Page 9 of Off the Wall

I blink, feigning ignorance even though it’s clear I’ve been busted. “Who?”

“The woman sitting behind me.” Dr. Hanson bites back a smirk. “The one who lives in your building? You’ve been staring at her all night.”

A visual of the flyer for the Springs Singles potluck flashes across my brain, and my gut goes hollow, like the wedding band I never wore.

“Nori?” I shake my head. “I don’t even know her.”

“Maybe not.” Dr. Hanson quirks a brow. “But I think you want to.”

Chapter Three

Nori

The first personI call when I get home from Vincenzo’s is my brother, East. He and my sister-in-law, Becca, request proof of life whenever I go on a date with someone new, even though I’m an actual grownup with a full-time job, a car I love, and an apartment we shared for two decades.

I frequently remind them both of this.

But after raising me for more than half their lives, and never having children of their own, they can’t seem to break the habit of treating me like a kid. I sometimes wonder if letting go is harder for them than it is for regular parents. After all, my brother only ended up as my guardian because we lost our mom and dad. So I feel like he and Becca are always a little bit braced for bad news.

Either way, the least I can do since they moved out is let them know I’m okay after a date with a stranger. One quick call is a small price to pay for everyone’s sanity, right? Except one quick call usually turns into a campaign for me to move to Boston, no matter how many times I tell them I don’t want to leave Serendipity Springs.

Luckily, this is not my first post-date rodeo, so I take adeep breath and prepare myself for the inevitable. Apparently East is prepared too, because he answers on the first ring. “You home safe?”

“I am,” I chirp. “You and Becca can officially turn off your worry-about-Nori radars for the rest of the night.”

East chuckles. “Sorry if our love for you is annoying.”

“When you sayif, it’s not a real apology,” I tease.

“Yeah, well, it’s still just a little strange for us,” he says. “Not being home with you.”

Home.

East clears his throat, and my heart squeezes. For the first time, it occurs to me he might not have wanted to leave Serendipity Springs either. But he moved to Boston for Becca. For her parents. So maybe all these check-ins are less about me, and more about my brother adjusting to his new normal.

“Well, you and Becca can visit anytime,” I say. “This home is your home. Always.”

“Same,” he says. “You’re always welcome here, you know. You can visit anytime. Move here. Whatever.”

“Oh, I’m aware.” I puff out a laugh. “You’ve only told me a million times.”

“Make it a million and one,” he says. “And also, Becca keeps trying to grab the phone out of my hand, so I guess I’ll just let her?—”

“Hey! Did you have fun?” Becca blurts.

“Hi, Becca. And the short answer is no. What’s the opposite of fun?That’swhat I had.”

“I’m soooo sorry to hear that.” This is what Becca says, although there’s a tinge of something less sorry and more excited in her voice. “But maybe now …” She lets her words trail off.

I smirk even though she can’t see me. “But maybe now, what?”

“Maybe now you’ll let Pamela give your number to thatlawyer friend of hers. The one who just moved back to Serendipity Springs. Phoenix … something-or-other. You know she’s been dying to introduce you two.”

I guffaw. Pamela is Becca’s best friend, and she’s almost as invested in my love life as Becca is. But at least they’re not trying to hook me up with some real estate agent who’s got a list of available apartments down the street from Becca and East.

That’s progress.

“Nope. No more random setups,” I say. “Not even with a friend of a friend. Not even a lawyer named Phoenix Something-or-other.”

---