Page 48 of Hard to Take

“What is it?” I flip my collar, tugging it up around my face to keep the wind out.

It’s a week before Christmas, and Nova and I are taking a girls’ afternoon to shop. I have budget-conscious ideas for my brother and my parents, and she needs to find something for Clay.

She holds up her phone and I pull up next to her. My attention zeroes in on the numbers on the screen. My friend points a pink-mitten-covered hand at the corner.

“It says I got a thousand new followers overnight.”

“Hell, yeah.” I tug off my own gloves, cold be damned, and click around her profile.

“It’s the video I posted of my work in progress. It’s going crazy,” she says with wonder.

“People love it.” I grin and pass her back the phone. We high-five.

“You’re a genius,” Nova says as we continue down the block.

I glance up to see the facade of a store that has something I want for my brother. Another patron emerges, and I hold the door for my friend to go first.

“Have you had any new inquiries?” I ask.

“Ten this morning. I can’t keep up.”

My jaw drops. “Nova. That’s insane,” I say once we’re out of the cold. “If you want, I’d be happy to vet them for you.”

“Really? That would be amazing.” She does a little skip and a jump that makes me laugh. She types away on her phone. “I’m sending you money now.”

The transfer pops up on my cracked screen.

“That’s too much,” I protest.

“Are you kidding? You got me five times that much new business and saved me a ton of headaches. Plus, without your help, I never would have started selling my art. Or taken the commission for the Kodiaks. Or…”

She’s counting items off on her fingers like a shopping list, and I grab her hand out of the air.

“Okay, I get it!”

I love that I was able to help my friend, and the money is a bonus.

“Are you buying something for Miles?” Nova’s question interrupts my thinking.

I scrutinize each shelf as I drift down an aisle. “I want to. But I don’t want to weird him out.”

“How much time have you spent in his bed since the party?”

“Remarkably little,” I declare. “On the counter, the dresser, against the wall on the other hand…”

“But this is different because you’re exposing yourself,” she finishes. “When you get him a present, you’re saying, ‘This is how I see our relationship and how I value it and what you mean to me.’ Which is complicated by the fact that you’re living together.”

I groan. “Can I just get him a new toaster?”

My thoughts turn to my roommate with benefits. He’s done a lot for me, even fully clothed, and I want to show him how much I appreciate him.

We continue browsing until we find what I want for Jay. I search for the wine I want for my mom without luck.

“How hard is it to find a bottle of wine?” I grumble when we get to the register. “I’ve looked in person, and it was backordered online from the vineyard.”

The coffee table at Miles’s is strewn with wine flyers, and I’ve been calling around all week.

“Can you get her something else?” Nova asks.

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