The small kitchen had barely been touched since I’d moved in, but I still pulled open the fridge door as if expecting food to magically appear. It was empty, except for the random condiments in the door and the one carton of eggs I’d purchased. The thought of scrambled eggs for dinner made me gag on the patheticness more than the taste. I slammed the fridge door shut and pulled out my phone to scroll for dinner ideas.

There was a sandwich shop at the edge of town that I’d yet to try. I’d do that.

But as soon as I put on my coat and my boots, I’d already changed my mind. Because a sandwich alone was equally as sad as staying in this apartment by myself.

There was only one place I could go to feel slightly less alone right now. I hustled down the stairs, and toward the entrance to Marie’s.

I was more than prepared to scarf down yet another salad just to see her.

TWELVE

Frankie

“Are you finally going to tell me what we’re doing?” I asked, as Oliver stepped out of his SUV and slammed the door shut behind him.

“What are you doing out here?” He looked perplexed as he approached, offering a hand to help me up from the front step—the same one I’d been perched on for the past fifteen minutes. Nerves had kept me up all night and left me barely eating the day before. Spending time alone with a guy like Oliver? Definitely not something I did often. I’d felt the same jittery tension before our snowboarding lesson, and the fact that I hadn’t exactly impressed him that day did little to ease my discomfort.

“Waiting for you?” It came out like a question.

He tilted his head. “I would have come and knocked on the door. I’m not a complete degenerate.”

I hoped he didn’t notice the slight shake of my hands as I held up my coffee mug. “I figured this way, you wouldn’t have to wake Giles and Mattie. They’re sleeping in today.”

The three of us had gotten a little too wine drunk yesterday—well, mostly them. Like I said, bundle of nerves over here. Mattie had noticed that so she’d broken out our favorite childhood board game and we’d all gotten way too into playing it. They had continued to play for hours after I’d gone to bed. I could hear them as I tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling.

Oliver still looked a little displeased at the fact that I was waiting outside for him, but he shook it off and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me to his car.

“This yours?” I asked as he opened the door and I climbed into the passenger seat.

“Whose else would it be?” he asked, walking around to his side and sliding in.

The cleanliness of his car struck me immediately. I turned in my seat to look at the back, but there was no crumpled-up clothes or trash in site. It even smelled good in here. Like pine trees or something.