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“Are you still hung up on Paul?”

I crinkle my nose. “Ew, no. I don’t ever want to see that bad baguette of a guy ever again.”

“Then why don’t you want to date?”

I shrug and turn my back to her, so she doesn’t see my face.

“You’re hiding something from me.” She grabs me by the arm. “Are you already interested in someone?”

I can’t help but smile, no matter how hard I try to suppress it. “No,” I lie.

“Oh my God, you have a crush on someone!” she yells.

I cringe. I don’t want Colton to hear her. “Shh, don’t go shouting it off the rooftops.”

She sits down next to me on the bed. “Who is it? Do I know him? Is it someone from work?”

“It’s no one.”

“Why won’t you tell me who it is?”

I try to avoid her gaze. “Because it’s nothing, okay?”

“Why? Come on, spill the tea. I need to know who it is.”

“Stop asking me who it is!”

She stares me down. “Elle, please, we’re best friends. You can tell me. Please, please, please.”

“Oh my God, Maggie, stop.”

“I won’t.”

“Fine! It’s your brother, okay,” I blurt out. “I’m smitten with him.”

It’s quiet all of a sudden. Maggie’s shoulders drop and she frowns, looking even more shocked than when she was assessing my attire for tonight. She places her hand on her chest, as if she’s checking whether or not she’s having a heart attack. Oh man, what have I done? I wasn’t supposed to say anything.

“My brother?” She spits out the words as if I said I’m falling for her long-lost love.

I raise my hands up in the air. “Funny, right? And a big joke. Gotcha!”

She lets out a deep breath, then starts laughing. “Elle! Don’t ever do that to me again. Jeez. For a moment I was afraid you meant it.”

“Of course not,” I lie.

She puts her hand on my arm, still laughing. “How weird and awkward would you being in love with my brother be? Gosh, what a joke.”

“Yeah, a real hoot,” I say.

Dread spreads through my veins, mixed with a pinch of disappointment. I already suspected Maggie wouldn’t be too thrilled about the idea of me and her brother dating, but this? I never expected her to react all angry and shocked. What if Colton and I want to start seeing each other for real, without sneaking around? She’ll never accept it. We’re doomed.

“So, if it isn’t my brother… thank goodness,” she adds, “then who is it?”

I rack my brain for a name. Any name would do at this point—it doesn’t even have to be a real person—but I draw a blank.

“Some guy. I don’t even know his name,” I say, which is technically true.

“Where did you meet him?”