Page 55 of Just Act Natural

“Aw.” I pat him on the shoulder. “You’re cute when you’re wildly naive.”

SEVENTEEN

LILA

And just like that,I feel human again. All it took was a triple shampoo, a deep conditioning, a vigorous scrub with a loofah, a sheet mask, and slathering myself with my favorite lotion.

Bliss.

Grant dropped me off outside my building after we arranged to meet up for my beloved boba tea tomorrow. It’s strange not to have him somewhere close by. I’m having proximity withdrawals, as if that’s a thing.

The other thing that’s not a thing? After being out in the fresh mountain air for a week, my apartment doesn’t smell as great as I used to think it did. It’s nothing gross like the mildewy communal hallway, it’s just…indoor air. I never thought I would miss the smell of the woods.

My all-brick studio sits above a block of businesses on Maple Street. I get it for a steal, mostly because it’s woefully out of date and more or less unappealing in every way. But it’s super convenient to shops, and the exact same apartment would go for four times as much in Seattle, so really, who’s the winner here?

My phone buzzes as though it’s sayingNot you. It’s barely let up since I turned it back on.

Hope: When can I expect details?

Hope: Don’t make me come find you

Hope: I know where you live

I guess I’d better get this over with.

Lila: On my way down

It takes me about five minutes to walk to my sister’s gift shop, The Painted Daisy. I still haven’t decided whether I’m going to let her in on what’s really going on between Grant and me when I walk through the door.

The truth is a pretty sad scenario: asking a guy I barely know to pretend to date me so I could have a fleeting win against my ex-fiancé. But I’m not sure I can spin the make-believe story much better: I got a fresh new boyfriend within a week of my sister’s engagement party. Both versions reek of desperation.

Inside, I’m comforted by smells I don’t mind at all—a variety of lavender and citrus soaps and lotions, and about six different kinds of pies from the bakery next door. At least my brain hasn’t been altered to dislikeeveryindoor smell.

I focus on Hope beaming at me by the back counter so I don’t get sidetracked by a pair of cozy slippers or the latest set of handcrafted earrings she got in. Spending money here indiscriminately is one of my worst habits at the moment, and I’m trying to rein it in.

Most of the time.

Nobody’s in the small shop, which seems like a crime, considering all of the wonderful handmade goodies in here. Butit does mean whatever interrogation she has in store for me will be private.

She’s got her hands spread wide when I reach the counter. “So? Is it true? Or did Mom see you with a man and go overboard?”

“Ha. That would be so wild, wouldn’t it?” Is it a step up or down from what actually happened?

“Totally on-brand for her, though. So which is it?”

“Mom did see me with a man,” I admit. “Two, actually.”

“Grant Somebody and…?”

“Josh is in town.”

That earns a scowl. He’s the villain of many of our conversations. “Wait. Mom caught you with your exandthe new guy?”

I’m a little surprised she left that part out, but I can see how she would have been too excited about my new boyfriend to mention my old one.

“Yup. It was weird.”

“Did she make it even weirder?”

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