I laugh. “I’m a grown woman, Bennie. I have sex.”

“Stooop.” He nudges me with his elbow. “You don’t. You two cuddled, that’s all, right?” He gives me a side-eye glance. “Don’t answer that. Well, I hated the guy before, but now I really hate him. Douchebag sat and had drinks with dad talking about how his intentions toward you were good and how you were helping him learn how to connect with people—”

I stop walking completely. “Wait, what?”

Bennie realizes I’ve stopped and takes a step back to stand beside me.

“Yeah, dad thought he was super into you. He almost felt bad for indirectly calling the guy a cunt.”

Aleck said that? That I was helping him connect with people. That his intentions toward me were good…

What the hell changed between that conversation and the moment he decided to never see or talk to me again? Or, maybe nothing changed at all and Aleck is that good at deceiving. He is a lawyer after all.

I start walking again and take a deep breath. “I don’t know. It’s possible it could have been something, but it ended up being nothing. No big deal.” Lies.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay about it. You don’t really seem like the casual cuddling type, Winnie,” he says, checking his phone. “You think Cal will get jealous if I go out with Mindy? He said she was hot.”

“You know,” I say, opening the door to the market, the bell overhead announcing our arrival. “It’s amazing you two are as close as you are. You’re so competitive with each other.”

Bennie laughs, then hands me his phone. I grab it and see a text conversation between him and Cal.

Bennie: Hey asshat, guess who I’m hanging out with…

Cal: Who cares. Stop being a jealous dick. We’re allowed to hang out with other people.

Bennie: I’m not jealous, you’re jealous. Fine, I’ll tell you who I’m hanging out with... Winnie. It’s Winnie. *Tongue sticking out emoji.

Cal: *surprised face emoji*

Cal: You’re an asshole, and tell her I said hi.

Bennie: No. Tell Tristan I said hi.

Cal: Fuck you.

Bennie: Winnie’s my new best friend and you’re not invited to any of our parties. Neither is Tristan Becker and his cool Mustang. *eye roll emoji*

I laugh and hand Bennie back his phone. He takes it with an extra pep to his step like he won the argument as we walk down the aisles of Hayward Market.

“After we get coffee we’ll go grab dad’s birthday present, yeah?”

I roll my eyes. “Fine, but we have to be quick. I have that thing at Sondra’s.”

Bennie’s grin widens. He swings his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to his side. “Winnie, you’re my favorite.”

“Aww, thanks, Ben. You’re my favorite, too.”

“Can you tell Cal that? In fact, tell everyone that. Especially Cal, though. Oh, and Mindy, she’s super hot.”

I shake my head and snuggle into Bennie’s side.