AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nora held up a hand, her giant emerald engagement ring sparkling in the early morning sun. “Fair enough. Glass houses. I get it.”
“Speaking of not having a leg to stand on, Millie,” I turned my attention and the conversation. “What the hell is this about Len and Benny playing board games every Thursday?”
A blotch of red bloomed on her chest as Millie pressed her cup to her lips.
“Wait, what?” Nora asked.
“Tell her, Mil. Tell her the secret that’s been driving me nuts for years.”
Millie set down her cup. “One, Len only told me because I threatened to move in with Bunny if he didn’t tell me where he went. Two, he swore me to silence. And let’s be honest, Len doesn’t have a lot of secrets and he asks very little of me. I had to say yes.”
“Emotional blackmail.” I shook my head.
“So, what do my brother and Ben do on Thursdays?” Nora asked.
I raised an eyebrow at Millie.
Millie spluttered into her cup. “Honestly, you both need to chill. They play dorky board games and eat snacks. It’s not like they’re planning coups and assassinations. It’s just normal friendship stuff.”
Nora’s nose scrunched. “Len has a friend? Why is that more shocking than him disappearing every Thursday?”
“Well, good news. He’s not disappearing. He’s just at Ben’s,” I said. “And Millie is plying them with dip.”
She laughed. “Is that how you found out?”
“There’s only one person in Franklin Notch under the age of eighty who puts their casseroles in a cozy.”
She shrugged. “Just as well. Now you all know, Len has a friend and they like playing board games together.”
“Not exactly on my bingo card for this year.” I shook my head.
“Yeah, well, neither was you sleeping with Ben,” Millie retorted. “So, is this you making it official?”
“No,” I spluttered. “I just…I don’t know, wanted to talk it out with my friends?”
“I don’t know what there is to talk about,” Nora smiled. “I think it’s wonderful and romantic.”
“Not romantic. There’s nothing romantic about friends with benefits,” I corrected her, even as my stomach fluttered.
“Well, make it official. I’d love to throw a dinner party,” Millie said.
Nora rolled her eyes. “You can have a dinner party anytime. Ben and Thea don’t have to be dating.”
“But it would be more fun as a couple’s dinner party,” she mused. “I’m thinking Beef Wellington, Hasselback potatoes, and maybe clafoutis.”
“Clafoutis?” Nora wrinkled her nose.
“It’s a Dutch baby, Nor,” I said. “And we’re not planning couples’ dinner parties because Ben and I are not a couple. We’re the same as always except our sleepovers are a little less G-rated now.”
“I’ve seen you two share a sleeping bag. There was never anything G-rated about your sleepovers.” Nora finished her coffee, leaning over the chair to set her empty cup on the coffee table between us.
Millie raised an eyebrow. “Oh? This wasn’t all innocent before?”
“We’re both cuddlers. There’s nothing indecent about cuddling with a friend. I’ll even cuddle with you, Nora, while Andy’s out of town.”
“I might take you up on that,” she said with a laugh before slipping into her shoes. “Alright, I’ve got to get back to my house and study.”
“How’s school going?” Millie asked.
