Page 154 of Give & Take

I pull back, grinning. “You think so?”

“Yeah,” she says. “And Ror and me love you too.”

Then she’s gone, dancing like a strange interpretive dancing mime, while I stand there stunned, my heart squeezing so fucking hard ithurts.

Later that night, after a public reading by Nova of her book, which is actually hilarious and quite possibly the BEST BOOK OF ALL THE BOOKS, Lori tells us to go out and have some alone time. She and the girls settle down to watch a movie, winking at me.

We walk downtown, holding hands, talking about logistical things like they’re nothing. About how Cal’s getting a new truck and has offered to sell me his for a song. And how I also saw an apartment for rent in town I’m going to call tomorrow.

“I don’t want you to feel any pressure,” I tell Lana when she insists I can stay in the suite.

“You can’t move out!” Lana says.

This leads me to confessing that Lori also talked to me after our motorcycle ride this afternoon, where I returned Cal’s bike to his place. “She’s thinking of moving up here, Lana.”

“She’s been talking about that for years,” she says.

“It sounds like she really means it. She had a meeting with her realtor about selling her condo in Vancouver.”

Lana raises her eyebrows. “Really? Also, are you two best friends now?”

“Pretty much.”

Lana smiles. “Then we’ll figure something out.”

I sigh. “You’re going to be sick of me anyway, since we’ll be partners when you start up the bookshop.”

“Not boss? I thought you wanted to be the Operations Manager.”

“I’m easy,” I say. She knows I mean it. I have no designs on her business. I just want to support herhowever I need. “Actually, I like your idea. Then I’ll be fucking the boss again.”

Lana laughs.

I know all of this will require several more conversations. But that’s fine. We have all the time in the world.

But just then, Lana goes stiff beside me.

“You okay?”

I follow her gaze down the block, at the couple coming out of the Bean Scene.

Even this far away I recognize the man as Daniel.

I also recognize the woman who rubs his head affectionately—almost like a daughter might to her father.

It’s Jenna.

“Oh, shit,” I say, realization dawning. DanielisJenna’s father. Lana and I— “Fuck, Lana, come on. We can cross the street before they see us.”

I’m fully expecting Lana to panic. She’s outed our relationship to her mom and daughters, sure, and we’ve been walking down Main Street holding hands. But this? A pair that painfully reminds her just how far apart we are in age?

But Lana shakes her head, lifting her chin. She smiles at me. “No. It’s fine.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. We’re all adults, right?”

I smile. “Yes, Sunshine. That we are.”

---