Allysa hands me my coffee and then taps the mouse on the computer to check for new online orders.
“What are you wearing to Lucy’s wedding?” I ask her.
“We’re not going.”
“What?”
“We can’t. It’s my parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary. Ryle and I are doing that surprise dinner.”
She told me about that, but I had no idea it was the same day as Lucy’s wedding.
“It’s the only evening Ryle could get away,” she says.
I deflate. I hate Ryle’s schedule. I know it’ll get better over time, when he’s no longer one of the newest surgeons on staff, but even when his hours aren’t making custody difficult, he’s making my best friend choose between a wedding and her parents.
I know it’s not Ryle’s fault, but I like silently blaming stuff on him that he has no control over. It feels good.
“Does Lucy know you aren’t going?”
Allysa nods. “She’s fine with it. Two less mouths to feed.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “Are you taking Atlas?”
“I didn’t invite him. I thought you and Marshall were going, and I didn’t want to ask you and Marshall to lie for me again.” I felt bad that I asked Allysa to watch Emmy last week for my date because I knew she’d have to lie to Ryle if it came up. And she did end up having to lie to him.
“When are you planning to tell Ryle you’re back on the dating scene?”
I groan. “Do I have to?”
“He’ll find out eventually.”
“I wish I could just pretend I was dating some guy named Greg. I don’t know that he’d be as threatened by a Greg. Maybe I don’t have to be specific about who I’m dating, and he won’t be as angry. I’ll ease him into the knowledge of it being Atlas after a decade or two.”
Allysa laughs, but then she looks at me curiously. “Why does Ryle hate Atlas so much, anyway?”
“He didn’t like that I kept mementos from back when Atlas and I dated.”
Allysa is staring at me. Waiting. “What else?”
I shake my head. There’s nothing else. “What do you mean?”
“Did you cheat on Ryle with Atlas?”
“What? No. God, no. I never would have done that to Ryle.” I’m a little offended by her question, but then again I’m not. Ryle’s reaction would naturally make anyone question what led to that kind of reaction.
Allysa’s eyes are swimming in puzzlement. “I still don’t get it. If you weren’t actively cheating on him with the guy, why does Ryle hate him?”
I release an exaggerated sigh. “I’ve asked myself that a million times, Allysa.”
She makes an annoyed face only siblings could reserve for each other. “I never wanted to ask because I thought you were ashamed that you cheated on my brother and just didn’t want to tell me.”
“I haven’t even kissed Atlas since I was sixteen. Ryle just couldn’t handle that my past sometimes crept into my present, in an absolutely platonic way.”
“Wait. You haven’t kissed Atlas since you were sixteen?” She latched on to the absolute wrong point of this conversation. “Not even on your date last week?”
“We’re taking it slow. And that’s fine by me. The slower we take things, the more time it gives me before I have to break it to your brother.”
“I think you should just rip off the Band-Aid.” She points at my phone on the counter. “Text Ryle right now and tell him you’re dating Atlas. He’ll get over it; he doesn’t have a choice.”
“This is something I need to tell him in person.”
“You’re too considerate.”
“You’re too na?ve. If you think Ryle is going to get over it, you don’t know your brother very well.”
“I’ve never claimed to.” Allysa sighs and drops her chin into her hand. “Marshall told me he told you I cheated on him.”
I am so glad she’s changing the subject. “Yeah, that was a shock.”
“Drunken mistake. I was nineteen; nothing counts before you turn twenty-one.”
I laugh. “Is that right?”
“Yep.” She hops on the counter and starts swinging her legs. “Tell me more about Atlas. Tell me like I’m your best friend and not your ex-husband’s sister.”
And we’re back to this conversation. That was a quick break. “You sure this isn’t awkward for you?”