Page 86 of The Dating Contract

“What do you mean?” Bryce said, because Samuel couldn’t figure out how to answer this.

“I mean,” Shim continued, “figuring it out means they’re fighting so he has to fix it. With babka.”

Asher and Bryce both laughed, making him feel really awful. “Very astute,” Asher said. “He right?”

Having decided that everything was going to be on the table as it was, he nodded. “We’re not fighting,” he said. “But I want to make it clearer where I stand so that she feels more secure.”

“Babka,” Shim said. “That’s the ticket.”

“How long have you known each other?” Asher said. “I mean my fiancée tells me you went to high school together? That you’re a Briarwood guy?”

“Born and raised,” he admitted. “Your fiancée is older by a few years, but Leah and I made our way through the Briarwood schools together.”

“So,” Asher continued, “what is the story between you and Leah? What’s been…the issue?”

And so, deciding that he needed to talk this through, he told Asher and Bryce most of the story, at least as much as he felt comfortable saying in front of Shim.

“So,” Bryce said. “Seems pretty obvious to me.”

“This I have to hear,” Asher said with a laugh.

But Samuel wasn’t laughing. He’d been trying to figure out what the best way was to convince Leah that he wasn’t going anywhere, wasn’t going to push, and wasn’t going to leave in a huff.

Unless that was what Leah told him she wanted.

And if Bryce had a suggestion, then he’d take it.

“Ash and Shim want you to come to Shabbat dinner on Friday. Go. Bring something symbolic. If it’s babka, it’s babka. If it’s something else, bring something else. Whatever it is,” Bryce said, “make it clear that you’ve been listening. Not just to her words, but the things she isn’t saying, or hasn’t been saying.”

“But,” Asher said. “Bring babka so that Shayna’ll let you in the house.”

And now he had a plan, but more importantly, he had allies.

*

The community roomof the Briarwood JCC was decorated with twinkling lights, and Leah had no idea what to make of it.

“This is…”

“They have a thing,” Shayna said. “They’re not as…much as the Westchester ice unicorn herd, but it’s a thing.”

A thing it was, Leah thought, but managed not to say under her breath. Rainbow ombré reflected off the bar, attendees were in various states of glitter and jewels.

Was this a party or an exhibition?

And yet in that instant, Leah understood why Shayna’d asked her to come.

Naomi would be critiquing, Liv would be drowning, and Judith? Lord knew what her sister would do. She was Shayna’s safe choice, adaptable but not distracting. Helpful but not overwhelming. And on a night where she was attending as a mom, Shayna needed help.

“Okay,” Leah said, now confident in her role. “Let’s do this.”

Shayna smiled as they began to head through the maze of tables.

But the only thing Leah could think of as they walked through, seeing the range of items was: “This is one artist?”

Shayna nodded. “Supposedly. I know, right?”

“Like how much of a collection would one artist have to have if the exhibition space would be this big?”

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