When I told her I was unsure if animal control would fine us if we were even able to get an animal that weighs on average fifteen hundred pounds into the elevator, her nose scrunched, and I knew I had broken the cardinal rule of event planning. I had come off as being more intelligent than the client. But in this case, I was clearly the saner of us. I gave her a bunch of other ideas for the party—ones I suspected she was now going to pass on to whichever designer she did hire, and they’d pass them off as their own.

I blow out a breath and right my head, grabbing the remote beside me and flicking on the television. After a few minutes of scrolling and not finding anything interesting, I pick up my phone and pull up the Blind Dating App to check if I have any new matches.

After last night’s disaster, I’m not in a huge hurry to go on another blind date, but like Tessa is always telling me, Mr. Right won’t come crashing through my door and declare his undying love. I must put some effort into meeting him. Which is funny, since she’s still single herself.

I click on my direct messages and find one from Andrew. I drop the phone on the sofa cushion next to me. A big part of me wants to leave it unread because he’s the type who would be driven crazy by that, but I’m too curious for my own good. After debating for more than a minute, I pick my phone up and click on the message.

IOBJECT – Can we talk?

That’s all it says. No apology, no mention of even wanting to say I’m sorry, just that he wants to talk. That could mean so many things. Maybe he wants me to split the bill with him for last night. Or he talked to my brother and has some unnecessary guilt over treating me the way he did.

I debate not answering at all. Him knowing I’ve read the message and purposely didn’t respond might drive him straight to insanity. But I decide to give him the benefit of the doubt since he is my brother’s friend, because if my brother wants me to meet someone, it means it’s serious. If he proposes to her and they get married someday, I’ll have to be around Finn and I’m not one for uncomfortable situations, so I type out my response.

RAINBOWRIDER – What do we have to talk about?

No more than two minutes pass before he responds.

IOBJECT – Can we meet up? Where are you? I can come to your place.

Huh. He sounds desperate to talk to me.

RAINBOWRIDER – Again… what is this about?