“When you what?” Jase repeated. “Please tell me you haven’t called out of the blue to confess that you’re in love with my sister and also that you’re having—ugh, you know what? Nope. Can’t even say it.”

Will frowned as he opened his suitcase and rifled through the clothes he hadn’t unpacked. “You can’t say what?”

“Will.”

He found his workout clothes and thought for a moment. “Oh, sex? You think we’re having sex? We’ve never had sex. Although I should be clear, I am hoping we will eventually have sex.” He paused. “If she’s into that.” He paused again. “But that’s, like, stage six of the plan. We’re still pre-season, Jase. Stay with me.” Honestly, the man was usually much smarter than this. Abbie had met her ex-husband at university, they’d been together forever, and after the divorce she’d been … withdrawn. It was only in the last year or so that she’d fully regained her smart-arse confidence. She’d been hurt. She was different now. He couldn’t throw his whole entire heart at her like they were still young.

Sometimes Will thought about how things might’ve been if he’d thrown his heart at her when they were young.

Then he stopped because it made him sad, and anyway, it was pointless.

“Right now,” he explained, “I’m trying to change the way she thinks of me. She can’t see me as just one of the guys. She has to think I’m, you know, attractive.”

“Will. Abigail’s glasses give her twenty-twenty vision. She knows you’re attractive.”

“Shut up, that’s not what I meant. It’s a mindset thing. I don’t even know if she’s ready to date, which is why I’m taking this slow. So, stage two: in the New Year, I move back home—”

“You what?”

“—and start to see her more often. Not in a weird way. Just like, I’m here, she’s here, why don’t we hang out? She sees how super mature I am, and maybe she comes to my house sometimes and is in awe of my organised spice rack. I show her my Deap Vally records, and she starts ovulating. I might paint my living room black. She’d be way into that, right? Anyway, after that—”

“Stop,” Jase yelped. “Seriously, stop. I can’t breathe.”

“Oh, were you laughing just now? I thought someone had brought their tiny dog to work again.”

“Jesus, Will, you’re going to kill me. You’re actually going to kill me.”