I gave myself an ultimatum: after New Zealand, pick one.

Crap. No, not crap—fuck.

*

“Hi. It’s me.”

“Yes, I know. Your name comes up on my phone. It’s this amazing technology.” Lindsey was in full sarcasm mode. Maybe that’s why she’s my bestie—she and Cat are practically the same person, right down to the playful sarcasm and knowing whether I need tough love or a soft shoulder to cry on.

“Right. I need to talk to you.”

“So, more than what we’re doing now?” I could hear her typing, which meant she was only half-listening.

“Yes. Josh called.” The typing stopped.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Well, FaceTimed. Whatever. Anyway, he’s coming to Australia. For work—maybe—and if it’s definitely, then it’s happening soon.”

“Oh, wow.” I loved her for understanding me when I babbled.

“Yeah. And forget the ‘maybe’ part, because it’s fifty-fifty at the moment, and that’s good enough for me to start freaking out.”

“Of course you are. They’ll both be here at the same time.” I loved her even more for following my pseudo-logic and knowing exactly what was freaking me out.

We were both silent for a moment—me while I went back over the million and one things I had thought since Josh had called. Lins, I hoped, was quietly formulating the perfect plan to get me out of this ridiculous mess. That I had made. All by my big-girl self.

“You need to come over,” she said eventually. “Tonight.”

“Yes.” I had already decided that. The call was me telling her I was coming.

“It’s actually perfect because Nick is going to spin class.”

“Spin?”

“Don’t ask. Anyway, he goes out for pizza afterwards with a couple of the guys from class.”

“Pizza?”

“Again, don’t ask. Anyway, come tonight. Seven?”

“Yep.”

“Bye.” She hung up without waiting for a reply. Best friends can do that without the other one getting pissy. Plus, she ran her own company. She was busy. I’d probably used up a hundred dollars of her time in that five minutes.

I showed up at five to seven with two bottles of wine, an overnight bag, and Domino. I figured that since he was already booked into his home-away-from-home for the duration of my trip, what was one extra night? Besides, I wanted him with me. I’d miss his little face while I was in New Zealand.

Domino always travelled in the car without a cage or anything—he was cool that way—and had spent most of the ride standing on the passenger seat with his paws on the dash watching out the front window. He was squirming in my arms as Lindsey opened the front door, though, so I deposited him on the floor and he ran off down the hallway.

Lindsey took the bag with the wine in it. “Only two bottles?”

“I figured we could dip into yours if we run out.”

After stashing my overnight bag in my room, I followed Lindsey into the kitchen. “So, Nick and spin class …”