“I am so proud of you.” She squealed.
“Shut up.” I tried to shove her away.
Hayley raised her brows at me.
“Yes. I did.” I answered. “But we went to dinner first, and it was honestly nice, and hot, and . . . andveryhot.”
“What was her name?” Hayley asked.
“Their name was Noah.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Is this weird? Should I not be talking about this with you?”
“What? Of course you should be!” Kathryn leaned into the counter. “We’re your only friends.”
“But it’s . . . it’s not Parker.” I looked pointedly at Hayley as her posture softened. “I don’t want to be rude.”
“My brother drove drunk, El.” Hayley reached over and touched my hand. “He was a shit husband, a lazy father, and a drunk. You have grieved, you’ve focused on Kendall, youshouldmove on.”
“But—”
“Did you get his number?”
“Their number.” Hayley corrected her wife.
“Their—Did you get their number?” Kathryn asked.
“Um—” I winced. “No.”
Both women groaned.
“You have got to be fucking with me.” Kathryn crossed her arms over her chest. “Eloise, seriously?”
“What was I supposed to do?Hey, thanks for scissoring me,can I have your number?” I mockingly asked.
“Yes.” Hayley chuckled. “That’s exactly what you should have done.”
“Maybe you can ask Sadie!” Kathryn suggested.
“I don’t know.” I rubbed my arm and stared down into my coffee. “There’s no telling if it would go anywhere. I mean, I have Kendall.”
“They said they were a teacher, right? Why wouldn’t they want kids?”
“Why would they want kids after working with them all day?” I countered. “I’m thirty-eight. I have a teenager about to go to high school. That’s not exactly a chore people want to hear.”
“If anyone sees you as a chore, they’re not worth your time.” Hayley said, sipping her coffee. “But this is a sign, and I think you should take it. Download an app. Try dating.”
“Who’s dating?”
I nearly choked on my coffee as Kendall came around the corner with his backpack over his shoulder.
“Your cousin.” Kathryn quickly came up with an excuse. “James apparently has a girlfriend now.”
Kendall set his backpack down and grabbed the box of cereal by the stove.
“Ew. Who would date James?” He asked.
Hayley side eyed Kathryn as she sipped her coffee.
James was Taylor’s oldest son. Taylor was Parker and Hayley’s older sister, who made an effort to be considerably vague about everything that went on in her life. She lived on a ranch in Texas with her husband, Aspen—Kathryn liked to call himAssafter he made a fuss at their wedding for being too gay . . . yes, the lesbian wedding—where everyone was mighty fine with them keeping their distance.
