Page 100 of The Romantic Agenda

“Not entirely miserable. Not great. You?”

“It’s definitely better now.”

She shoves her face into her pillow. When she’s regained control she says, “Oh, that’s good.”

“Isn’t this late for you? I would’ve expected you to be asleep by now.”

“Oh, me and my old lady internal clock are definitely in bed. Sometimes it takes a while for me to drift off if I’m not dead tired. I usually watch a movie or something.”

“No wonder you fell asleep during our Nic Cage marathon. We started it too late and you’re used to going to sleep with a movie playing. Makes sense now. I thought you just didn’t appreciate one of the greatest and most opportunistic actors of our time.”

“It’s probably also that.”

Fox laughs. “What are you watching tonight?”

“Nothing yet. Do you want to watch something together? We can use the sync projector app.”

“Uh, sure. Yeah. That’s a great idea.”

They choose a movie, something they both wanted to see, and spend the next two hours creating their own running commentary. It’s not perfect. It doesn’t magically feel like they’re back in the cabin talking under the stars until she falls out, but it’s close. Hours are passing, she doesn’t notice them at all, and before she knows it, the movie is over and he’s asking, “Are you resting?”

“Not even close.” Joy feels wired, like she accidentally had a full cup of coffee right before bed. Pepper is out cold and kitty-snoring on her back.

“Are you coming to Summer’s game night tomorrow? Or I guess it’s tonight now.”

“I haven’t thought about it. Do you think it would be weird if I did? Because of all the stuff with Malcolm.”

Fox pauses before answering, “Summer attracts really horrible people. They use her and treat her like a doormat because they know she won’t fight back. She’ll just take it and cry. I thought Malcolm was one of those people at first.”

“Ahhh.”

“Yeah. He was always talking about someone named Joy and it was pretty obvious how much he cared about her. I think Malcolm sold Summer on the idea of you without realizing it. He had her convinced you walked on water. The most supportive and faithful person to ever exist and you just have this big open heart that loves people just as they are. That’s part of why she was so excited to meet you. She wants what you two have.”

“With Malcolm?” Joy laughs to lighten the mood. “There’s aSingle White Femalejoke in here somewhere but with colorblind casting where race suddenly doesn’t matter.”

“With you, Joy. She really wants to be friends with you too.”

“I know.” She sighs. “Summer’s not so bad, but I just don’t know. I don’t even know if Malcolm wants me around him if we’re not at work. And if I start taking the steps to heal on my own, part of that will probably involve separating from himanywaybecause I’m scared I don’t know how to live without him. She’s dating him, and if she and I are friends, I’ll most likely see him before I’m ready.”

“Which defeats the entire purpose,” Fox says. “Hmm.”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“If you decide to go, I’ll be there.” He pauses again. “Also, my shop is opening next week.”

“I remember.”

“Would you want to see it before then? Everything’s set up already. Maybe Friday evening if you’re free.”

“I would love to. That’s so exciting.” Joy bites her lip, wondering if she should go for it, telling herself she should, and nearly succumbing to doubt. She squeezes her eyes shut, bracing for impact. “And maybe after we could get dinner?”

“Yeah. That’d be nice,” he says. “Whatever you want.”

Twenty-Eight

WEDNESDAY

Grace has been calling non-stop all day. To be fair, Joy sent her updates by text to help her sister’s twin spider-sense relax, but she didn’t want to talk to her yet. If she did, Grace might influence her, convince her to do something before she’s ready.