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“Take Christian,” I joked. “We’re closed on Sundays and Mondays, so . . .” Although, if things didn’t change soon, I might have to reconsider the restaurant’s operating hours. Maybe add an extra day.
“Don’t tempt me.” Maria grinned. “Enzo’s your date to this Halloween party, right?”
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to the event, especially since it’s a fundraiser for veterans in need.” Not that I can contribute much. I took another large gulp of the wine to dull how much that thought had my stomach turning.
“Right. The host, Michael Maddox, was a Marine. And his wife runs an uber-popular event planning business, so they have these parties a lot, right? It’ll be my first time going, but I think that’s what Thomas told me when he said his company had four tickets.”
I didn’t want to tell her just how grateful I was for the extra tickets. I wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise. I hadn’t had a chance to attend one of Maddox’s events yet. I’d always wanted to meet him and his wife.
The last time I had a ticket it was because of Anthony, but then he bailed on me, and I took Ryan to the hospital that night instead.
“My first time going, too.” I shrugged free the memory the best I could and faked a smile. Lots of “fakes” tonight.
“And you chose Enzo for our fourth ticket instead of a guy you might want to date?” When I didn’t answer, she asked, “I heard the date with the doctor didn’t go well. His mom told our mom that some muscle-y guy pretty much stole you from the table and whisked you away. Was that Ryan?”
“Does it matter? He’s coming here tonight because I’m setting him up with Calista. Remember?”
She rolled her eyes at the mention of Calista. “The woman is gorgeous, I’ll give you that. But I don’t see the two of them as a couple. She’s always off gallivanting the globe for photoshoots. I can’t see Ryan being on board for that ride. Plus, it rubs me the wrong way that she and Anthony are Instagram friends, and she’s always commenting with fire emojis under his pictures. Feels wrong.”
“They’re friends?” I grabbed my phone and opened Instagram. I didn’t follow Anthony anymore, but since when was he friends with Calista? And why didn’t she tell me?
“You said last night you don’t care about Anthony or what he does on Insta, so why does it matter now?”
“Because if she’s got a thing for Ryan’s brother, that’d be awkward to set them up, right?”
“Oh, so Anthony’s Ryan’s brother now? You usually refer to Ryan as ‘the brother.’”
I ignored her while I opened Anthony’s Insta page. We both unfollowed each other after the split, and I hadn’t checked it since before we broke up. He had over three million followers now, but he only followed fifty people.
And yup, Maria was right. Calista’s name was there. I couldn’t give a damn who Anthony followed or dated, but I thought Calista was my friend. It annoyed me she kept her friendship, or whatever the two of them had, from me. And if I was being honest, it hurt a bit, too.
“Anthony shares every moment of his life on Insta. From his first sip of coffee in the morning to his last drink before bed. And it’s been nada for a week. You think he’s okay? Did Ryan say anything since you’re chummy now?”
“MIA for a week on Insta means something’s wrong?” I was rarely on Insta unless it was for work. I’d started running ads to drum up business. Posted a few food photos here and there. That was it.
“In Anthony’s world, I’m thinking yes. Maybe you should ask Ryan if he’s okay?”
The last time we talked about Anthony, it didn’t go well. I wasn’t eager to bring him up to Ryan again.
And why did my sister know so much about Anthony’s Insta habits? Before I could ask her and try to deflect the conversation away from myself, she charged right ahead with her attempt to derail my plan.
“Well, now that you know Calista has one of Anthony’s coveted fifty following spots, are you still planning on setting her up with Ryan?” Maria asked once I closed the app and set my phone facedown.
“Unless you know someone else who’s single in her thirties that would be a good fit for him?”
“I’m still trying to understand this. Ryan shows up back home, and all of a sudden, he wants to date. And you’re in charge of his love life?” She closed one eye. “Sounds suspicious to me.”
Yeah, my sister wouldn’t buy some bullshit story, so I’d have to tread lightly. “He’s fixing my Jeep. I’m helping him meet people since he’s been away from home for so long.” I tried to play it off as no big deal with a quick shrug. “A favor for a favor.” Also, not a lie.
“Hm. Okay.” She smirked. “Well, I happen to be sitting across from a single woman in her thirties.”
I dramatically scrunched every moveable part of my face and tossed in an eye roll as my answer to her suggestion.
“Right. I guess you don’t count.” She sipped her wine and then pointed toward the entrance. “She’s here. I guess we’ll find out if Ryan’s interested.”
I followed her finger to see Calista near the hostess, and I waved her over.
“Maybe give Ryan the heads-up about her friendship with Anthony first? They may have done the hanky-panky.” She winced. “Damn. I need to spend more time around adults.” She refilled her glass. “Anyways, I’m assuming if Ryan would never date you because you’re Anthony’s ex, maybe he’d feel the same way about Calista if she hooked up with Anthony?”
