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I nodded. “I’m picking up a pizza over at Pete’s and then picking up Emily.”
“Really,” Brad said flatly. “You sure you got your names right? You know, man to man.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but yeah… I’m picking up Emily when she gets off work.”
“Not Clara?” His eyes drilled into me.
My chest tightened. What did he know about Clara?
I straightened my shoulders and rested the basket on a fruit stand. “Not Clara. No.”
What had Emily said to her brother? Was that the issue with this whole taking it to the next level thing? Clara?
“She showed up at the store today.” Brad stared at me.
“Clara?” I blurted out. “Why would she do that?”
“I was hoping you had the answer for that.”
I let out a deep breath and shook my head. “Man, I have no idea.”
“Are you leading my sister on?” He folded his arms over his chest.
“I wish I could, Brad.” I stared right back.
“Then what’s up with this other woman?”
“She’s a girlfriend from high school who just got a divorce and moved back to the city. How do I know all this? I wanted to surprise Emily with tickets to see her favorite author, but Clara’s best friend was the PR woman in charge of doling out sold-out tickets. I had no idea they were still in contact, but when Emily and I arrived, we both got an earful.”
He slapped my shoulder. “Well, buddy. It looks like you got yourself a stalker if you’re telling me you haven’t led her on.”
“The only thing I told her was that I wasn’t interested. That’s it. Why she’s here is beyond me.”
“I hope that’s true.”
“Actions speak louder than words.” I scanned the aisles, suddenly paranoid that Clara was going to jump out of nowhere. “I haven’t reached out to her, and I have no interest in doing so.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, you’re more than welcome to join us for dinner.”
Brad shook his head. “No, I gotta go home. Oscar hasn’t seen me in a while, and he missed me.”
“Oscar? Your cat?”
He nodded. “Hey, come to think of it…”
“What’s up?”
“I’m headed back out for a quick road trip next week, and everywhere is booked. You think you could watch him?”
I’d heard about this cat.
But seriously. How crazy could a cat be?
Maybe I’d score some points, and by the looks of it, I needed any help I could get with her brother.
“Sure. Yeah. I can stay at the orchard and bring him there.”
