my nose, attempting to give her grace for all the changes she's been going through—a proposal and a house purchase all at the same time? If Drew weren't as sweet as he is hot, I'd have smacked him across the back of the head by now. But their whole relationship has also brought us closer, and for that, I'm definitely grateful.
