What would his reaction be? I wanted to imagine that he would be gentle and understanding. But what if he wasn’t?

It was too scary, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I couldn’t.

So I clung to what I was good at—putting off and discouraging men. “I can’t explain it to you. I’m sorry. I can be friends and nothing more. That’s all I have to offer you.” And if he didn’t want to be friends, well, I’d be okay with that. I was okay before we met, and my life would go on just fine without him in it.

Even if that thought did feel a little sad.

He stayed silent for a moment, considering. “Then I’ll take whatever you have to give. I’d like to be your friend.”

Relief coursed through me so powerfully that I felt a little dizzy. I sagged against the seat. “Good. So we’re friends.”

“Do friends hang out in a non–dog grooming capacity?” he asked.

I weakly smiled. “You did that tonight.”

“Right. So I’ll have to add in wanting to spend time with you in a non–seat filler capacity, too. Maybe this Friday?”

“I can’t on Friday,” I told him. “My mom is doing this one-woman show where she’s giving birth to herself for one of her theater classes.”

“That sounds like an oddly specific lie,” he said.

“It’s the truth. My mother’s midlife crisis involves her going back to school to pursue that acting degree she’s always wanted. You should totally stop by. Fun will be had by all.”

The car came to a stop, and the engine turned off. I looked out the window and was surprised to see that we were in front of my apartment building. The night was officially over. And other than my one mini-freak-out, things had gone well and I’d enjoyed spending time with him. As friends did, right?

I put my hand on the door handle and was about to thank him when he said, “Wait. There’s something else I need to tell you.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE

That worried, panicky feeling returned. Was he about to take it back? Say he didn’t want to be friends?

“It’s about Shelby,” he said, and I immediately felt reassured.

“You mean how the two of you masterminded this evening? Don’t worry, it doesn’t take a genius to have figured that one out.”

“No. I mean, yes, we may have schemed a little, but this is about something else.” My mind went to a weird place. Like, if he told me right now that in the last week he and Shelby had fallen in love and were running away together, I was going to march straight into our apartment and set fire to all of her favorite lipsticks.

“What?”