Radley smiled. “Thank you! Okay, back to the kiss. I know someone. Yes. She’s wicked nice, a little Worcester, you know? A girl-gangster vibe, a little roller derby . . . tats, piercings, leather, the usual. But super pretty. Wicked, wicked pretty. And she’s a very nice person. Really fun.”

“What’s her name?”

“Cammie. Should I text her right now?”

Josh felt sweat break out on his forehead. “No, no. Uh . . . no. I’d like to think about it.”

“Let’s do it. No time like the present.” Josh winced, but said nothing as Radley’s thumbs began flying over his phone. Radley narrated as he typed. “Hi, Cams, I have a friend who would love to meet you for a date, okay? He’s a doll, but he’ll be nervous. Been off the market for a while. Love you!” He looked up at Josh. “There.”

“I feel a little sick.”

“That’s a good sign!”

Seconds later, Radley’s phone chirped. His face lit up. “She says she’s in, text me his info.” Radley looked at him. A few more taps, and Josh’s info was delivered. “Let’s order some food, okay? I’m starving.”

CAMMIE WAS INDEED wicked, wicked pretty. In fact, Josh’s mouth dried up when she walked into the same bar four days later. Holy crap. She wore a formfitting white dress with a deep V in the front, high-heeled red shoes and a red leather jacket, and everyone in the bar turned to look at her. Dark tumbling hair, very long but natural-looking eyelashes, red lipstick. She had a tattoo of black barbed wire around her wrist, and somehow, it all worked.

She was incredibly hot. You know. If he was being objective.

“Josh, right? How you doin’?”

He closed his mouth and stood up. “Hi, Cammie. Uh . . .” His brain wasn’t working. “Nice . . . nice to meet you. Um . . . is Cammie short for anything?” Was he making sense? It didn’t seem like it.

“Short for Cameron,” she said. “My mom was hooked on those shows where girls had boy names. 90210, Gilmore Girls, you know.” He didn’t, but nodded anyway. “Is Josh short for anything?”

He hesitated. “Joshua.”

“Oh, right.” She extended her hand for him to . . . kiss, it seemed. He took it and shook it awkwardly, as if it were Pebbles’s paw. “Very nice to meet you, Joshua,” she said. “I was totally psyched when Radley texted the other night.” She sat down, and Josh did the same. “What a doll that guy is, right?”

“Absolutely.” He swallowed.

“How did you meet him?”

“He . . . he helped me in Banana Republic and we . . . well, we became friends.” He opted not to tell her about the sobbing.

The server came over, his eyes glued on Cammie’s breasts, which, to be fair, everyone could see a lot of. It did seem a shame to hide them. “Welcome to the Eddy. What can I get you?”