Page 40 of The Fun Part
10
I’m energized this morning despite my late movie night with Cal. I already texted him about meeting up soon. We’re going to Something’s Brewing Café for coffee. Nice high-visibility setting. I know we’ve already convinced Mom we’re a couple, but we have to follow through being seen around town together for a while more. Keeping it realistic is very important.
I hand Harper a mug of coffee and join her at our kitchen table with a tall glass of water.
Harper sips her coffee and eyes me blearily over the rim. “So you actually went back to his place? How is that a public fake relationship?”
I give Felix a scritch behind his ear. He jumped on my lap as soon as I sat down. “Well, I had never seen his favorite movie of all time, and it sounded good. I even teared up at the end.”
“And then he comforted you and took you to bed?”
I laugh even as heat rises to my cheeks. “No! Then I insisted he watch my favorite baseball movie.” I fan myself. “I forgot how many seriously sexy scenes are inBull Durham. It would’ve been awkward, but by that point we were cuddled up on the couch.”
“Cuddled up? Mac—”
“In a platonic way.”
“Does platonic mean foreplay in your world?”
“Just because you haven’t had a guy friend since you and Nathan—”
“We were in second grade! Back then, a boy friend was the exact same thing as a girl friend but with more balls.”
I snort. “The sport kind or the other kind?”
“Both!”
We crack up.
I pull a hairband from my pocket, putting my hair into a ponytail. “Well, we’re all adults now. I’m sure Nathan would be happy to be your guy friend if you ever stopped hating on him long enough.”
She sips her coffee, her expression shuttering closed. “No hate, just no love. There’s a difference.”
“I’m going on a run.” I leave out that I’m running to meet up with Cal. She’ll make a big deal out of it.
I stand and do a few stretches.
“Have fun on your freezing cold run.”
I smile and wave. “I will.”
I jog by Cal’s new apartment and find him on the sidewalk, already waiting for me. His lips curve up slowly, like he’s pleased to see me. “Morning.”
Warmth fills my chest. “Morning.”
He joins me, and we start walking toward Main Street. “So what’s new since I last saw you?”
I laugh. “A lot’s happened in those nine hours. Sleep, a shower, oh, I encouraged Harper to have a guy friend. Have you ever had a woman friend before me?”
His brows draw together. “I was too busy working in the city to meet a lot of women, but I’ve met a lot of women here. I guess they could become friends, but I don’t really see the point.”
I nearly break stride. I thought I was the only woman he’d met. Is he hooking up with other women while we fake date? Because that would look bad.
He glances at me. “You okay? Do you want me to have more women friends?”
“No, forget I asked. Just making conversation.”
“Looking forward to our next movie night. You did invite me over for fresh-popped popcorn.”
