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He scrolled to the next picture, which was taken outside in the snow with Everett. Joselyn’s hair was pulled into a ponytail with plenty of hairs escaping the band, and they were both wearing exercise clothes and looked like they had just gone for a run. They were flexing their arm muscles, showing off for the camera, even though they were both wearing jackets that hid their muscles. Joselyn stood just in front of her brother, a fierce look on her face, pretending like she truly believed that her muscles were bigger than his, even though his were a good three times the size.
He chuckled just taking in the look on her face, finding that a sense of happiness filled him at just seeing her. Joselyn might love spending quality time with spreadsheets, but the girl could sure bring out the fun in others.
The next one was a selfie she’d taken at her work, her feet up on her desk, a triumphant look on her face. The caption readReport: finished. It only took 9 days, a few too many trips to the coffee station, a bit too much staring at a screen, and a good 3.4 years shaved off my life expectancy, BUT IT IS DONE.
She’d told him about what a struggle that report had been because it was so comprehensive, and about how hard she’d worked on it. He knew how proud she’d been of her work, and he felt that same pride in his chest again just seeing her post about it.
The next picture was of both Marcus and Joselyn together. Marcus had just made the first batch of ice cream that they’d namedC is for Cookie Monster, and she’d snapped a selfie of the two of them each holding a big spoonful of it, mouths open, about to eat it. He’d seen the picture that night and several times since, but it still did something to him every time he saw it.
Joselyn was, of course, looking beautiful and perfect in every way. She was hamming it up for the camera. If they enlarged the picture to three or four feet high and put it on the wall of the ice cream shop, it would feel right at home there. Everyone would love it.
It was also one of the few pictures where Marcus liked the wayhelooked, and it was all because of Joselyn. The look on his face was of utter contentedness. He and Joselyn had been working together closely for a couple of hours by that point. He’d learned from their disastrous almost kiss the previous time that they’d made ice cream together not to get too close, so they’d spent the evening just having fun, laughing almost the entire time. The night had been joyful, and he could see it all over his face in the picture. He experienced the feeling again just by seeing his own expression.
“Who’s that?”
Dustin’s question startled Marcus so much that he dropped his phone, the corner of it clanging against his plate. He’d been so focused on the picture that he hadn’t even noticed his coworker enter the room behind him, which was surprising.
“Oh, um, she’s. . .” he picked up the phone again, glancing at the picture of Joselyn, trying to think how to answer the question.His business consultant?He couldn’t say that— he wasn’t ready yet to let anyone at Kleinman’s know that he was starting his own business.The woman he’d been in love with virtually his entire life?He wasn’t ready to admit that it had been a decade since they’d last dated, and he still hadn’t managed to either get over her or woo her back.
So, instead, he said, “I’ve been friends with her family since we were kids.”
Dustin nodded as he sat down at the table. “Oh, this is her, huh? So did your families get together for barbecues and things like that?”
He shook his head. “I was raised by my grandparents. The Zimmermans just claimed me as their own.”
“Oh,” Dustin said, dragging out the word. “So she’s basically your sister.”
“What?” Marcus said, the thought pushing back hard and strong. “No! She’s nothing like a sister.”
Dustin chuckled. “Ahh, gotcha. I knew that comment would get you to show your true feelings. I’ve always guessed that you’re in love with her.”
Marcus opened his mouth to deny it but no words came. His reaction had been forceful enough that there was no convincing Dustin otherwise.
“But you’re not dating her,” Dustin said. “So I’m guessing that either means that she doesn’t feel the same way or that her family is against the two of you dating.”
He wasn’t sure how Joselyn felt, and he wished he could guess. Sure, they’d had a blast working together on starting With a Cherry on Top. But they’d been good friends since they were little kids. Marcus had been nine and Joselyn was just a couple of months from turning eight. So twenty years of friendship and only a few months of dating more than a decade ago. During all that time, they’d had plenty of moments spent laughing and having fun together. Besides when they were dating, none of it had meant that she’d had romantic feelings for him.
Of course, they’d also nearly kissed not long ago. He’d seen the look in her eyes and knew she’d felt something for him then. But she’d also stopped it in its tracks just as quickly. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words “She doesn’t feel the same way,” so instead, he said the other truth, “Yeah, the family is very against it.”
“They always have been?”
Marcus nodded, moving the last few pieces of leafy greens around his plate before deciding he was done eating and pushing it away. “Yes.”
“But things change. Do you know if they’re still against the two of you dating?”
“They still are.” Marcus stood and took his plate to the garbage can and scraped the remaining bits off before rinsing it in the sink. Joselyn’s strong reaction to the two of them almost kissing had to have been for one of two reasons. One, that she wasn’t interested at all and had just gotten caught up in the moment. Or two, that she was worried about her family’s reaction, which confirmed to Marcus that their disapproval of the two of them dating wasn’t all in his head. “It’s not something that’s going to change.”
“How do you know?”
So many questions. For as much as Marcus loved being around people, he was really missing the break room being empty. He turned around and leaned his backside against the counter, folding his arms, and took a deep breath. “Because she has twin brothers who are two years older than her and are my best friends. They made us swear we would never date. We did in high school, though, and kept it a secret from the family. But her dad found out, and he didn’t take the news so well.”
When Marcus and Joselyn had broken up, Marcus worried that he’d never be a part of the Zimmerman family again. That had destroyed him almost as much as Joselyn breaking up with him had.
“So just go behind their back.”
“When has that ever worked out well in the history of the world?”
“No, hear me out. If things don’t work out between you and Joselyn, you break up, and they never have to know. If thingsdowork out and you’re ready to ride off into the sunset together for your happily ever after, they’ll get on board. Until then, they don’t need to know.”
