Page 58 of Cruising for You

“Let’s go,” I suggested. Ellie didn’t protest as I pulled her out of the bar. “Did you bring your car?”

She pointed to a parking lot down the street. “It’s in there.”

“Are you good to drive?” I eyed her. She seemed sober at least, walking straighter in her insanely high heels than I was in my sneakers. The pain in my ankle had diminished to a twinge, just enough to keep my humiliating fall on my mind.

“Yeah.” Ellie’s one-word answer was definitely not normal for her.

I sighed heavily. “I’m really sorry about that. I assure you that I didn’t invite him to hit on me.”

Ellie laid a hand on my arm. “Oh my gosh, Jenna, of course I know that. I’m only sorry he was such a creep to you.”

“I’m fine,” I assured her.

She let out a puff of air. “I thought I’d try Daterr again since I only met a friend on the Connect app.” She’d finally finished the survey and done the meetup a couple of days before. “I mean, Brit is so sweet, and being paired with a college kid who sees me as a mentor is, like, super gratifying, but I’d still like a boyfriend.”

“I think Connect’s algorithms need some serious work,” I grumbled, climbing into the passenger seat of Ellie’s white Escalade. I’d checked a box acknowledging Connect wasn’t a dating app, but still, the promised soul-to-soul connection had turned out to be a soul-rending nightmare.

Ellie whipped out of the parking spot as quickly as she always did, at least checking the mirrors first like I’d been urging her to do. “You have to be honest with me, Jenna. Is it me? Am I such a terrible person that literally no nice men on this planet want anything to do with me?”

“No! You’re wonderful.” I meant it, too. Ellie deserved an amazing, supportive boyfriend. “Maybe it’s just that you go for the wrong kind of guy?”

“Maybe...” Ellie let her voice trail off. “Or maybe it’s Philadelphia that’s the problem. The men here are just no good.”

I thought about Adam. “Yeah, that could be it.”

“We should move!” Ellie suggested, excitement back in her voice. “We could go to LA, try to make it as actresses.”

“You could, maybe. I think I’d still just be a nurse.” Moving was the worst, but it wasn’t that difficult to get a new job in my field. And LA would be far enough away from Adam that I wouldn’t have to worry about running into him.

But how was it fair that I’d have to moveagain? I should have just trusted my instincts and said no when he asked me to go on the cruise.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, still sore from my fall. “Do you have any ibuprofen?”

While doing ninety in a sixty-five zone, Ellie fished a bottle from the door compartment next to her and tossed it to me. “I’m going to research moving to LA while you’re in North Carolina.”

“Good idea.” I poured two out into my hand and tossed them back, swallowing hard against the dryness in my throat. If I thought Ellie would follow through, I’d clarify that I wasn’t serious, but I had no real concerns she’d remember the conversation after tonight.

I pinched the bridge of my nose against an oncoming headache. I was a mess. Moving to LA was too drastic, but I’d have to dosomethingto make sure I didn’t have to risk running into Adam and Cassie again.

My phone buzzed.

We made Adam a t-shirt for the rehearsal dinner!Mom included a picture of her and Aunt Kathy holding up a bright red t-shirt that read “The Apple-achian of my eye,” and featured two stick figure apple people labeled “Beth and Chase” holding hands in front of the Smoky Mountains. (My exceptionally choosy sister had wisely ceded the rehearsal dinner plans to Mom in exchange for exclusive rights to dictating the wedding and reception.)

Ellie was still chattering on about our new life in LA. “I bet Everett Hardcastle would introduce us to everyone. He’s, like, surprisingly sweet for such a big star. I heard that one year, when it was extra hot in the Hamptons, he funded an ice cream truck to go around giving out free stuff to everyoneall summer. It was all organic, artisanal ice cream, too. And he wasn’t even staying at his place that long, just, like, a weekend, and then the paparazzi got wind of him and he had to go.”

“Wow, giving out ice cream to a bunch of already rich people,” I muttered. Should I begin seeding the idea with Mom that Adam wouldn’t make it to the wedding?

“I mean, not that I personally know Everett,” Ellie added. “He’s alotolder than I am. But I’m sure I can get his number from Davis.”

“Mm,” I murmured, more focused on my reply to my Mom.I’m sure he’ll love the shirt,I wrote.He’s having a rough time with one of his patients right now, so this should cheer him up. I wondered fleetingly if the ridiculous shirt really would make Adam laugh or if he’d take one look at the picture and decide to switch fields to psychiatry so he could properly analyze the weirdness in my family.

Mom jumped on Adam’s invented work problems, just like I’d hoped.Oh, no! Everything okay?

I racked my brain for a properly intimidating diagnosis, one that might require intense care for a long time.Flesh eating bacteria, I finally settled on.Drug resistant.

Mom did the exclamation point response to my text and wished Adam and his imaginary patient all the best.Can’t wait to see you tomorrow and Adam next week!

Me too!Once I got to North Carolina I could stage a pretend conversation where I urged Adam to stay with his patient, but not until it was too close to the wedding for Mom to find a replacement date for me.

---