Page 39 of Pining for You

“Oh, right! No, sorry, bro.” Then he laughs. “Oh, seriously—you are a bro! Like, a brother—Audra’s actual brother! That never happens. Well, almost never.”

Izaac is unimpressed.

“Do you know when she’s going to be home?” Izaac’s patience is wearing thin.

“Totally! Never. I mean, not here, anyway. I’m sure she’ll go to her home eventually. Maybe she’s even there now. But she doesn’t live here anymore.”

Now Izaac looks really thrown. He glances back at us almost like he’s hoping we didn’t hear that.

“Although, where do any of us really live… ya know?” the dude continues.

“That’s impossible,” Izaac says, ignoring this question and lowering his voice. “I just visited…” He trails off, obviously realizing it actually has been a while, and it’s totally possible she could have moved in the time since he was in town. “Well, can you at least tell me where she might be?”

The dude sighs. “Wish I could. That girl… such a mystery.” He stares into space for a moment, pressing his lips together and shaking his head.

“So you don’t know where she moved, or maybe where she works or anything?” Izaac asks. It’s unclear whether this guy is ever going to say more.

“Oh, that? Yeah, for sure. She’s bartending at Arturo’s. Works Monday and Wednesday. I know because she still hooks me up.” The dude winks. I imagine the only way this guy retains any information is when it has to do with getting something hooked up. “Oh, and Sunday, too! Their brunch slays.”

Izaac raises an eyebrow. “So, like, now?”

“Is today Monday, Wednesday, or Sunday?”

“It is,” Izaac says, clearly suppressing the urge to strangle him.

“Then yeah!”

“Great,” Izaac says. “Thank you.”

“Oh, if you go, tell her I cracked the code!” Then he cups a hand over his mouth and whisper-shouts, “She’ll know what it means.”

“Sure thing,” Izaac says, then turns to go.

“Oh, and make sure you get an order of the bangin’ shrimp. Those suckers are actually bangin’,” the guy calls after us. Inexplicably, he winks again.

We all wave at the dude, who heads back inside.

“She moved?” Cash asks.

“Apparently,” Izaac says flatly. “Anyway, we tried.”

“Wait, what? Why can’t we just go to wherever she is?” I ask.

“I’m not trying to take us all over creation to find her. It was only if it was convenient, and it’s not,” Izaac says, and turns his phone and shows us Google Maps. “Because apparently, she works in Williamsburg.”

“Riiiight,” I say, and Diya gives me a smile and a headshake because she knows I don’t have a clue what that means. I have a lot of studying to do if I’m going to be fluent in New York. “Which means…”

Cash pauses again to adjust his boot and Izaac gives him a pointed look, but Cash holds up a hand. There may be a limit on how long he can handle the pain, but he’s not ready to admit defeat just yet.

“It’s a thirty-minute subway,” Diya says, showing me her phone.

“Oh, we totally have time!” I say. It’s 12:50 so it seems possible.

He probably just doesn’t want to tell us how important this is to him. If my sister were healthy and just a thirty-minute train ride away, I’d be there in a heartbeat. Besides, Izaac has been cheerleading my mission all morning. It’s time to return the favor.

Diya nods. “She’s actually not wrong,” she says to Izaac.

“A little backhanded with the actually, but I’ll take it. And it’s not like we have to be at the bakery right at three,” I add before Izaac can object. “Besides, it won’t take long for Eve to shut me down.”