Page 78 of Hometown Halftime

“An entire routine,” I say. “Exfoliant, serums, moisturizer with sunscreen.”

Brynn looks genuinely impressed. “Kinsey, sweetie, that’s not just a man anymore. That’s book boyfriend material.”

“That’s what I said!” I hiss. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to cohabitate with a man like him.”

Kate grabs a gray duvet off the shelf while nodding sympathetically. “No woman is strong enough to resist a man who remembers coffee orders and moisturizes voluntarily.”

“And he made breakfast,” I whine before throwing my hands in the air. “In grey sweatpants and a shirt that strained against his bulging biceps.”

Kate gasps. “He broke out the bulging biceps-grey sweatpants combo on the first morning? Damn.”

Brynn shakes her head. “Oh, it’s over for you.”

“I know.” I frown.

The three of us burst into laughter while pushing the cart farther down the aisle.

Eventually, we settle on dark blue sheets, the gray duvet, and a set of pillows Brynn insists are a “luxury sleeping experience” despite the horrifyingly high price tag attached to them.

This was exactly what I needed. Spending time with Brynn and Kate, laughing too loudly, and simply being with the two people who know me well enough to see through every single one of my defenses and love me endlessly feels good.

My phone vibrates in my purse, and I pull it out to see a notification from Riley. It’s a picture of the brand-new bed, fully assembled in his otherwise empty spare room. I can’t help but grin at the gesture and the update.

“You know,” Kate says casually while tossing another throw pillow into the cart, “for someone pretending this isn’t serious, you get a suspicious smile on your face when Riley texts you.”

My head snaps toward her. “I do not.”

Brynn lifts her phone to me, and a picture of my face fills the screen from thirty seconds ago. Smiling down at my phone like an absolute idiot.

“Oh my God,” I whisper in horror.

Brynn doubles over laughing while Kate nearly crashes the cart into a display of comforters.

“Delete that immediately,” I demand.

“Never,” Brynn says proudly.

Kate looks at the cart as she speaks, “I think we got everything. Who’s ready for brunch at Penny’s?”

I kick off my sneakers by the front door when I return to the duplex and place the FallMart bags down on the island. My chest is warm from the two mimosas I had at Penny’s and at the sight of Riley sitting on the couch. He’s watching a football game, the Nashville Outlaws against the Vegas Rollers, while eating popcorn.

He turns to look at me as I walk into the room, and then he smiles. It’s warm and welcoming. Something I’m not used to ‘coming home’ to. I flop down on the couch next to him and grab one of the striped throw pillows, holding it to my chest.

Yes, he even has coordinated throw pillows.

He lifts the bowl of popcorn from his lap to offer it to me. I take a handful and pop a few kernels into my mouth. He picks up the remote to lower the volume on the TV.

“How was shopping?” he asks.

“Good! Got everything I needed. And I got manly colors so you can keep them once I’m gone.”

He turns his head, focusing on me instead of the television. “You didn’t have to do that. You could’ve picked any color and I wouldn’t care. It’s your room while you’re here.”

I shrug. “It’s no big deal.” I sink further into the cushions. “Brynn and Kate said hello by the way.”

“That was nice of them.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “I might have told them about our attempted date situation. Hope you don’t mind.”