Page 53 of Single Mom's Guide to Love

“That’s the rule?”

“Of course it is,” I say as I gesture for her to sit at the makeshift picnic. “Now sit. I might be a shit assistant, but I can be a proper waiter.”

She does as I ask while I make a big show of presenting the cartons of noodles, rice, chicken, and dumplings.

“And of course, a Diet Coke to go with it,” I say dramatically, bowing as I hand over the can to her.

“What service,” she says, a hint of a smile coming out. “But Logan, you really didn’t have to do this.”

“I did,” I say, putting out the last of the containers. “Food is necessary. And you working overtime on a holiday should be compensated in some fashion. Why not with food?”

I see the blush creep over her cheeks. And I realize at this moment I’ll never tire of putting that color there.

“Thank you,” she says, grabbing a lo mein box. “I haven’t had Chinese in forever. Jayce doesn’t like it, and somehow I always forget to order it on nights when he’s with his dad.”

“Neither have I,” I say, deciding to start off my meal with steamed dumplings. “It used to be a staple for Kat and I.”

“It’s amazing you two have developed a friendship that’s lasted so long,” Maeve said. “I barely talk to my college friends.”

“Really? Are they not around?”

She shakes her head as she reaches for the General Tso’s. “We all have our lives going on. Marriages. Kids. Divorces. Businesses. We try to get together once a year, those of us that are still relatively local, for dinner. But I think it’s been at least three years since that’s happened.”

“I don’t think Kat and I have ever gone three days without speaking to each other,” I joke. “Then again, it’s just us. We had a group of friends at Stanford. She was in a sorority. I had my gamer buddies. But even with that, it was always the two of us.”

“That I can understand,” she says. “Then again, I always had my sisters, and they’re the best friends I could ask for.”

“How many sisters are there?”

Maeve’s smiles are few and far between. But I don’t know if in our time together I’ve seen one as genuine as the one she’s giving me now. “Three sisters and one brother.”

“Let me guess,” I say. “Oldest?”

This gets me a laugh. “Oldest daughter. Though I might as well be the oldest of them all. It’s my brother Simon, technically, but in terms of who is the family organizer and de facto leader, that’s me.”

“That must be the dynamic of a large family,” I add. “I don’t know if my brother or I qualify as the leader of the two.”

“You have a brother?”

I nod. “I do. Two years younger.”

“Is he in the States too?”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “You really don’t pay attention to the gossip column, do you?”

Her eyes grow wide. “Are you telling me your brother is famous too? How many billionaires are in your family?”

“He’s not a billionaire, but he does well.” I pull out my phone, bringing up the latest article about Callum Matthews. “Just a professional rugby player.”

Maeve’s eyes look at the article, then to me, then back to my mobile. “So you’re telling me, in one family, came one of the best rugby players in the world and a man who changed video games forever? You must have the proudest parents on the planet.”

I know she didn’t intend to, but that statement was a stab in the chest.

It’s been a long time since someone has mentioned my parents—Kat knows better since we both come from shitty childhoods and never want to talk about it—so I haven’t had to hide my face in a while. And judging by Maeve’s wide eyes, she realizes she’s hit a nerve.

“Oh, Logan. Did I overstep? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean?—”

I shake my head. “It’s not your fault. Most people hear generic questions about their parents without flinching.”

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