“So you’re saying I could have . . . pie?”

I direct a silent prayer of thanks toward the ceiling. “Yes, Annie. You can have pie. And you know who makes a mean pie?”

“I would never ask you to do all that work right before the wedding—”

“Honestly, I would consider ending our friendship if you went anywhere else for the pie.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Pie dough can be made and frozen ahead of time, and lots of whole pies can even be frozen. I’ll get started this week. Tonight! As soon as we end this phone call! You tell me five to seven pie varieties you’d like and I’ll get to work.”

“Can you pick the pies?”

Now it really feels like this is too good to be true. Not only do I get to make the dessert for my best friend’s wedding, but I get to decide what it is? “Um . . . don’t you want to tell me your favorites?”

“I think I’m suffering from decision fatigue. Between picking out centerpieces and choosing my dress, I can barely expend the energy to figure out what I’m gonna eat for dinner. I swear, I snapped at Uncle Don the other day because he asked me if he should wear a Star Wars or Star Trek tie to the ceremony.”

I laugh. “That sounds like Don.”

“To be fair, it was the third time he’d asked me.”

“Well, it’s a big decision.”

“You choose the pies, okay? I trust you, in all matters but especially in those of pie.”

I put my hand on my chest, even though Annie can’t see me. “I’m touched.”

“I figure it’s the least I can do, since I’m not even going to offer up a cute groomsperson for you to hook up with.”

Since Annie and Drew are keeping their wedding relatively small, they each only have one attendant. Annie has me, duh, and Drew has his fourteen-year-old brother, Louis.

“I told him you said, and I quote, ‘Drew should forget about his teenage brother and choose a celebrity,’ but he kept talking about how ‘family is important,’ and ‘I’ve never even met Tessa Thompson so I can’t ask her to be my groomswoman.’”

“Ugh,” I groan. “But she looks so good in a suit.”

“Sorry to crush your dreams of flinging yourself at a celebrity, but on the plus side, Louis had a major growth spurt over the past year, so at least you won’t look like you’re babysitting in formalwear.”

I snort, grateful that I’m seeing a little bit of Annie’s sense of humor. This is always how we’ve bonded: joking through movies, nurturing inside jokes, sending each other mental notes with our eyes when someone says something ridiculous. Between her hardly being in town and being so busy with the movie and the wedding, I haven’t had much of a chance to remember why I love her so much.

“I’m blessed. How about I let you go? I’m sure you have a million things to do, and I have some pie research to get on.”