The one point of tension between them was the pending studio session. A date hadn’t been set, and Keiran wasn’t prodding her about it, but that would change soon. Surely, he had a deadline where that was concerned. But right now, the focus was the party planning.

“He even complimented my checklists.” That had been a surreal moment.

“Giiiirl, those checklists of yours are scary.” Reba pretended to clutch some imaginary pearls. “I’m okay with lists for work-related purposes, but your system gives me hives! Digital’s the way to go. Get with the times. That notebook makes my head hurt. I love you, but that damn thing is just...no.”

“Checklists are a godsend,” Cherisse said. They both busted out laughing. She’d said that many times over the course of their working relationship. She couldn’t help it. Checklists helped a lot. Hers were damn near indecipherable, though, basically scribbles with lots of bullet points, arrows all over the place, even some terrible drawings to illustrate a particular point. It gave most people a headache, sent them running screaming in the opposite direction, but she preferred paper to digital in this instance. There was something appealing about finally crossing off a finished task with her pen. “He said they made a weird kinda sense. He was actually able to read them.”

Reba gasped. “For real? Okay, just marry that dude already. You won’t find anyone else capable of that.”

Cherisse shook her head. Marry Keiran? The apocalypse would happen before that did. “I’ll pass on that, thanks. Anyways, back to the shoes.” She kicked at them again and thought, why the hell not? She had the perfect dress to go with them too.

“Oh, by the way.” Reba waved her phone around. “If you feel to meet up after, I’ll be chillin’ downstairs with Aleem. Him and his friends are having a sushi night at Hyatt. Nice coincidence, right? If you need a pep talk or just a weirdo in the background giving you an exuberant thumbs up, I’ll be there. These fancy events always have rabbit food that can barely sustain anyone, so feel free to crash sushi night.”

Reba wasn’t wrong about the food. Cherisse had attended events like this before, and sure enough, she’d always been starving after. The food was usually gorgeously plated, but the portions would never appease her appetite. “You’re hanging with Aleem? You know he’s totally in love with you.”

Reba didn’t seem too concerned about it. “He knew what was up with our arrangement and that relationships aren’t really my thing these days. The sex was good while it lasted, but then he starting getting all mushy and ruined everything. I told him being friends is fine, and he acted like I tried to murder his dog or something. As if my offer of friendship was the worst thing ever. So, I’m basically there for the free sushi because I told his ass not to fall for me.” She shrugged. “He’s paying.”

“I can’t keep up with your drama.” Cherisse had heard about Reba’s escapades countless times. Casual sex sounded like a nightmare waiting to happen. For her, at least. Her emotions always got in the way. Reason enough for her taking time for herself after Sean. She hadn’t wanted to dive into anything too soon.