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‘Ha-ha! The laundry money is mine this month!’
‘What’s going on, Jade?’ Dad asks, concern in his voice.
‘I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking lately and spending time with someone who makes me sincerely feel good, and I realize Conner doesn’t. Now I’m questioning if I even know what love is. And how do you know if you’re in it? Or better question, how do you know if someone loves you? Like, for certain? Am I just a total dumbass?’
Dad laughs. ‘If you are, so is everyone else who’s questioned the same thing, and we all have. Is this other someone the “friend” you recently had dinner with?’
‘It was dessert, drinks, and appetizers, but yeah. I like him, which makes me feel so sleazy since I’m engaged to someone else. Is what I’m doing cheating? ’Cause I don’t want to be that girl.’
‘You do anything with him, physically?’ Thomas asks the question I’m sure my dad doesn’t want to hear the answer to.
I shake my head. ‘No. Just some harmless flirting, but we did talk about an “almost kiss” moment we had months ago – long before Conner came into the picture. It turns out, we both felt the same way, we just missed the moment, and he’s one of those guys who would never touch me like that unless I was absolutely single.’
‘Is he the guy suggesting the nudes?’
‘Nooooo,’ I tell him. ‘In fact, if I told him about that, he’d probably be pissed. He doesn’t love Conner.’
‘Then whatever you two have going on isn’t cheating. It sounds like he sincerely likes you if he’s trying to protect you from a boyfriend he doesn’t like. That’s the kind of guy you want.’
‘But how do I know for sure? I don’t want to make another mistake, Dad.’
He scoots closer, hugging me to him. ‘We all make mistakes, Jade. Let’s try something your mom used to make me do. Close your eyes,’ he suggests.
I do as I’m told, closing my eyes, his arm still around my shoulders.
‘What’s your heart telling you right now?’
‘My heart is screaming—’ My phone blasts from my apartment, ringing loudly. ‘Shit, be right back,’ I say, racing to my apartment.
‘Hullo?’ Spike screeches with each ring until I answer.
‘Hello?’
‘Hey, babe.’ My heart stops. It’s Conner. I didn’t even check before I answered because I was afraid I would miss it. ‘Hello? Did I lose you?’
Possibly.
‘No, I, uh, just woke up. What are you doing?’
‘I had a night off, so I thought I’d give you a ring.’
Not a chance he’s thinking about rings – wrong choice of words, Conner.
‘Oh.’ I sit down on my unmade bed. ‘How are things?’
‘Good. Busy, but good.’ He doesn’t elaborate, and he would if he wanted me to know the details. I’m not about to beg for conversation from the guy.
‘That’s great.’
The line is silent. Neither of us speaks because what’s there even to talk about anymore? I feel like I don’t know him.
‘How are things with you?’ he finally asks. ‘Anything exciting happening?’
‘Alexa, play love song,’ Spike squawks.
‘No!’ I holler to cancel it out. I’ll never understand why Laney thought teaching him to use Alexa would be funny.
‘What?’ Conner asks.
