Page 25 of Thanks for the Friendship
All of sudden, I remember her talking to that mystery man. Theo’s surprise proposal interrupted their conversation before I had a chance to make it over there. I quickly look around but don’t see her friend.
Reagan rushes off to find Jeremy, leaving me alone with Sara.
“Lila, I was thinking about something,” she says excitedly. “I haven’t mentioned it to Cal yet, but I’m sure he’ll be on board. He’s very supportive when it comes to my wild ideas.”
A wild idea that involves Cal. This ought to be interesting.
“What’s your idea?”
She clasps her hands in front of her chest. “Well, Cal and I have big plans for the future, and we’ve talked about getting a house.”
Oh, no. Is she—
“This house is amazing. And since Theo and Gabby are getting married, we’d get to be neighbors with our close friends, which sweetens the deal even more.”
Holy crap. She wants to buy my house and move into it with my ex-boyfriend. Why is that weird? It shouldn’t be weird, right?
“Wow. Thatisa wild idea. Um …”
“There’s so much magic and romance in the air tonight,” she continues. “Don’t you agree? Seeing Theo and Gabby so happy is inspiring me to begin the next phase of my life with Cal. Marriage, family, and I think this would be the perfect place to have it all.”
I guess engagements can be contagious. But now’s my chance to ask her about the mystery man she was talking to. I know I didn’t imagine their strange vibe.
“Definitely.” I look around to see if I can spot him, but I don’t. He has to be a friend of Theo’s or else he wouldn’t be here.
“By the way, thanks for hanging with me,” I say, changing the subject. “I barely know anyone at this party.”
She takes a sip of her drink. “Oh, everyone is so friendly. I can introduce you around if you want.”
Ah, yes. This is the perfect segue.
“Yeah, earlier I saw you talking to a guy with chin-length hair. He’s definitely good-looking and hopefully single.”
I’m totally going to play the single girl card to get more info. And he is attractive, so that’s a bonus.
A curious look spreads across her face. “Oh, that’s AJ. He’s another doctor who Cal used to work with.”
“Really? Tell me more,” I beg.
She opens her mouth to say something, but then her face lights up as Cal approaches.
“There’s my man.” She wraps her arms around his neck and grips the back of his hair.
Well, that was certainly obvious. She gladly welcomed Cal’s interruption. I’m usually pretty good at detecting when something seems off.
“What are you ladies gossiping about?”
I roll my eyes. “What makes you think we were gossiping?”
He laughs. “Just a wild guess.”
“Lila was asking me questions about AJ,” Sara tells him.
He looks surprised. “AJ, huh.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
“Yeah, I was curious about who he is, what he does—all the details.”
