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“I’ve wanted her lips on mine for years, Bryce. Years. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve pictured us kissing and, well, more than kissing.”

“Kiss the girl, then.” Bryce laughed. “Let her kiss you.”

“She’s my best friend.”

“I know.”

“I can handle my unrequited love. Ihavebeen forever now. But if I lose her as a friend, I can’t handle that, Bryce.”

“So, you tell herthatand everything else you’re feeling so that she can tell you howshefeels, and you decide what you want to do then.”

“Am I crazy for not just saying yes to the woman I’ve wanted for years?”

“No, you’re being smart. But so was Kels. She’s, apparently, been thinking about this for about a year now.”

“Wait. What?”

“She said that the whole Sophie thing had her feeling differently about you. She’s not just jumping into this, Megs. You’ve been on her mind like this for a long time now. I think you need to trust Kelsey here.”

“I’m going to tell her yes,” Megan said.

“Yeah?”

“I have to give this a chance. I’ll regret it if I don’t.”

“Good. Now, call Kelsey and tell her you want to go out on a date.”

Megan sighed, said her goodbyes, and hung up. Bryce stared up at Sophie’s ceiling and thought about how two of her best friends might be dating now. She smiled and remembered the painting that she still needed to hang up for Sophie. Still naked, Bryce stood up and walked over to where the bag lay onthe floor. When she unwrapped it, the art piece looked muted in the daylight, but it was still nice.

“Hey, everything okay?” Sophie asked, standing in the open doorway, wearing a towel and only a towel.

“I’m hanging this up for you, Soph. I want you to have it where you can see it and remember that I’m coming back; that I’llalwayscome back to you.”

Letting go of her towel, Sophie walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around Bryce’s waist.

“We’re going tool-shopping, I guess.”

CHAPTER 31

“They moved it up,” she said. “What is with my luck?”

“What?” Bryce asked. “Oh, the Atlanta interview?”

“I’m still not over it. It’s annoying,” Sophie replied. “It was scheduled for after you left, and now, it’s today.”

“But isn’t that good? Interviewing sooner rather than later now that you don’t have a job?”

“Yes, but I was hoping to hear back from Arnette first because then, I’d at least know. I’d have an offer, or they’d tell me they didn’t want me back, but I’d know how much effort to invest in this one. I didn’t prepare enough.”

“You don’t want to move to Atlanta, anyway.”

“No, but I might not have a choice if I can’t get anything else here. I guess I could be a tour guide for Melinda for the summer and make some decent tips. That would keep money coming in, at least.”

“Jill and Melinda both make enough money to live off of.”

“Melinda didn’t have to pay off student loans for years. I don’t know about Jill, but she works there full-time,andher rent is cheaper than mine. Idoknow that.”

“You don’t have to move to Atlanta. You can work part-time or ask them for full-time, maybe, while you interview somewhere else if you don’t get the job at Arnette. I hate the ideaof you moving away from your family just for a job when you don’t want to live there.”