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Claire slid into the booth across from her. “I like her.” Noah sat beside Claire.

“Everybody likes her,” Cole said. “It’s becoming a problem.”

Julia rolled her eyes. “He loves me.”

Cole nodded proudly.

“How did you guys meet?” Julia asked.

Claire and Noah answered simultaneously: “He stole my dinner.” “I heroically delivered her dinner.”

Claire turned toward him. “That is not what happened.”

“What did he do?” Julia asked. Cole just watched with amusement written on his face. Claire wondered if he had heard the story before.

“Her Chinese food was delivered to my apartment. Being the dangerously attractive, heroic neighbor that I am, I took her the bag,” Noah told them.

“Yeah, he brought me my food that he had opened and inspected.”

“Quality control.”

“Thief.”

Julia laughed. “You guys bicker like an old married couple, oh my gosh.”

Cole wrapped an arm around her. “So do we.”

“I was going to tell her if you didn’t.” Noah grinned.

A server arrived with the fried pickles, and Julia immediately pushed the basket toward Claire.

“So,” Claire said, taking one, “how much do you two actually know about me?”

Cole and Julia exchanged a look.

Noah pointed at Cole. “Be careful.”

“That sounds like there’s something I should know.” Claire turned toward Cole.

He leaned back against the booth. “I knew about you pretty early.”

“How early?”

“Before the fake dating.”

Claire hadn’t even known anyone else was aware it was fake besides the two of them. Apparently, she was learning all kinds of things tonight.

Claire slowly looked at Noah. “You told Cole it was fake?”

“Cole was the only person I told,” Noah said. “He already knew how I felt about you.”

“You talked about me before the fake dating?”

“Occasionally.”

Cole laughed. “Occasionally? I knew your coffee order.”

“That proves nothing.”