Page 125 of Things I Read About

Shep works his jaw.

Sadie turns to me. “What I mean is, it looks like you really screwed up with a Canton girl, and this guy”—she grabs Shep by the shoulder and almost shoves him to me—“has a lot of experience in that area. He can help.”

“I don’t need—”

“He doesn’t need—”

We look at each other, saying the same thing, standing in the same pose, hands on hips, and furrowing our brow in the same irritated way.

Sadie laughs at us.

Shep laughs too. “Ugh, Bambi why are you always right? So annoying.”

She kisses him on the cheek and then heads for Sally’s door.

I watch, hopeful to catch even a glimpse of Sally inside.

“Nope, c’mon, you giant weepy tank of a man, let’s go.” Shep starts down the hall.

“I—”

“This is happening, accept it, bro,” Shep yells over his shoulder.

I almost chuckle at him, until I remember I can’t stand him. But I do follow.

We head down to the restaurant in the bottom of the building. We’ve barely sat down when Canton Husbands 3 and 4 show up at the table.

Three smiles at us, four frowns in confusion.

“Shep? Are you under threat now?” Three—Matt—asks as he looks between the two of us.

“Explain,” Emerson says, still frowning.

“Calm your balls, Clarky, you can be away from Sam for an hour. We have to help out meathead here, Sadie’s orders.”

“Okay?” Matt says, as three beers and one sparkling water arrive at the table.

“First, let’s order, I’m starving.” Shep says.

I feel the usual tension but breathe through it. While they peruse the menu, a thick one using a very small, weird font, I scroll through the stalker's images Dean forwarded to me. When the server comes, I listen to the men order and choose to have the same as Matt. Some steak special that sounded good. I hand the server my menu and relax a tiny bit.

Emerson glares at Shep. “Explain further.” I kinda see now why Sally called him a robot.

“Actually.” Shep slaps me on the back, unnecessarily hard. “Your turn to explain, Nate. Why does my wife think you’re heartbroken?”

I shift in my small, upholstered seat, unsure how to answer that. I’m about to open my mouth but, unsurprisingly, Shep is talking again.

“Wait. You are! You’re in love with Sally.”

“Really?” Matt asks, grinning again.

Emerson barely raises an eyebrow.

I bite down on my jaw and decide to nod. No point denying it now.

I am.

I am in love with that girl up there, the one who just told me that it’s over.