I hit SEND before I could reconsider my words. I peeked over at some MLB scores, scanned Twitter, and went to shut my computer down, when I noticed that a reply had come through, only minutes after I sent my message.

Okay.

And then a minute after that, a second one.

Name a place, I’ll be there.

*  *  *

“I have to say, this was unexpected.”

Lola leaned back in her chair, fingers wrapped around her to-go cup of coffee. Her mouth was set in a smile, her white-blond hair tousled on her head. Next to her, Cleo sat with her chin in her hand, observing me through her glasses. She too was smiling, but it did nothing to quell my nerves.

“I really appreciate you both meeting me.” I fiddled with the silicone lid on my travel mug. “And I promise not to take up too much of your time.” I bit my upper lip. Let out a breath. “Okay, well. The first thing I wanted to tell you both is that I care a lot about her.”

“Are you asking us for Franny’s hand?” Lola said with a laugh.

“No. I know Franny doesn’t want anything to happen between us, and I get that.” I sat up a little straighter, put on my best business-meeting face. “I just wanted to find out how she’s doing. Make sure she’s okay.”

“She’s okay,” said Lola. “Hanging in there.”

“It’s nice of you to check in on her,” Cleo said with a kind smile, followed by a sip of her tea. “I think it’s been a tough month, but her mom seems to be doing much better.”

“That’s good. I’m really glad to hear that.”

Cleo put her cup down and looked directly at me. “How are you doing, though?”

I shrugged. “Busy with work. We’re expanding to Seattle, and maybe San Diego, or somewhere in California. So that’s exciting.”

“I mean, with how you feel about Franny.” Cleo looked at me like she could read my thoughts. Lola nodded in agreement and then also turned her attention toward me.

My insides roiled. “Franny wants nothing to do with me, and I respect that. I can’t change how she feels. That’s not my place.”

“God, for someone so smart, you sure are dumb sometimes.” Lola’s eyes rolled, but she was looking at me with affection. “Trust me, she definitely wants ‘something to do with you.’”

She said the last words while waving her fingers in air quotes. A feeling deep inside me pinged with possibility, but I shoved it down.

“What I mean is, I know we’re done,” I said. “But I still care about her. That’s why I reached out to you both.”

“And because you want us to like you,” said Cleo. Her voice was so gentle that it almost masked that direct hit of her statement.