Page 107 of The Good Girl (Nashville Neighborhood)

I glanced at Troy, who nodded like he could answer for Colin. Or maybe he was simply trying to support me.

“I know it’s too much to ask you to be happy for us,” I said, “but please. I’m asking you not to throw our friendship away just because I fell in love with your sister.”

I hadn’t even realized what I’d said until Madison gasped, and Colin stumbled back a half-step.

Oh, my god.

It had tumbled from my mouth without warning, but now that it was out, my shoulders felt lighter. The twisting unease in my stomach disappeared. It was like guilt was falling off me for confessing a secret I hadn’t even known I was keeping.

“You’re in love with her?” For the first time since Colin had learned about Sydney and me, he didn’t sound angry.

“Yes.”

“I knew it,” Troy gloated. “You should have heard him when I caught them together. He’s got it bad for her.” His tone was teasing. “It was almost kind of cute, but like . . . in a disgusting way.”

“Thanks for that,” I said dryly.

“No problem.” Troy relaxed back into his seat on the couch. “Now, you two make up and move past this, and when it comes time to plan my wedding, I expect to get a big discount.”

Something twisted in Colin’s expression. Part of him wanted to forgive me and move forward, but another part of him struggled. “You love my sister,” he stated. “I don’t know how to handle that.”

“You can do it,” I said. “Getting used to my dad and Cassidy together was weird, but I managed.” I swallowed a breath, giving him a moment to digest that before pushing forward. “I have an idea that might help, but it’s going to take some work and all three of us to pull it off, though.”

“He already pitched it to me,” Troy said. “And I’m in.”

Getting the guys on board was the first hurdle to overcome, and it would only get harder from here. I wouldn’t just need Troy and Colin, but also a shit-ton of luck too.

Curiosity peaked out at the edges of Colin’s expression, which was a good sign.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Sydney

My parents were ecstatic when they learned I’d broken up with Preston. My mom hadn’t made any attempt to hide her relief, and was so pleased, she didn’t notice I was heartbroken. In fact, she barely noticed I was upset.

I went upstairs to my room, called my friend Hailey, and as the story spilled from me, so did the tears. She tried to comfort me, but I could tell she was annoyed I’d kept it a secret from her, which was fair. Since she’d never really understood my high school crush on Preston, she seemed happy my relationship with him had run its course.

I was a bit of a zombie as I got ready for my shift at the restaurant, and once I clocked in and began prepping my station, Diego noticed something was wrong. He was the sous chef, and Kevin was the head chef, but everyone knew Diego was the glue holding our line together.

He was the one to calm people down when Kevin lost his cool. He was the one to step in and help when a chef got into the weeds. And once I’d finished my spring semester and picked up more hours at the restaurant, he’d become my unofficial mentor.

Unofficial, because when I’d told him that, he’d claimed I was his mentor.

“What’s up, amigazo?” he asked. “You’re quiet tonight.”

“I broke up with my boyfriend.”

I said it quietly so the two dishwashers behind the line wouldn’t hear. Those guys were a little too friendly, and they were persistent as hell about getting my number. They didn’t hit on the female servers all that often, but I must have seemed like an easy target.

But it didn’t matter how softly I’d whispered it to Diego because Oscar heard me.

“Aw, yeah,” he exclaimed loudly, grinning ear to ear. “Fresh Meat’s back on the menu.”

I gave him a look that should kill him where he stood, but it didn’t, and he went back to his sauces. I’d received the unfortunate nickname my first night on the line more than a year ago. None of the other chefs had cooked with a woman before, and definitely not one as young as I’d been, so several different phrases had been lobbed my direction.

Diversity Hire didn’t stick, but Fresh Meat had.

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