Page 35 of Friends Don't Kiss

He rolls his eyes. “Not this again. You made your point. We’re just friends. Not crossing the line. Now try the fucking dress on.”

“How do you even remember the dress?”

“Trust me, grasshopper, any dude with half a dick has that dress seared in their memory for decades.”

I gasp at his words. Then blush harder. Then snap it from him and duck in the bathroom to try it on.

When I come back out, he’s sitting on my bed, looking down at his phone. He glances up at me, does a quick body scan, and his eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he looks away and stands. “'Kay, I’ll be waiting for you out there while you pack the rest of your stuff,” he says and walks out of the bedroom.

I look down at myself, not sure what’s going on. I was pretty happy. I was going to concede he was right: I thought the dress looked fine after all. “What’s wrong with the dress?” I semi-shout so he can hear me.

He clears his throat. “Who said there was anything wrong with it?”

twelve

Colton

“Ineedtopickyourbrains on something,” I say to break the silence after an hour of driving. We’re almost on the other side of New Hampshire. Weather is treating us right, traffic is scarce, and our coffee refills from Easy Monday are finished.

Kiara glances up from the book she snatched on our way out of Millie’s. “Sure.” This is something I’ve been mulling over for a while, and I don’t know why I’m not able to make a decision one way or another. “Cassandra asked me to join the Select Board. And Owen.”

She purses her mouth appreciatively. “Okay. What’s the question?”

I frown.That’sthe question. “What do you think? Should I join?”

“Yeah! You’d be great at it.” Funny how she has no reservations whatsoever. “What’s the holdup?” She frowns and adds, “Who would you be running against?”

I shrug. “No one. Stan Monroe had to resign because they moved away. The board is looking to appoint an interim until the next election. I mean, other people might apply, but there wouldn’t be an election. They just hold a meeting to select the replacement.”

Kiara tucks her foot under her and turns to me. “You gonna be butt-hurt if they choose someone else over you? Huh. I didn’t think you’d care.”

“Hell no. That’s the best that can happen. Give me my nights back. ”Members of the Select Board do a lot of work on their own in the evenings. Even if the meetings are spaced out, the workload is nothing to look down on. “Nah, the thing is, I think Cassandra wants me there because I wouldn’t make waves. She said they need a peacemaker like me.” I really don’t know what to make of this, and I need Kiara’s input. She’s guaranteed to give it to me straight.

A smile spreads on her lips. “She’s right. Youarea peacemaker. That doesn’t mean you’re a pushover.”

I grunt. “Owen’s on the board. Not sure how long I can stand him and still remain apeacemaker.”

“What if that’s the point? The town needs someone like you, Colt, to tip the scales back and make them even.”

That’s what I can’t put my finger on. “What can I do that Cass and Noah can’t?” Lynn, Mom’s best friend who owns the King farm, is also on the board, but with her gentle nature, I can see her get totally overcome by someone like Owen.

“Maybe they need more support,” Kiara answers. “Maybe they need someone who’s not involved in anything else and can’t be accused of conflict of interest. Cassandra runs the events, and Noah chairs the chamber, owns the general store, and god knows what else his family is involved in. Him also being on the board has to be dicey sometimes.”

She’s right. “Yeah, knowing Owen, he’s probably holding the tip of a knife to their back, threatening to push the blade in at any time.”

“Is he really that bad?”

He used to be worse. “I guess I’ll find out if he’s changed any.”

She sits up taller. “So you’ll say yes? You’ll join?”

To make you this happy, yes.A thousand times yes. “I’ll give it a go. What’s the worst that can happen?”

She laughs. “You get into a fistfight with Owen?”

“That could be fun.” I chuckle. “Although I don’t believe that’s how these things are run.”

“Bummer,” she says, flipping her book back open.

---