Page 84

“I thinkyouneed to take a shower,” he said, his voice clipped. “You smell like pussy.”

She could tell he was still mad at her. But she’d win him over. She had to.

***

In the morning, Aly drove Lola to the farmers market.

Lola didn’t love being up before 8:00 a.m., but she was committed to doing whatever it took to get Ryan to forgive her. And if that meant getting to the stalls early to get the most perfect produce on LongIsland, well, she’d do it.

Not that there was anything for her to do once they got there. Aly, it seemed, was friends with every single person running each white tent; she knew where to get the best of each item too. Lola stood back and watched her charm the entire farmers market.

They returned to the car with their arms loaded down with dark leafy greens, heirloom tomatoes that looked like Loewe, ripe peaches, fresh mozzarella, an entire chicken, and a bunch of basil. It really was a shame that she wasn’t posting to Instagram anymore.

They gently put everything in the trunk.

Climbing into the passenger seat, Lola said, “I’ve never been so aroused by the way someone buys groceries.”

“Should we have sex?” Aly joked, turning the car on.

“Notno,” Lola said.

But as Aly pulled out of the parking lot, the windows down and a warm breeze tickling Lola’s neck, things felt less urgent between them. Instead, a tender intimacy had settled. They held hands while Aly drove them back, NPR playing softly from the car speakers.

“He’ll forgive you,” Aly said. “Everyone fucks up sometimes.”

“Yeah, but Ireallyfucked up,” Lola replied, leaning her head back on the headrest. “It’s really hard to balance falling for someone and…well, anything else.”

They came to a stop at a red light, and Aly looked at her. “So you’re falling for me,” she said.

“I mean, what would you call it?” Lola grinned. But then she realized she was doing it again: she was talking about her and Aly when the focus should have been on Ryan. Her smile faltered. “I don’t want to be a bad friend,” she said. “He’s really been there for me forever. And he’s right. He’s never been in love before. The least I could do isremember the guy’s name, and I couldn’t even do that.”

“I get it,” Aly said. “But from an outside perspective, it seems like he wants to make up. Being mad takes so much energy. And he’s clearly dying to talk to you about this guy. Friendships like yours don’t disappear because of one fight.”

“I hope you’re right,” Lola said. “Thanks for listening.”

The light turned green, and Aly drove onward. “I’ll always listen to you,” she said. “I like when you tell me how you’re feeling about things.”

It was such a simple thing to say, but it made Lola’s heart soar.

***

At 7:00 p.m. on the dot, Aly’s doorbell rang.

Aly was in the kitchen wearing a brightly hued Dusen Dusen apron over her best black linens, stirring a big pot of pasta.

“I’ll get it,” Lola offered from her perch at the island.

She opened the door to Ryan and Emmett. She and Ryan hugged while she assessed Emmett over his shoulder. He was cute, which was no surprise; he had thick, black hair, olive skin, and broad shoulders. He was a little bit shorter than Ryan, wearing a blue henley and khakis.

“Lola, Emmett; Emmett, Lola,” Ryan said.

“Can I hug you?” Lola asked.

“Please,” Emmett said, opening his arms. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. The best friend. And wow, you are just as gorgeous as Ryan said you’d be.”

Lola laughed. “I like him already,” she said.

She led the couple into the kitchen, enjoying getting to watch Ryan take in the exquisite details of Aly’s space.