Page 58 of Just Friends

I’mpackingupmythings for the day when the bell above the door to Whistling Kettlejangles, snagging my attention. When I look up, two familiar figures are crossing the threshold. A smile curves my lips, the first since my conversation with Lucy a few hours ago.

Wes, my longtime friend from LA, and his wife, Lo, who has become a more recent friend, don’t even notice me in my booth. They’re focused on the menu behind the counter, Wes’ arm running slowly up and down Lo’s back, his fingers catching in her hair. She smiles at him, and their gazes lock and hold in the kind of gaze that makes me question everything I told Lucy earlier.

I slip out of my booth, and my sandals pad softly on the floor as I make my way toward them. Lo spots me first, her eyes sliding over Wes’ shoulder and catching on mine. A smile lifts her lips, making her freckles stand out brighter on the apples of her cheeks.

“Hazel, what are you doing here?”

Wes turns around and grins. When I sidle up next to him, his arm comes around my shoulder in an easy hug. “Hey, Hazel.”

“Hey, guys,” I say, my words muffled by Wes’ shoulder. “This is my friend’s coffee shop. She actually just left for a doctor’s appointment, or I’d introduce you.”

“Is this the coffee shop where you work every day?” Wes asks, glancing around with dawning recognition.

I nod. “Same one.”

Lo’s smile widens, her blue-green eyes sparkling under the fringe of her dark copper hair. “We’ll have to come by more often, then. What’s best on the menu?”

I follow them to the counter, rattling off a few suggestions to Lo, since I know Wes gets the same custom drink at every coffee shop he visits.

Her gaze still locked on the menu, Lo asks, “Is the matcha any good?”

“My favorite,” I tell her, and she grins.

“Perfect, I’ll order that.” She nods in the direction of my table. “Do you mind if we sit with you?”

“Of course not,” I say as Wes starts detailing his order to the barista behind the counter. “I’ll wait for you guys over there.”

A few minutes later, Wes and Lo slide into the booth opposite me, drinks in hand. Wordlessly, I hold my hands out for Wes’ cup and he passes it over, grinning.

“You know,” he says as I take a sip of the iced latte, “you could just order these yourself instead of drinking half of mine every time I’m around.”

I scoot it back across the table, licking the cold foam from my top lip. “I can never get it right. There are too many ingredients and steps. Plus, you may be fine with being a barista’s worst nightmare, but I’m not.”

Lo snorts, covering her mouth to keep her drink from spewing out.

“Oh, you think that’s funny, huh?” Wes asks, his green eyes sparking with amusement.

Gathering herself enough to swallow her matcha, Lo says, “I do, yes. I tell you all the time that one day, someone is going to spit in your drink if you keep asking for something so complicated.”

“You assume someone hasn’t yet,” I say, lips quirking in a mischievous grin, and Wes’ mouth falls open. A laugh spurts out of me at his expression. “Kidding. I’ve never spit in your drink. Scout’s honor.”

“Well, I was going to invite you to the lake house in two weeks, but now you have me reconsidering,” Wes says, pushing a hand through his blond curls.

I look between them. “It’s done?”

Almost two years ago, Wes and Lo bought an old lake house a couple of hours from here, and they’ve slowly been renovating it since. I’ve hardly seen them in the last couple of months as they’ve been living there and handling most of the final renovations on their own.

Lo tips her head. “Mostly. There’s still a lot of cosmetic work to do, and I’d actually love your help decorating. But the big stuff is done.”

“That’s so exciting,” I tell them, a genuine smile lifting my lips.

“We just got off the phone with Cam and Ellie. We invited them too,” Wes says. “Want to come? Ellie mentioned you might have plans with Alex.”

Surprisingly, the idea of postponing another date makes me breathe a little easier, tension unfurling from my shoulders. I don’t have time to examine what that means, so I say, “I do, but it’s nothing that can’t be rescheduled.”

Lo’s eyes light up, glinting like a wave crashing against the shore. “Bring Alex.”

“Really?” I ask, looking between them. Wes and Lo have met Alex a few times, since he’s Ellie’s brother and my best friend, but he’s not really a part of the friend group, even though he would be a great addition.

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