BooksBarbecue
Back The Companion Project
Chapters (89)
  1. Dedication
  2. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  3. ONE
  4. HENRY
  5. TWO
  6. EMMA
  7. THREE
  8. HENRY
  9. FOUR
  10. EMMA
  11. FIVE
  12. EMMA
  13. SIX
  14. SEVEN
  15. HENRY
  16. EIGHT
  17. NINE
  18. TEN
  19. HENRY
  20. ELEVEN
  21. TWELVE
  22. EMMA
  23. THIRTEEN
  24. HENRY
  25. FOURTEEN
  26. HENRY
  27. FIFTEEN
  28. SIXTEEN
  29. EMMA
  30. SEVENTEEN
  31. HENRY
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. HENRY
  34. NINETEEN
  35. HENRY
  36. TWENTY
  37. TWENTY-ONE
  38. EMMA
  39. TWENTY-TWO
  40. EMMA
  41. TWENTY-THREE
  42. HENRY
  43. TWENTY-FOUR
  44. EMMA
  45. TWENTY-FIVE
  46. EMMA
  47. TWENTY-SIX
  48. EMMA
  49. TWENTY-SEVEN
  50. HENRY
  51. TWENTY-EIGHT
  52. EMMA
  53. TWENTY-NINE
  54. HENRY
  55. THIRTY
  56. HENRY
  57. THIRTY-ONE
  58. HENRY
  59. THIRTY-TWO
  60. EMMA
  61. THIRTY-THREE
  62. HENRY
  63. THIRTY-FOUR
  64. EMMA
  65. THIRTY-FIVE
  66. EMMA
  67. THIRTY-SIX
  68. HENRY
  69. THIRTY-SEVEN
  70. EMMA
  71. THIRTY-EIGHT
  72. HENRY
  73. THIRTY-NINE
  74. HENRY
  75. FORTY
  76. EMMA
  77. FORTY-ONE
  78. HENRY
  79. FORTY-TWO
  80. FORTY-THREE
  81. EMMA
  82. FORTY-FOUR
  83. EMMA
  84. FORTY-FIVE
  85. HENRY
  86. EPILOGUE
  87. ALSO BY CHELSEA CURTO
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Wow. I wish I had thought of that. Bad Joke Teller. I’ve been put in timeout. Please accept this cupcake as a peace offering.”

“Peace offering granted,” I agree, taking the plastic off the treat and biting into it.

We begin our stroll down the sidewalk. “Can I tell you a story?”

“Only if you hand over the Cheetos.”

“Fair enough.” He opens the bag and passes it my way. “A couple of weeks ago, Henry and I were out together. I told him I was going to propose to Rebecca.”

“That was you!”

“Yup. I couldn’t keep his attention. He kept looking at his phone. Wouldn’t listen. He was distracted.”

“Wait.” I wipe my cheesy finger on my jeans. “I was talking to him that night.”

“Oh, believe me, I put two and two together real quick. He tried to say he was waiting to talk to a client. I saw through the lie pretty easily. He’s never stared at his phone so much until you came along. The second it chimes, he’s jumping to answer, wanting to hear what you have to say.”

“Shoot. I feel terrible. It was your night to celebrate and I took away from your time. I stole your thunder.”

“Don’t feel bad at all. I’ll admit I was a bit against the idea of him meeting up with a woman he didn’t know. In the end, I’m glad he went through with the plan. I like the new Henry better than the old Henry.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Neil answers immediately.

“You’ve known Henry a while, right?”

“We went to college together. So, that’s, what, 13 years? I’d say that’s a decent length of time.”

“Do you honestly think he’s able to leave his past behind?”

“Henry’s stories aren’t mine to tell. I won’t deny he’s been with a lot of women, because he has. I won’t deny he didn’t used to be a shameless flirt, because he was. He’s also someone who commits 100% to something. Work and his career. Friendships. Sports. He spends time on things and people he wants. He’s never spent any time on a woman before. Now look at him. He’s created a whole fucking scavenger hunt around the city.”

“He’s really never had a girlfriend?”

“Emma, he might have been with Shelby more than once, but that girl owns no piece of his mind. You’re the only one he’s ever made any sort of effort for.”

I gnaw on my lip, mulling over the revelation. Henry’s trying. Really hard.