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“Toby, you’ll never be like her.”
I shrugged. “Hopefully.”
“Definitely. But I won’t argue that the smoking habit is sketchy as fuck. I’m glad you ditched it.”
“Yeah. Anyway, while I was waiting for you, I thought I saw the same guy sitting in the corner.” I nodded toward the booth now filled with a couple and their two kids.
“No way!” She looked legitimately worried, and it was freaking me out a bit.
“I don’t actually think it was him. It was probably my imagination.”
“Oh man. I’m sorry I was so late, though.”
“It’s okay. I’m obviously fine. Do I still look like a goat?”
“Not so much.”
“Perfect.” I took another bite of the Danish. “Fuck, these are good. Have the strawberry one.”
We ate and chatted and joked around, like always, and it was so nice to hang out with my best friend again.
“So, things are going good with your man?”
“Sure.”
“Sure?”
“He’s incredible. And he seems to like me for some reason.”
“Toby…”
“Okay, fine. I am awesome—in some ways, maybe.”
“In lots of ways.” She smiled. “He must like baby goats.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
She laughed. “I’m thrilled for you, Toby. You deserve to have a sexy man fall in love with you.”
I held up my hand. “Whoa, whoa. Who said anything about love? Jesus Christ.”
She shrugged. “Maybe not yet. But when you talk about him, you go all gooey-schmooey, and if he has any sense, he’ll fall head over heels for you.”
“I do not go— Wait,what?”
“Toby. I’ve been telling you for at least five years you’re a total catch. When are you going to believe me?”
“I guess when I finally get a ring on my finger,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her.
“Hmm. Well. If you look at Alastair like you looked at that coffee and Danish earlier, I bet it won’t be long.”
* * * *
After the café, Esther and I wandered around Old Ottawa South, popping into several quaint little stores. At Global Pet Foods—which was actually a chain pet store but still cool—we messed around trying dog collars on each other, because it was hilarious and made some of the staff nervous.
“Oh my God. That looks fucking cool on you,” Esther said, with a hand over her mouth.
“What? No, it doesn’t,” I said. I touched my fingers to the soft brown leather and hovered them over the silver buckle.
