I nod. Dammit, that’s exactly how I felt about Dash. He made everything better.

“Anyway, it was like I was stuck in limbo with her. I never knew where we stood. Sometimes, it would feel like she was sending me signals…” Lorelei adds, “Leaning in against me, looking in my eyes too long, but… I didn’t want to get it wrong and make a fool of myself.”

“So what happened?” I ask, curious.

“Nothing.” She gives a shrug. “I never said anything. We graduated, she moved to LA, we lost touch.”

“Then you should reach out!” I sit up, but she shakes her head.

“I looked her up last year. She got married to a marine biologist. They wore matching red dresses and eloped to Mexico. That’s so like Alison,” she says, and I can see the ache in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” I reach over and squeeze her hand.

Lorelei gives a sad smile. “Me too. But you see, I don’t want this happening to you. To look Dash up ten years from now and see him happy with someone else.”

Damn, I feel an ache just at the thought.

“Exactly.” Lorelei says, seeing my expression. “If you’re going to be an idiot, better to be the idiot who says how she feels, and just takes the shot, instead of the idiot wondering what might have been.”

I think about Lorelei’s cautionary tale long after she falls asleep in front of an epic Bridgerton marathon.

Is she right? Am I just sabotaging my own happiness, by not being brave enough to demand answers from Dash?

Or should I just stay in this apartment forever, avoiding all conflict and potential rejection, alone?

I toss and turn all night, wrestling with my emotions, but I don’t wake any closer to clarity. Luckily, I’ve got plenty to put my heartache in perspective: We’re throwing a big fundraising drive today for the women’s center at a local church, and I’ve volunteered to take the morning shift.

I head over to the event and find the place already bustling. There are long trestle tables set up in the main church hall, and people are already dropping off refuse sacks of donations.

“Callie, great,” Suze greets me with a clipboard, already looking frazzled. “Can you start separating out the goods? We want clothing there, toiletries there, and kids’ stuff in the far corner.”

“Coming right up!”

I roll up my sleeves—literally—and start sorting, folding, and figuring out what needs minor mending, and what’s already heading straight for the closet of dreams back at the center.

“Ooh, look at this!” I exclaim in excitement, opening a massive box to find an array of unopened, pristine beauty products. There are even women’s razors, shower gels, and other bath stuff.

I pause, remembering Dash’s bathroom drawer. Is it weird that I miss it? Maybe it was evidence of what a player he is, but looking back now, I just remember how thoughtful he was. Getting my favorite bagels, making sure I got coffee the very first thing in the morning on our road trip.