Page 14 of Not Your Shoe Size

“Sure.” Kate would believe that when she saw it. Casey had once had a crush on Criss Angel.

“Don’t worry. I told her she’s not allowed to hit on him. You’ve got an embargo on being the daddy fucker of the group.”

Kate folded her arms over her boobs. “Thanks.”

Rapunzel cackled, sounding like herself for the first time all morning. “Speaking of daddy fuckers, how is Old Man Henderson?”

Kate had a flash of Ty sitting at the dining table, asking why she didn’t want to get married, refusing to entertain the idea of moving to Paris. “He’s good.”

“So he’s cooked, huh? What’s up? What’s wrong?”

Kate stared into her coffee. Rapunzel was so irreverent, so larger than life, Kate sometimes forgot she was an emotional bloodhound.

“He’s good,” she said, but she could hear herself trying too hard.

“Don’t give me that. Is he butthurt about being ancient again?”

Kate smiled, though it hurt a little. “No more than usual. Also, could you be a less mean about my boyfriend’s insecurities?”

Rapunzel flipped a dismissive hand. She and Ty had a strange, laddish rivalry, honed over the nine months Rapunzel had been her roommate. Ty and Rapunzel were forever glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes to see who was drinking their beer the fastest.

“Is he freaking out about turning fifty?” Rapunzel asked.

“I think so. Whenever I mention having a party, he changes the subject. And he’s going to the gym every day and eating turkey and steamed kale for lunch.”

“Gross.” Rapunzel pulled a joint from her dressing gown pocket and placed it between her lips. “Then again, if I was turning fifty...” She gave a theatrical shudder.

“Ty looks incredible! He’s the best-looking man on earth!”

“Yeah, but fifty’s fifty.” Rapunzel lit up. “Andyou’rehis girlfriend and you look twenty. And before you jump up my ass about how the age gap doesn’t matter—it matters when you’re the old one, trying not to look like the Indiana Jones Nazis that opened the Ark of the Covenant.”

Kate shoved her shoulder again. “Don’t be horrible. You’re only thirty-seven!”

“Yeah, and I hate it. I want to be twenty-six. Again. Forever.”

Kate said nothing. She didn’t want Ty or Rapunzel to feel bad about their age, but trying to reassure them had never helped. If anything, it made things worse.

They sat in silence, Rapunzel puffing on her joint like it was giving her life. “Christ, thesenerves. Talk to me.”

“About what?”

“Anything else going on with you and Ty?”

Kate stared at her friend. Rapunzel stared back, her pale blue eyes unblinking.

“How do you—”

“Because I know you and I know how you be. Tell me.”

“I don’t know what to say without rambling. Ty and I are happy, but we’re at a bit of an impasse, you know?”

“No.” Rapunzel took a pointed sip of coffee. “That being said, I have been single for the better part of a decade. Explain it to me, then.”

“Explain what?”

“The things you don’t want to say, even if they’re just feelings or vague ideas or whatever.”

Kate’s heart gave a great throb and for a second, she thought she might cry. Until that moment she hadn’t realised how much shewantedto talk about it. She nudged her friend’s shoulder with her own. “When did you get so smart?”

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