Page 58 of Sister of the Bride

So I do.

And I brace myself.

Toby answers the door in a pair of gray joggers and a paper-thin black V-neck T-shirt that stretches across his well-muscled chest. His hair is wet, and he smells like Irish Spring. He flashes me a wide, goofy smile that threatens to take over his whole face. He’s not smoldering, but that’s cold comfort when he looks like this. I wish he had at least gone with a pair of his novelty pajama pants. Iknowhe’s got a Bruins onesie in there somewhere. Couldn’t he have thrown that on? It might have lowered his hotness factor a smidge.

“What’s in the box?” he asks, opening the door and welcoming me in. “Hopefully not Gwyneth Paltrow’s head.”

“Aww, you finally worked up the courage to watchSeven?” I feel like I’m on steady ground, being able to do friend banter with him. Tobyhatesscary movies. On Halloween our freshman year of high school we tried to watchThe Exorcist, and Toby got so scared that he cried and we had to switch toThe Emperor’s New Grooveto calm him down. Memories like that help me remember that I’m walking into the apartment of my childhood best friend. They help me not picture Toby pulling me in for a kiss and then seeing where things go. I cling to the memory of fourteen-year-old Toby’s snotty tears and vow to make sure my brain stays on that level all night.

“Nah, I got spoiled,” Toby says.

Of course. The more things change and all that. “And only thirty years after the movie came out,” I quip.

“I’ve got a solid streak going.”

“Well, you’ll be pleased to know that this box is full of programs for the wedding, along with a dozen spools of navy grosgrain ribbon and a hole punch so we can tie a bow at the top of each program. Assuming you’re capable of tying a serviceable bow. I brought some extras so you can practice.”

“You know I do stitches on actual people every day, right? I think I can handle tying a ribbon.”

“We’ll see, Sullivan,” I say, following him into the apartment. “We’ll see.”

Inside, the apartment is a wreck. The coffee table is covered with notebooks and folders, photocopied handouts, and a scattering of highlighters, half missing their caps.

“Sorry, I was doing a little studying,” he says, gathering the papers into a semi-tidy stack in the corner of the table. “They give us these fake case studies, and we have to present them in seminar. This one attending, Dr. Hollister—he’s brutal. This guy got so nervous presenting that he developed an uncontrollable case of the hiccups and Hollister dropped a DSM-5 on the floor to try to scare them out of him.”

“Did it work?”

“I don’t know, he ran from the room,” Toby says. “Should I throw on a movie while we beribbon some programs?”

“Sure. How aboutSeven?”

“Pippin. Come on. Not in front of the programs.” He lifts a heavy piece of cream card stock and strokes it like a kitten. “How about something on theme?”

“Bride of Frankenstein?”

Toby rolls his eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines ofThe Wedding Singer.”

Once there’s a decent space cleared on the coffee table and I’m sure there aren’t any coffee rings or errant crumbs hanging around to stain the paper, I drop the box and flop back onto the couch. “That works. Hey, maybe we should do Sandler for our next film festival?”

“I vote Drew Barrymore. I mean, can you imagine going fromETtoEver AftertoNever Been Kissed? She’s got incredible range.”

We continue to debate movie selections as I unpack the box. Toby proves himself a capable bow-tier while I try to convince him thatFirestarterisn’tactuallyscary. He argues thatMusic and Lyricsis the best Drew Barrymore rom-com while I set up our system for finishing the programs. We both agree thatFever Pitchis underrated (and that’s not just the Boston talking).

And just like that, the sexy thoughts of Toby slip out of my mind. Just like that, he’s my best friend again. Just like that, the world rights itself.

Until an appointment invitation from Mom pops up on my phone.

“Ugh,fuck,” I groan, swallowing the acid racing up my throat as I press accept.

“I-To-Do disaster?” Toby asks.

“Worse. The guy from the restaurant company is coming next week,” I say. “To check things out and make sure they’re still interested.”

Toby drops the ribbon he’s fiddling with, turning to face me on the couch. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Don’t psych rotation me, Toby,” I say, giving him a shove. “Mom and Nonna are thrilled. And I looked into it. Kelleher is great. They don’t have a reputation for destroying the restaurants they acquire. But…I still think I hate them.”

Toby cuts a sidelong glance my way. “You’re not going to do anything weird, are you, Pip?”

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