Asher picked a book off a nearby shelf, paged through it without looking, and tossed it onto the coffee table. It covered a magazine Jenny knew had a photo of him with a real actress.

Molly laughed for the first time since they’d learned about the threats. “You two kill me.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes twinkled as if he were letting Jenny in on a secret, but then he turned toward the kitchen. “I’ll call for the pizza, then have to make a couple phone calls.”

“No prob. Take your time.” Molly offered her a wine glass.

She unburied her arm to grasp the stem and held it steady while Molly filled it.

“More, please.” Jenny wiggled her glass. “Or just give me the bottle and a straw.”

Molly rolled her eyes toward the kitchen where Asher could be heard ordering pizza. “What just happened between you two?”

Jenny shrugged. “Same thing that always happens. He flirts, walks away, and I’m left looking silly with a sad crush.”

“That’s not what happened. I can tell that much.” Molly topped off Jenny’s glass and sat on the other end of the couch. “What’d he make up his mind about?”

She took a long sip of the wine, not bothering to enjoy it. “No idea.”

“With the way you’re draining that wine glass, I’d say that’s a lie.”

Jenny tilted her head and knew she blushed. “Maybe a small one.”

“The wine is helping?”

“A little.” She swallowed another massive drink. “A lot. I don’t know.”

“Better watch out, that wine’s going to hit you fast on an empty stomach.” Molly picked up the remote and skimmed through their DVR.

Nothing looked good. Jenny could still feel Asher’s arms around her, and the scent of his cologne lingered on her shirt. Cable reruns weren’t going to be any form of distracting entertainment. One minute turned into five minutes, then fifteen, and Jenny had no idea what had been on the television. All she could picture was his arms around her.

“Molls,” she whispered like he might be hanging around the corner and not ordering pizza or discussing national security or whatever he was doing on the phone in their kitchen. “He said he’s ‘done pretending.’ What does that mean?”

Molly’s smile went as wide as her eyes. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” Jenny chewed on the inside of her mouth. “He had me up against the wall.”

“He what? The wall?” Molly’s jaw hung open, and she inspected the wall like there might be evidence of the encounter. “No way.”

“I’m being serious.” Jenny rubbed her temples. “Why did he do that? I’m totally reading into that, right?”