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“She lives here, for one. Plus, I’m a mess,and she’s trying to have a baby.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah, now you get it.”

He chuckled. “You sure know how to pick ’em,Katie. Remember that time you dated that mime?”

She gestured with her beer. “I didn’t knowshe was a mime when I asked her out.”

“I wish you’d asked her out of that damninvisible box she put herself in at the bar that night.”

Kate squinted at the uncomfortable memory.“If you’ll remember, I did. Mortifying. The guys at the station never let melive it down.”

“What was her name?”

“Sparkles, if memory serves.”

He chuckled. “No, the pregnant, pretty girl.At least, I imagine she’s pretty. Your women usually are.”

“My women? Wow.” Kate took a swallow of herbeer. “I didn’t know I hadwomen.But yeah, she’s attractive. Not pregnant, though. Not yet, anyway. I guessthat’s still coming.”

“Name?”

“Autumn.” She suppressed a smile at the soundof the name leaving her lips. She savored the feeling, tasted the word. Sheliked saying it.

“That’s a nice name,” Randy said. “Autumn.Shame about the screwed-up timing.”

“Yeah.” Kate’s thoughts drifted pleasantly totheir date, followed by their night together. She felt heat prickle on the backof her neck and spread. She took a deep breath. “A definite shame.”

“That’s new. You really like her.” Randyleaned in as if he’d just discovered the killer in a game of Clue. “You neverblush. What the hell, Kate?”

“Knock it off. So what if I do like her? Youcan truly like spending time with another person without having to, I don’tknow, declare undying love for them. We don’t have to ride off into the sunsetto appreciate hanging out with each other.” Kate had no idea why she wasdefensive.

“That’s true, I suppose. Is that what you’redoing? Just hanging out? Because it sounds like you’re hooking up.”

She struggled to come up with the perfectanswer. Honestly, she wasn’t sure herself. “It’s been both.”

Randy sat back in his chair and stared at herwith a grin that made her want to tackle him right there on the floor of therestaurant.

“It’s not going anywhere though, okay? You’regonna have to trust me on this one and get that smirk off your dumb face.” Sheflashed to the eleven-year-old version of herself yelling at him in the kitchenover cereal.

“Understood,” he said, like a littleknow-it-all. “You got this. Let it be known that I will welcome her into thefamily with open arms.”

“Let it be known? I’m going to pummel you.You will fly across this restaurant.” She couldn’t pull back the smile.

“Sure you are. Come at me, bruh.” Randy’seyes danced and he tapped his chest.

She covered her eyes. “You have to stopwatching so much television. It’s embarrassing.”

He pulled his face back. “You love it.”

Underneath it all, Randy made her laugh. Healso calmed her the hell down in a way no one else could. She took his words toheart, too, even when she gave the goofus such a hard time for butting in. Itwas good to see his face.

She hadn’t moved past the information he’dbrought with him from home either. Once they’d said their good-byes afterdinner, she pulled up a map on her phone and traced the thin line of thehighway from Venice to Santa Barbara.

Would you look at that?

As it turned out, the two cities were notthat far away.