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“What?”

“I see those hearts in your eyes, Noah. And I know how you get. Youlikeher.”

“Since when does being a good neighbor need to come with that warning? She’s good people and I want to do this for her. That’s it.” That wasn’t it, but the skeptical glint in her eye made me want to walk out this damn store. I knew she was just being protective as my sibling, but shit…

“Give yourself some time to just…be.”

That was easy to say when she’d been with the love of her life since high school. “It’s been two years. I went to therapy. Got my shit together. What’s wrong with me being hopeful?”

Pity and understanding flashed in her eyes and that urge to walk out grew stronger. I was tired of people feeling sorry for me. “Yea, but…still. Enjoy your time not being tied down to anyone. Because you know once you’re attached, it’s all or nothing. That’s your strength in relationships but not everyone appreciates it.”

“Yea, ok…” I scratched at my temple and looked away from her penetrating stare. “Y’all got any of that sleep tea you weretelling me about?” I asked, knowing if I didn’t change the subject, our conversation would end in an argument.

My sister didn’t miss a beat and walked back over to the counter. “Sorry, honey. We sold the last box this morning. Rome didn’t expect it to be this popular when he launched it last spring. Every time we restock, we’re sold out in less than a day.”

Fuck. “Aight,” was all I said, but I could hear the frustration in my voice.

“What’s up? I thought you were liking your sleep meds and sleeping through the night these days.”

I thought so, too. But then I woke up in Greyson’s bed again this morning. Something that was happening more than it had in the beginning and I was ready to get off those pills.

“Wanted to try something natural. The side effects are fucking with me.”

And by side effects, I meant climbing in bed with my best friend in the middle of the night. It was embarrassing how easily I used him as some type of human security blanket. It was more embarrassing not having any control over it. Greyson didn’t help anything by acting like it was normal. At least this time I woke up before him, so I wasn’t left in bed with my humiliation once he left for work.

I tried to tell myself it could have been worse. I could have accepted my sister’s offer to move in and did this shit at her house. Pride wasn’t one of my strongest qualities, but I had a baseline for the type of situations I would put myself in. Greyson was the safe bet. He wasalwaysthe safest person in my life and I knew that was another part of why it kept happening.

“Oh no,” Lottie started tapping her pen against the counter before she dropped it and snapped her fingers. “You know what? I have some samples of the pillow spray we’re gonna give out at the Fall Festival next week. Hold on, let me go get it.”

I turned my back to the counter and let my eyes wander out the door, smiling when I remembered how close True was. I hoped she was getting some work done or that she at leastlikedthe book cafe.

“Here you go. I got one of the lavender scent and one unscented.” The clink of glass bottles pulled my attention back to my sister as she placed them in a paper bag with the store’s logo on it.

“Thanks, sis.”

“Mhmm,” she hedged, holding onto the bag when I reached for it. “Mom and dad have been calling me about you.”

Yea, I should have made my run for it when we were still talking about the desk because I couldn’t handle this conversation right now. “Ok?”

“And they want to know why you aren’t answering their calls.”

“Oh, I think they know.”

Lottie flinched at the dip in my tone and I almost felt bad, but that guilt was fleeting.

“Noah, come on. I know you go through your phases of giving them the cold shoulder, but what did mom do?”

She was married to my father and watched him belittle me for most of my life.

I didn’t say that out loud because I had shit to do and didn’t have time to unpack my irritation with the sibling that had never felt any of the pushback I received.

“I don’t feel like dealing with them, Lottie.”

“What happened?”

“The same thing that always happens.”My father makes a plea for me to move home and sell cars. I say no. He insults me and tells me I’m less than a man because I don’t wanna do what he wants. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

“Can’t you just hear them out? I’m sure they?—”