Page 18 of Mr. Green

“Okay, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“You hardly leave your apartment.”

Paige interjects by wrapping her arm around my shoulder and leading us to the couch. “This is good, Scarlett! You should be supportive of her, not grilling her. It’s nice to see you getting out. This is exciting!”

“You’re right.” Scarlett nods. “It is exciting, Lana. That explains why you’re changing your eating habits.”

“Yup. I’m getting there. Running is helping. Queenie almost tried to kill me when we met, but I’m glad to have her. It’s nice having company.”

“Okay, I need to say something.” Paige raises a hand halfway. “You know Queenie is a dog, right?”

I roll my eyes. “Yup. I know I have a freaking dog in my apartment, Paige.”

“You were talking about her like she was a person that you share all your secrets with. It’s not ridiculous that I needed to check.”

Queenie and I both humph at the same time. Maybe they’re right. We could possibly be spending too much time together.

“She’s as cute as a button,” Scarlett says while petting her. Queenie crosses her paws in response while staring at her, making a face that says, “Better not stop, peasant.”

I love it.

“How is the wedding coming along, Scar?” I ask to take the attention off me. I don’t want attention; I try to blend in at every possible moment. It’s just a habit I’ve formed. No one needs to be paying attention to me. I’ve got nothinginteresting going on.

However, my friends never let me blend in. They pull me right to the fucking center.

“Oh, no you don’t, Lana! We have one more piece of business to discuss,” Scarlett states. “Let’s talk about you and Grant together.”

“Let’s not.”

“Has he called you? You two looked so cute at dinner.”

“You guys went to dinner without me?” Paige pipes in, looking insulted.

“Not by choice!” I yell. “Scarlett lured me to a blind date when she knows damn well I’m not ready to date guys!”

“It was a spur of the moment thing.” Scarlett waves her hand like it’s not a big deal. “I think Grant has been coming to Washington to see you. He’s not a bad guy, Lana. He’s got his own business, a beautiful home, donates his time to charities. He golfs, which is kind of boring, but other than that, I think he’s a pretty good catch!” Scarlett wiggles her eyebrows up and down.

“What does he do at charities? Write a check?” I cross my arms and challenge her with a look. They don’t need to know I saw him volunteering. The more excuses I have against liking him, the better.

“No. He donates histimeto the humane society and teaches golf lessons at the community center. He probably donates money, too, but that’s notallhe does.”

This information is not helping me want to stay away from Grant. It’s reminding me of how sexy he looked playing with the dogs at the shelter. I know how much commitment is needed to take care of animals and he’s doing it on his free time when he’s around.

I remember him beingreallygood at golf when he was in high school. He made varsity every year. He never talked about it, I just heard my brother, Josh, mention it. Josh only made junior varsity the first couple years.

I pause, unsure of what to say further without giving away my feelings towards Grant.

Scarlett looks at me with squinted eyes. “He really hasn’t called you?”

“For what? He was my brother’s friend, not mine. Josh wouldn’t be happy with his old friend dating his sister. I don’t give a fuck about what Josh thinks, but that’s not the point.”

“You’ve thought about it if you’re wondering about what Josh would think.” She smiles.

“Josh would flip!” Paige laughs.

“It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head. “Grant would never date me.”

“That’s it? There’s nothing going on between you?” Scarlett points her finger up and down at me.