Page 64 of Hello Darling

“That’s the plan!” I don’t tell her that I’ll be making her dream come true by bringing Evan Hunter, in the off chance that she’ll tell the whole town. But after thinking through my options while I stared up at the ceiling last night, that’s where I want to go with him. She can finally move some of those crumpets.

I’m glad to see that my dad is in good spirits despite a hangover, and on the phone with the massage therapist who works out of one of our small rooms at Starkey Fitness, because I want to keep girl-talking with Lauren. She is so cool and grounded, but she lived her whole life in Chicago before going to Western Washington to study kinesiology and nutrition and she seems intent on moving here to be with my brother even though they’ve only been together for a few months.

“Aren’t you close to people back in Chicago?”

“Of course I am. My whole family and my girlfriends from high school and college. But we’ve been good at keeping in touch so far, and they want me to be happy. I’m happiest with Martin.” She grins as she finishes swallowing her oatmeal. “Who are you happiest with?”

“Evan,” I say quietly, feeling guilty.

“Why do you say it like that?”

“I don’t know.” I try to smile as I say it again. “Evan.”

“Well now you just look creepy,” she says. “But oh my God. I mean, I feel lucky—don’t get me wrong. But you are, quite literally, the luckiest woman I know. I can name ten friends off the top of my head who would sacrifice their left tit to date Evan Hunter, and three who’d cut off their left ball. That’s gross, I’m sorry, but come on. He’s Evan Hunter.”

Exactly.

“So you don’t have any reservations at all about moving here because of Martin?”

“No. Why—should I? It seems kind of great here.”

“It is. It really is. I’m glad you’re coming to join us.” I pat her hand. “Really glad.”

“Yeah. I can cover for you whenever you need to fly off to London or L.A. or New York to be with Evan Hunter.”

I drop my head to the table. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“Why not? You’d go, right?”

I shake my head.

“Are you kidding?”

I shake my head again.

“Stella…”

I lift my head to look at her. She leans forward. “I know we just met and all, but Martin told me about your first boyfriend…You aren’t still waiting for him to come back, are you?”

“God no! No!”

“Good.”

“I mean, I was, for like a year. But no. It’s not that. I just… I mean me going to visit Evan somewhere is not even something we’ve discussed. It’s not an issue. I mean, why would it be?”

“Girl, please. He adores you.”

“He’s a world-famous actor.”

“Who adores you.”

“And lives in London.”

“And as far as I can tell, you aren’t chained to Port Gladstone.”

I shake my head. “It would never work.”

“But it is working.”

“I know!” I cry out, determined not to actually cry again. “It is. But we haven’t even had our first public date yet.”

“Yet.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been excited or nervous about a first date before.

I’ve definitely never been so excited and nervous about dinner at the deli.

I just hope the crumpets don’t suck.