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She’s glaring at me through her peripherals, but at least that grabs her attention. “Funny.”
“Will you lighten up? Who are you texting?” I nudge her knee with mine, and it calms.
“I need to text my mom, but I don’t know what to say.” Her tone turns pleading. “Do I say I got married, or I got a job? Honestly, she’ll be equally shocked at both.”
Sometimes I forget other people have families that care about their life choices outside of the financial implications. “Is she going to be mad? I’ve met your mom a time or two. I thought it went fine.”
“Mom likes you, Dex. It’s not that. It’s just…” She trails off, shrugging.
“What?” I prod.
“I haven’t been making the best decisions for my future lately. This seems like piling on.”
I scoff. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What happens when you’re done with me in a year? Then what?” she asks. “What kind of jobs do you apply for after being a CEO, except you weren’t qualified to be one in the first place? How do you tell your future boyfriends that you’re a divorcée but your marriage wasn’t real? I’m just”—she jostles her head—“trying to think it through. These are the questions my mom is going to ask. I’m preparing my defenses.”
I pull her phone out of her hands and set it aside. “Do you not want to do this? We can walk out right now.”
She rolls her eyes. “And let you marry Blonde Harvard Barbie? I don’t think so. Who is going to call you pretty boy and build you perfect Subway sandwiches? You need a friend, not a stranger, Dex. You need me.”
Subway sandwiches aren’t why I need her, but I do, in fact, need her. I laugh. “I’m not going to be done with you, Len. I already told you I’d set you up. If you don’t want money, I’ll help you figure out a stable career. All you have to do is figure out what you want from your life.”
“That’s sort of the problem.” She pats her thighs, resulting in a loud clap that echoes against the walls. “I don’t know what I want to do. I’m twenty-seven and I still have no idea.”
I grab her hand and squeeze twice before releasing it. “I’ll call your mom tomorrow and explain everything. How’s that?”
A bewildered smile claims her face. “You’re going to call my mom?”
I nod. “Yes. I’ll take the heat. And anyway, there’s the matter of your dowry we need to discuss. I’m not greedy. I don’t want their money. Just a few cows, an ox, and some grain will do.”
She rolls her eyes. “You ass.”
“There she is.” I nudge her shoulder. “And if it makes you feel better, I’ll explain to all of your boyfriends until the end of time how your divorcée status is simply evidence of what an incredible friend you are.”
She shakes her head. “That won’t be necessary. Good to know we’ll stay friends until the end of time, though.”
“Can I tell you something?”
She already looks more relaxed. Her shoulders slack as she leans back against the bench that creaks in protest. “Of course.”
“You’re not just my best friend; I think you’re my only friend.”
“That’s not true. You have everyone at the dive shop. Finn, Avery, and even you and Leah are still on good terms, right?”
“Surface level, sure. But you’re the only person I reallytalk to.”
She peers at me from the corner of her eyes, skepticism painting her face. “That can’t be right. You have a whole other life in Miami. What about all the friends you grew up with?”
I scoff. “I was very much raised in a bubble.”
“Who’d you have to talk to?” Lennox asks. She pulls one knee up onto the bench. It brushes against my thigh as she turns to me.
“Grandma.”
“And now she’s gone,” Lennox says softly.
I nod with a clipped smile. “Pretty much.”