Page 31 of Sweet on You
Lana rolled her eyes, following me. Behind us, I heard four feet land with a soft thud onto the floor and pad quietly over as well. Frost. She hopped nimbly onto the counter, purring and rubbing against my shoulder. “This whole year, I’ve never seen you go on a single date. I was beginning to wonder if you were asexual.”
I rolled my eyes back at her and measured out the flour, dumping it into the bowl. “I’m just being cautious. I knew if we ever found Olivia, having a girlfriend could make a tough situation even more complicated. London wasn’t exactly known for being easy-going.” I snorted at my own wording. She was downright jealous. If a girl evenlookedat me wrong in the pub, she’d start a fight. Granted, she was higher than the clouds, but even still—I didn’t trust that she wouldn’t still be jealous like that now, two years later, even though we weren’t a couple anymore.
“But… now, that’snotgoing to happen,” Lana said. “If anything, you actually have the better hand of cards here. Being the sober parent with a steady income and a reliable home. Actually, a girlfriend might improve how you appear to the judge.”
“Lana,” I warned, cracking an egg and mixing it into the flour.
“I’m serious.”
I sighed. “I know you are. That’s the problem.”
“Babe,” Tony said, spinning on the couch to face us. “Ease off. It sounds new.”
I nodded. That was the understatement of the year.
Lana chewed the inside of her cheek defiantly and slanted her eyes at her husband. “I’m just saying, it might be nice to have someone there with you to support you tomorrow. Maybe this girl could go with you—”
My lungs filled with a deep breath and I sat the whisk down, turning to face Lana. Resting my palms on her shoulders, I gave her a gentle squeeze. “Thank you,” I said, giving her a smile. Two years ago when I moved here on a whim, following that postal stamp, I never would have dreamed I could meet two amazing friends like Lana and Tony. “Really. Thank you. But I’m fine. This girl and I areverynew and asking her to come with me would be… it would just be too much to ask of her at this point. Understand?”
Lana’s eyes softened as she nodded. But she continued chewing the inside of her cheek.
“Now,” I said. “Are you going to help me bake? Or just stand there lecturing me for the next hour?”
Lana rolled her eyes. “Hand me an apron.”
“Good answer. Oh, and by the way, I wake up at three-thirty in the morning. So, I suggest we get to sleep by nine.”
There was a collective groan in my apartment and I smiled into my bowl of dough.
Even Frost seemed to groan.
I dipped my finger into the heavy cream that was out and held it in front of Frost’s nose. She sniffed briefly before lapping at my finger. “You, little miss, should be used to these early mornings by now.”
Meow.
“You’re right. They never get easier.”
Meow, purr.
“What did she say?” Lana asked, her tone mocking me. She always made fun of me for talking to my cat.
I glanced at Frost. “She said we should make some dog treats, too.”
