I look at Lily, squaring my shoulders. “You know what I’ve realized? It’s time to hope for more with Nathan, because hope is healthy. Even if I prepare myself for the worst in life, it will never make the fall hurt less.”
Her mouth falls open in shock, and then she smacks my arm. “I’M THE ONE WHO TOLD YOU THAT.”
I scrunch up my nose. “I don’t think so.”
“Yes. It was me.”
“I think it was an inspirational graphic on Instagram.”
“IT WAS YOUR GENIUS BIG SISTER!”
I laugh, wrap my arm around her fuzzy-pinkness, and kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you, big sister. You are a genius.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
We sit like this for a little while longer, talking about life and her boys and Doug’s recent promotion and the upcoming birthday party she’s throwing for my oldest nephew （of course I’ll be there）。 Lily is truly happy, and that fills me with joy to no end.
Finally, she asks, “So what’s next? Are you going to call Nathan tomorrow and tell him you have feelings for him?”
“Call him?! I might have had an epiphany tonight, but I’m not ready to place my heart on the chopping block completely yet. I’m going to lay it on thick under the protection of our fake relationship and see how he responds first. I’ll hope privately in my heart.”
Lily looks horrified. “What does ‘lay it on thick’ mean?”
I gawk at her. “You know, flirting! Being sexy.” I shimmy my shoulders on sexy.
“I’m concerned that you don’t know how to do either of those based on the phrase you just used and the thing you just did with your shoulders.”
“Oh stop. It’s so sexy. Hey, Bob! Does Miriam ever lay it on thick?!” My new BFF will back me up.
He rolls down his window with a beaming smile. “Oh yeah! She never skimps on the mayo for my ham sandwiches.”
I grimace, and Lily gloats. Fine. My sensual phrases need some work.
Just before I stand to leave, I remember something. “Oh! Wait, I have something for you!” I tell Lily while digging in my purse.
“Is it a Breenket?! Please say it is. Nathan is starting to collect more than me and I want to squash him next time we compare.”
I pull out a tiny little Barbie. It’s wearing a—
“Pink robe!” Lily says with a huge smile as she runs her fingers over the tiny little plush garment.
“I saw it in the grocery store the other day when I got distracted on the knickknacks aisle, and I was missing you so much I had to buy it.”
Lily’s arms wrap around my shoulders and squeeze. “Thank you, I love it. And now I’m going to own your man.”
“Not my man yet.”
She laughs. “Bree, darling, he’s been your man for years.”
“Food fight? You actually did it?” Jamal asks, looking up from a sheet of paper I printed off with all of our line items on it. I’ve crossed out the things I’ve already tried. I put a check mark next to things that went well and an X by the ones that were a no-go. “How was it?”
I nod toward the sheet. “What do you think that X means?”
Derek slaps Jamal in the chest with the back of his hand. “Told you it wouldn’t work.”
“You have nothing to gloat about,” I say, sitting forward so I can see Derek. “Your wink tanked big time.”
Lawrence leans around Derek so he can snatch the paper out of Jamal’s hands. “Let me see this.” He runs his finger down the list, and I know what he’s hunting for. His face splits into a victorious smile when he finds it. “I knew randomly slow dancing would work. You can trust everything that happens in The Notebook to be romantic as shit. You guys need to listen to me more often.”