Page 53 of Most Eligible Billionaire

“We’re having a ceremony where Smuckers endows a shelter,” Brett says. “We’ll normalize things after that.”

They look over at me and I smile. “But Smuckers is in complete agreement with us as far as a project like this goes.”

“Two paws up,” Kaleb adds, and everybody laughs.

Kaleb and the partners take off. Brett and I hit the falafel stand a few blocks down. “I can’t believe it’s working this well,” he says. “The Smuckers thing. It’s brilliant. As long as you can keep her under control.”

“It’s brilliant as long as nobody talks,” I say, avoiding the keeping-her-under-control part.

Again I’m back there. I thought I’d die when she broke off the kiss.

But with Vicky, I actually am interested.

How did I get back to Vicky?

I update Brett on my efforts to reach out to everybody who was at the will reading, reminding them to keep the real story about Smuckers and my mom to themselves. “One drunken conversation with the wrong person and we’re seriously hosed.”

Brett turns to me. I know he’s thinking of my father even before he says it. “He’d roll around in his grave.”

Meaning, if he knew what Mom did.

“He’d kick right out of his coffin,” I growl.

We get our falafels and eat them side-by-side, leaning against the car, watching the workers. It never gets old. In some ways, Brett and I are still those boys who can’t get enough of diggers and cranes.

When I finish my falafel, I fish out my phone. I just need to send the picture and be done with it.

“Who are you sending a Morrison truck to?”

“Vicky. She has a griffin thing.”

He lays into his second falafel without comment.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“She’s handled.”

“Did I say anything?” he says.

“You were specifically silent,” I say. “So, yeah.”

He snorts.

I pause, thumbs poised, unsure what to say along with the griffin pic. I typeThanks for the trees.Then I change it toHere’s to griffins and mad forestry expertise,then I delete it.

I typeFriend of yours?Then erase it. Then,Thinking about bow ties. Then I change it toThis guy is asking where TF my bow tie is.

Delete.

This is all very disturbing, because I happen to be a master of texting the just-right thing to a woman, no matter what the circumstance, from pre-hookup banter to post-hookup emojis.

I don’t know what to text to Vicky. How can I not know?

But I do know. I really want to say,I loved kissing you. I forgot what it was like to kiss somebody because it felt like the only thing in the world worth doing. I forgot what it was like to sit and make things with somebody who gives a shit how curlicues line up. I wish you were here.

“Soooooo,” Brett says. “Howisoperation good cop going? Operation hot cop?”

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