Page 31 of November

“We aren’t a twosome.” India sighed. “She’s right: we’re polar opposites. I want a nice meal. She wants–”

“If I hear you say, ‘Bird poop,’ again, I’m going back in there and canceling the bar hang,” Finley interrupted her. “India, calm down. This isn’t a big deal. We’ll just have a few drinks. If you two don’t hang out again, so be it. If youdecide to go out with her, and she’s into it, you do that. This is a good thing. And I’m not saying that because I think you’re still into me. I believe you when you say that you’re good.”

“Iamgood.”

“Glad to hear it,” Molly added.

India took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and softly asked, “Will you help me order the right stuff so that she doesn’t think I’m inflexible? I don’t want to order some fancy drink, and she thinks I can’t… Well, you know.”

“Sure. We’ll do that,” Finley replied. “Also, here.” She handed India the book. “Maybe this will help.”

“Shut up,” India said, laughing.

CHAPTER 9

“You’re making me go with you?” Lainey asked.

“I needsomeonethere,” she said, putting the guidebooks on the front table. “Please. You can bring Paige.”

“Paige is at a family dinner tonight.”

“Why aren’t you there, too, then?”

“She saved me from it by telling them that I had work to do,” Lainey replied. “They’re good people; they’re just also a lot sometimes when they all get together. She’s got four brothers and two sisters. They all have kids, except for Paige. I needed a break since we’ll be there for Thanksgiving.”

“That sounds like a lot of people.”

“Her parents have tables,plural, for everyone. The kids eat in the living room, and the adults are in the kitchenandthe dining room.”

“Damn,” Maisie said. “But that means you’re free.”

“Maisie, you asked her out. She said yes. Then, you got upset that she suggested some other place.”

“It wasn’t that she suggested we go somewhere else and I got upset. It was more like what you said before made sense, and I realized it wouldn’t work. So, why bother?”

“The dress thing? The fact that she’s clearly making good money at that job of hers, and you come to work in jeans?”

“Yes, that.”

“But, Maisie, you own this place, so you can wear whatever you want. That’s one of the reasons why you dress comfortably. It’s also a bookstore, so no one is expecting someone to be dressed up working here. And I think that would be weird, anyway. I wouldn’t want to buy a book from someone wearing a fancy dress.”

“It’s not just the dress thing. It was the expression she had on her face when I suggested a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Before I mentioned that, when I asked if she had planstonight, she looked sexy as hell just drinking that an iced tea through a damn straw. Then, I mentioned the place, and you should have seen the transformation, Lainey. It was like she couldn’t be bothered, and she started talking about whereshewanted to go. I can’t afford that.”

“Did she expect you to pay?”

“No, she saidshewould, but that’sthistime. What happens if we go out again, and she wants to go someplace that’s pricey? I’m doing okay here, but it’s not like I can afford to take a woman to five-star restaurants a few times a week.”

“Did she ask you to do that?”

“No.” Maisie sighed. “But I got the vibe that she would want that, Lainey. I can’t explain it.”

“Then, why did you agree to go to this bar thing?”

“Her friends asked me. It was the peer pressure. What was I supposed to do? Say no? That would’ve been rude. Oh, wait. They weren’tjusther friends. One of them was her ex-girlfriend, whom she, apparently, was with for a long time up until very recently.”

“Herexwas here?” Lainey asked. “You didn’t tell me that. What did she look like?”

“She looked casual and dressed a lot like me, so there’s another example of why it wouldn’t work. Just come with me. We’ll have a drink, talk to them for a while, and I’ll give you the signal. You’ll pretend to get sick or something. I’ll have to take you home, and we’ll go.”