He kept his eyes forward, hands on the steering wheel at the ten-and-two position. “I grasp why you’re disinclined to meet your ex-paramour,” he said. “But not why you wish to avoid your best friend.”

My head lolled back against the seat rest. “Because they’re dating,” I explained dully. “Each other.”

“Oh.” A long silence followed. “I see.” Followed by a longer silence. “And I take it you were unaware of this until recently?”

“Yep.” Then I realized, “We’re going the wrong direction.”

“We are not, actually.” He seemed very confident on this point for a guy who had only been down Jolly Lane one other time in his life. But he was still focused on our earlier conversation. “When did you two break up?”

“Right before I left for Barrington.”

“And you were the instigator, or was he?”

“I was. But that’s not the point,” I insisted.

“Isn’t it?

“It isn’t.”

“Then what is the point?”

“Friends don’t date your exes, and vice versa, without asking permission first, especially best friends. It’s a universal code.”

“Then why were you the one slinking out of the café? If they were in violation of this universal code, as you put it, they should be the ones to slink.” He tapped the steering wheel with his right index finger and kept his focus forward. “Unless you still harbor feelings for . . .”

“Brody. Brody Tuck.”

“Brody Tuck.” He repeated it like it tasted bad. “Let me guess, he’s exceptional at sports and all the girls throw themselves at his Neanderthal feet.”

“Yes, yes, and he is, actually. Neanderthal. Three percent.”

That seemed to surprise him. “You know this how?”

“His brother sent off one of those DNA kits and when it came back, Brody was excited to tell me the good news. He said he thought that was why he recovered from injuries faster than the other guys, like he was Wolverine.”

“Fascinating.” His tone of voice indicated otherwise. “But back to my question: Do you still harbor feelings for Mr. Tuck?”

I shrugged and shifted the takeout bag on my lap, uncertain of the answer. “I mean, doesn’t everyone always have some residual feelings for their first love?” I challenged, chancing a look at him in profile.

His expression was impossible to read.

“I wouldn’t know. It hasn’t yet happened for me.”

“Never?” I asked, surprise laced in my voice.

He took longer than I expected before he said simply, “No.”

And left it at that.