Two weeks ago, Malcolm scheduled himself out of the office on Friday and the Tuesday after the holiday—the exact same days he asked her to clear on her schedule today. After that, Joy spotted several browser tabs open on his laptop with telltale keywords such as “hot-air balloon” and “vineyard,” and catering packages from her favorite restaurant. And most damning of all, Joy always helps him with his plans, for business and personal. This time, he hasn’t even mentioned a single thing about it to her.

Malcolm King-of-Grand-Romantic-Gestures Evans is about to make a comeback. And Joy has a sneaking suspicion it might finally be for her.

“Nope.” He shakes his head. “Because you’re going on a trip with me.”

“Again?” Joy snort-laughs, playfully rolling her eyes. “Where are we going this time?”

Ever since Caroline-ageddon, Malcolm’s been traveling nonstop, Joy being his companion of choice. They’ve driven to the Grand Canyon, watched the northern lights in Iceland, flown to remote beaches on private islands with sunsets to die for, visited museums and art shows, and attended fancy parties in skyscrapers that have no earthly business being so tall. A perpetual homebody, globetrotting has never been a dream of Joy’s. But hey, if it’s on someone else’s wealthy dime with someone she loves, who is she to say no?

Besides, every time Malcolm asked, she was mostly shocked that he even wanted to spend time with her at all. Because according to Caroline, the main reason why she left him was . . . Joy.

“I know you figured out that I’ve been planning something. I can barely hide anything from you.” Malcolm leans forward, locking her in his sights. No other human on the planet can make her feel like she’s the center of their universe. No one has ever made Joy feel the way Malcolm does. “But I’m keeping everything close to my chest this time. I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

Joy frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I have this plan.”

“A plan?”

“Yeah.” He clears his throat. “I met someone. Summer.”

A record scratch screeches in Joy’s ears. “Summer?”

“We’re friends. We’ve been hanging out for a couple of months now.”

Everything suddenly feels blurry and detached, like she’s watching a reflection of the moment instead of living in it. “Months?” When? How? She literally saw his calendar every day, they spent an ungodly amount of time together after work, and when they weren’t together, they texted constantly. How in the hell did he squeeze a Summer into his life without her knowing?

“Two, to be exact.” He laughs again. “I think there might be something there. I’ve been wanting to ask her out, and I’m positive she’s into me, but it feels different this time.”

“Different?”