Page 72 of Let's Talk About Love

“She seems to like it.” Glory had already stuffed herself into one of the lopsided circle baskets, watching Ryan work. The screw jutting out of the bottom made the basket rest on its side like a spinning top. “Do you want any help?”

“I got it,” he said. “Why didn’t you answer your phone yesterday?”

“I was doing my hair.” She sat next to him. “I can only do it on my days off.”

“Are you seriously saying it took you all day to wash your hair? I called six times,” he said.

“When did I say ‘wash’? Doing my hair is a four- to eight-hour experience.”

“It doesn’t take that long.” He looked at her head. Her twist out didn’t come out the way she’d wanted, but it would last a few days at least.

“You’ve known me forever and a day and you seriously don’t know how long it takes me to do my hair?”

“I thought you woke up like that. All flawless and such.”

She cocked an eyebrow, deciding whether or not to accept the compliment. “You’re not nearly as smooth as you seem to think.”

“You love me.” He laughed. “Where are you off to?”

“Takumi is probably sick, so I’m going to check on him.”

“Probably?”

“Yeah. I haven’t heard from him in two days, but he called in sick on Saturday.”

Ryan twirled the screwdriver between his fingers, focused. “Are you sure he’s actually sick?”

“It’s either that or he’s packing and needed some time off.” Alice shrugged. “He already signed the lease for his new place.”

“Maybe he’s doing something else that doesn’t involve you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ryan’s face was so open, so honest. It always told the truth before he was ready to speak.

(Basically, he couldn’t lie to save his life.)

“I just think it’s funny that you talk to him and see him every day and all of a sudden he disappears and doesn’t tell you why. I mean, you’re guessing he’s sick or packing. You don’t actually know.”

“He doesn’t have to tell me every little thing he does with his life,” Alice said. “And I’ve been busy, too.”

Honestly, it hadn’t even bothered her. It wasn’t that she didn’t notice or didn’t care—more than once she had checked her phone, thinking she had heard the personalized chime she’d given him, but didn’t have a message—but between the interview and interior-design research, Takumi sort of got pushed to the back burner.

(Wow, that sounded awful.)

She did text Takumi, though. He just didn’t reply, which was super unlike him, so hemusthave been sick, right?

(Damn it, Ryan.)

“Okay. Forget I said anything.” He smiled. “He can’t come to the wedding, though. Feenie says no.”

Alice laughed. “I have like two years to change her mind. I think I’ll win that one.”

Ryan’s hand stilled in mid-screwdriver twist. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to her. “You mean six months.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Cold shot through Alice as if she’d been stabbed through the heart with a giant icicle.

“We set an actual date. Next year, mid-February, because the venue she wanted had a tentative opening. We should get the confirmation with the actual date this week.” He placed the part he was assembling to the side. “Feenie didn’t tell you?”