“But the two of you . . . aren’t . . . like, interested in each other at all?”
“God, no.” Hallie shook her head and said, “We’re absolutely platonic.”
“And you’ve actually discussed that you aren’t into each other?”
“Wait, are you thinking he’s into me or something?” Hallie asked. “Because he’s totally not.”
“No, no, not at all,” she said. “Can I be honest with you?”
“Of course.”
“Jack’s kind of a hot mess right now. He’s always breezed through life, enjoying flirty-fun relationships with women like an overgrown child. But last year—”
Olivia leaned her head toward the door, making sure no one was coming out.
“Last year, his life was kind of upended. First, Colin and I fell in love and moved in together, so he kind of lost his best friend. Then our uncle Mack, his favorite relative and totally his hero, passed away suddenly.”
Hallie remembered Jack mentioning that his uncle Mack was with them at the baseball’s corresponding game. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. But for Jack, it was like everything in his life changed overnight. And then when Mack died and the only people who came to his funeral were people in our family, it really screwed with Jack’s head.”
“No friends?”
“None.” Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and said, “It was so unbelievable that this guy who was the life of every party and a total ladies’ man would die alone. Not a single friend or girlfriend—and he’d had so many—was close enough to him to feel compelled to show up for his burial. Like, what the hell, right?”
“Oof,” Hallie said.
“Total oof,” Olivia agreed. “It was right about that time that Jack started dating Vanessa.”
“Ah.”
“I have a theory that he was having a mini-crisis and latched onto Van out of panic.” Olivia gave her head a little shake and said, “He spent his whole life wanting to be like Mack, worshipping our fun party uncle, and then, just like that, he realized he had it all wrong.”
“That makes sense,” Hallie said quietly. It explained why someone like him would be with someone like his horrible ex. It also explained why he was already on a dating app, trying to make love happen.
“He went from single and loving it to moving in with his new girlfriend. Next thing I knew, he was buying a ring and talking about popping the question.”
Hallie could still picture Vanessa’s beautiful, bitchy face.
“Not gonna lie, I was thrilled about their inauspicious breakup. Sorry about the wine, by the way.”
“It happens.” Hallie shrugged and smiled at the memory.
“I put him on the app right away after that, hoping he’d meet someone nice, normal, and not in a race to the altar.”
“The opposite of Vanessa.”
“Bingo.” Olivia crossed her arms and said, “So when he told me he was talking to the wedding bartender, I was terrified. Not that you’re not awesome.”
Hallie coughed out a laugh. “I get it.”
“But I just worry about him jumping in too fast again,” Olivia said. “He was so lonely that I was worried he’d start dating you simply because it’s comfortable.”
“Low-hanging fruit, right?”
“Exactly. Like, low-hanging fruit can be the best fruit, don’t get me wrong, but you have to check the whole tree just to make sure.”
Hallie nodded. “I’m not sure if that analogy is perfect or terrible.”
“Perfectly terrible.” Olivia snorted and said, “It was just so weird how fast he did things with Van. It didn’t even seem like he really loved her, but more like he was forcing it, trying to make it fit.”
I think I was in love with the idea of you, Hallie, instead of who you actually are.
Yeah—she was familiar with the concept. Ben and Jack were of like minds, it seemed.
“But now, I’m thrilled by how things are going. He’s actually trying on the app, and he has you to encourage him. It’s a win-win.”
“For me, too,” Hallie said, and then Olivia launched into a hilarious story about when she and Colin first got together and Jack tried to kick Colin’s ass. After they went back inside, Hallie got the grand tour, and twenty minutes later she and Jack headed back out.
“I hope my sister didn’t grill you,” Jack said, giving her a questioning look.