I nearly laugh at his shocked tone of voice. “Positive. Remember how he came at me that day we met? Remember every argument we’ve had in front of you? One hundred percent unadulterated hatred right there.”

Finn bites back a grin. He opens his mouth to speak, then immediately shuts it. “I’ll admit, Callum hates plenty of people. But you’re not one of them.”

Finn tips his boba tea at me before turning around and walking away. I’m tempted to holler at him so he can come back and explain what he meant, but he’s swallowed by the sea of tourists and locals navigating the market before I can utter a word.

I’m left standing in an invisible cloud of confusion. Every single time I’ve interacted with Callum, his animosity for me has radiated like steam from a volcanic fissure. Why in the world would Finn say otherwise?

I wander through the crowd, half-heartedly scanning items for sale. Does Finn know something I don’t? Did something change since Callum brushed me off at the vet’s office?

My throat squeezes with longing, with a hope I don’t often let myself entertain. Even so, I allow my mind to drift to distant thoughts, and something in my chest aches.

What I wouldn’t give to have a polite conversation with Callum. A friendly conversation.

You’d need friends to have one of those, Nikki.

I swallow against the squeeze in my throat. Deep down I know it’s true, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. I’m a friendless twenty-nine-year-old who was so panicked when I moved out to Maui that I didn’t think to prioritize friendships. Relationships are a luxury you can’t afford when you’re fighting to support yourself and your mom after your dad’s terminal illness threw everything into limbo.

But still.

The thought tumbles through my head. It would be pretty damn nice to have a friend right about now.

If Finn is right, if his brother somehow doesn’t hate me, if he for some reason wanted to be friends, I’d say yes in a second.

I rejoin the slow-walking crowd, stopping at a baked goods booth. A young woman in cutoffs and a holey T-shirt offers me a sample of banana bread, and I accept with a soft “thank you.”

When I look up, I freeze. Callum and Finn stand just ahead of me, but turned away. At their angle, they can’t see my face, but I can see their faces.

“You’re doing a bang-up job, Finn,” Callum says, gently elbowing his arm.

Finn looks down at his banana bread sample, his face bright. “You think so?”

“Yeah. You turned things around, and now look how well your business is doing.”

“You helped me a lot, Cal.”