“Cheeky,” Lauren said. She was nervous, and when she was nervous, she overprepared. That apparently now extended to Carly, too. “I’m taking care of you. It’s what I do.”

Carly had held on to the sides of Lauren’s unzipped hoodie. “You took very good care of me this morning,” Carly said, alluding to their leisurely morning in bed. With Carly’s housing running out when the show closed, she’d spent the last couple of days at Lauren’s place, which had been the perfect way to decompress from the run of the show. Not that they’d done a lot of resting. “When does your flight arrive on Friday?”

“A little after four.”

“Perfect.” Carly got her idea face on. “We can go somewhere fantastic for dinner.”

“I’ll leave that planning up to you.”

Carly took a dramatic step back. “Who are you? The Lauren I know plans everything. Get off her lawn.”

Lauren laughed. “I’ll miss you until then. Even your overly dramatic proclamations.”

“I don’t know. After a few drama-free days, you may decide life is easier without this girl. Who’s going to lament loudly when you’re out of milk?”

“No one as loud about it as you are. That’s for sure.” They heard the sound of a car pulling into Lauren’s street. She glanced sadly in that direction and back. “Kiss me.”

Carly hadn’t hesitated. In fact, she’d wrapped her arms all the way around Lauren, making her feel cherished. Her eyes had misted, which was ridiculous. It was a few days, for God’s sake.

Still, her heart ached.

“Do you have snacks for the plane?” Lauren’s mother asked, pulling her back into the fold of the present conversation.

She laughed. “We’re more alike than even I realized.”

“Why do you say that?”

She squeezed her mom’s hand. “Not important. Can I ask you something?”

“Is this about how to make your chili spices richer? I’m a big proponent of a longer marinating period.”

Lauren laughed, fully aware that her mother was joking. “It should be about the spices, but no.” She sat down on the bed, abandoning her packing for a moment. “When did you know Dad had your heart? As in, for good. Done deal. This was the guy.”

“When he knew every fault and weakness in my arsenal and still craved me just as much.”

“Craved,” Lauren repeated. She could identify entirely with the concept.

Her mother held up a finger. “I’m not done.”

Lauren bowed her head in apology. “What else?”