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“First of all, don’t throw things at me!” I launch it back at her. I was a softball player until I went to college, so I hit her square in the forehead. Like a goddamn winner. “And second, that’s not why she was running. You heard her say she had a meeting!”

“Oh my god.” She drops her head into her hands. “I knew you were oblivious sometimes, but this takes the cake. No wonder Nora was able to get her claws into you.”

“Rude! I’m not oblivious.” I wish I could have the pillow back so I could throw it at her harder this time. “And if you really want to know the truth, it’s your fault I joined in the first place!”

“What?” she shouts, and I watch her thoughts cross her face as she makes the very wise decision not to take aim with the pillow again. “How is this my fault?”

“Remember when you went to Georgia for a week to visit your family and left me all by my lonesome?” I jog her memory of the hurt and betrayal she bestowed against me.

“Well, Nora must’ve sensed your abandonment and invited me to the Petunia Lemon convention that weekend.

And because I was sad and lonely, I said yes. ”

“She promised you free drinks, didn’t she?”

Dammit.

“And a free facial.”

“Emerson.” She groans, and I’ve never heard anyone sound so disappointed in me, and once I put diesel gas in my mom’s car. For real…not the TikTok prank going around.

“I didn’t want to say yes, but there were so many people and everyone was so nice to me.

” I try to remember everything from the convention as I plead my case.

“And the products are so cute! I mean, really. Have you seen them? It’s all so bright and whimsical and fun!

Plus, you know everything pays for itself.

All you have to do is talk about it on social media and then you’re making money while you sleep. And there’s an island!”

She leans forward and grabs my hand. “You sweet, sweet summer child.”

“Whatever.” I rip my hand away from her. “This is what happens when you go on vacation without me. Now you have to join and come to a meeting with me next week. Consequences to your actions and all that.”

“First of all.” She holds a finger in front of my face.

“That wasn’t a vacation. I was going home to see my great-grandma for her ninety-fifth birthday, and I spent all weekend in the church or the nursing home.

My uncle preached that I needed to get married the entire time, and it’s in a dry county, so I couldn’t even sneak away for a shot of tequila.

Two”—she adds a second finger—“I’ll attend a meeting with you, but only if you promise to provide me with at least one cocktail the night of the meeting and coffee the morning after.

And, now listen closely because this is the most important part, you can’t expect me to ever sign up.

You know I don’t believe in putting all that junk on your face. ”

She wouldn’t believe in putting junk on her face, but that’s only because she has the skin of an angel. Even now, sitting beneath the terrible fluorescent lights, her skin is glowing like she’s lounging on the beach at golden hour.

“One, you’re right, that sounds horrible, and thank you for not inviting me. I’m sorry,” I say. “Two, yes to the coffee and cocktail, but once you’re there, you’re going to want to join me for vacation on Petunia Island.”

“Petunia Island?” Her eyes bug out of her head before she laughs so loud, I’m surprised the ground doesn’t shake. “That’s a fucking Jordan Peele movie! They’d be out there trying to suck the melanin out of me so they could add it to their next serum.”

I don’t want to encourage her bad jokes with my laughter, but I can’t help it. She’s probably not wrong, and it might not hurt for me to keep an eye out just in case. “I hate you so much.”

“You love me.” She speaks the absolute truth. “And you’re laughing, but I’m being serious. I know you trust Nora, and I can’t put my finger on it, but something about that woman’s spirit doesn’t sit right with me. You’re too trusting, and I need you to keep your guard up.”

“I know, I know.” This isn’t the first time she’s shared this warning, and it’s the one thing we don’t agree on.

I wouldn’t have my job or friendship with Keisha without Nora, and as much as I love Keisha, it’s the one piece of advice I haven’t listened to.

“But I promise, if you just give her a chance, you’ll see what I see. ”

“I’m going to have to pass on that offer.” She doesn’t even pretend to consider it before snapping her fingers in my face. “Now tell me the rest of the story, because I know you didn’t avoid me all because of face wash.”

After I paid the exorbitant parking fee and navigated the congested Denver streets back to my apartment, I vowed never to utter the name Luke Miller ever again.

Once the glow of great sex and top-shelf bourbon had begun to fade, any remnants of joy were promptly chased away by the burning heat of humiliation.

I reassured myself that nobody ever needed to know what happened.

But that was when I thought I could just avoid it altogether.

As much as I’d like to keep that terrible, horrible, amazing night locked in the recesses of my brain, I’ve never lied to Keisha and I’m not going to start lying to her now.

Especially not over some terrible, trash man.

“After the convention was over, I went up to the bar.”

“For your old fashioned?” She knows me so well.

“They use vanilla bean–infused sugar. You know I had to try it!” I throw my hands up in the air. I’m defenseless against a well-crafted cocktail. “But while I was up there, I met someone…”

“Oh my god.” Keisha’s eyes triple in size, and the ever-present glow on her cheeks turns red. “ You met someone? Have you been ignoring me for a secret boyfriend?”

“A boyfriend?” I almost choke on the word. “Never!”

The last time I had a boyfriend was my sophomore year in college.

When we broke up, he made it his mission to spend his every waking hour spreading lovely rumors about me to anyone who would listen.

And because he was a starter on the basketball team, everyone listened.

So now I do my best to look but not touch when it comes to humans of the male variety.

A rule very much reinforced by my time spent with Luke.

“He came up to me while I was waiting for my drink. I let him sit with me and we talked for a little bit. He was staying at the hotel and you know…one thing led to another.” My hands begin to sweat and my thighs clench as I remember the way he looked at me up on that rooftop.

“But that was it. I didn’t even get his phone number. ”

“You had a one-night stand? You dirty little skank!” Her voice ricochets off my freshly constructed paper-covered walls. I dive across the reading rug and slap my hand across her mouth. An impulse I immediately regret when I remember she’s wearing bright red lipstick.

“This is a precious, innocent space.” My eyes dart to the door, making sure none of the other kindergarten teachers are rushing in to catch a glimpse at what’s causing all the commotion. “You can’t just go around shouting the word skank in here or I’ll make you sage it again.”

The last time Keisha saged our classrooms, she set off the fire alarms, and we had to have a meeting with the fire chief and Nora about fire safety and being considerate to coworkers with high sensitivities to scents.

It was a reasonable request, and in response Keisha saged Nora’s office the very next day.

She peels my hand off of her mouth, and much to my relief her lipstick is still perfectly in place and I have not turned her into a Joker cosplayer.

“I have known you for five years and you haven’t so much as mentioned a man’s name in passing.

Now, you want to drop a bomb that you had a one-night stand”—she pauses for dramatic effect, an art she’s perfected over the years—“two fucking weeks ago! And you think I’m going to be calm about it?

Girl, please be so fucking for real. I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me. ”

“I wasn’t holding out on you. Trust me, nothing about that night is worth remembering.” Except for the way he looked at me, touched me, and talked to me. “It’s just one more cautionary tale as to why I shouldn’t be allowed to leave my house unless it’s for work or survival. It was awful.”

“Nice try.” She purses her lips, obviously not trusting me. “You’re full of shit and you know it.”

“How so?” She’s right, but still very rude for her to call me out like that.

“Because if it was as horrible as you’re making it out to be, you would’ve called me as soon as you got in your car. Bad nights with strangers make the best stories to laugh over.”

This, unfortunately, is the truth. Keisha tells the best stories, and I live to impress her with my own tall tales. I would never deprive her of the opportunity to find entertainment in my misfortune.

Dammit.

I fall back against the empty wall and groan. “I hate when you’re smart and right.”

Life would be so much easier if I didn’t choose this gorgeous, creative, critical thinker as my best friend.

“Sucks for you since I’m always smart and right.” She tucks her legs beneath her, crisscross applesauce style, her eyes sparkling with mischief and joy as I squirm beneath her watchful gaze. “Now tell me about this mystery man and explain why I’m just now hearing about this.”

And as much as I told myself I never wanted to think of Luke Miller ever again, as soon as I start telling Keisha about him, I wish I could relive that night together again…and again.

And again.