Page 59 of Last Night Was Fun

Emmy snorted a laugh and realized she couldn’t put a price on the way texting with him made her feel. She didn’t care how high her phone bill got.

But I’ll let you go. Back to work anyway. See you tomorrow.

Thanks again for doing this. It means a lot to me.

You’re welcome. Oh, actually one more thing—

Yes?

The ex situation. We didn’t really get a chance to talk about it...

Her belly bottomed out with worry over what he was going to say at the same time a wave of embarrassment washed over her that they needed to discuss it at all.

Right. That.

What’s his name?

Jacob.

Do you want me to do anything?

She tilted her head in confusion, unsure what he meant.

Do anything?

Yeah, you know like in movies. Like pretend to be your boyfriend or anything.

“Oh!” she said out loud with a breathy laugh. She could somehow feel Gabe blushing through the phone. Her own rose-colored face made her think of how sweet he’d looked when he’d shown up in the park with flowers for Bird Girl, and here he was being sweet again. At the same time, her blood raced liquid hot through her veins.Did she want him to be her boyfriend?The question felt too loaded to approach, even facetiously.

Not gonna lie, I thought you might offer to punch him in the face.

I mean, I will if you want me to.

Emmy snort-laughed, knowing he was joking.

Not necessary. And no, you don’t have to pretend to be anything. My sister confirmed he’s only coming to the ceremony and reception, so it’s not like we’ll be hanging out with him all weekend.

Got it. You’re the boss.

I am. Get back to work!

See you in Mexico, Bird Girl.

Emmy set her phone aside with a sigh. That had gone better than expected, but the same as their whole complicated situation in general, there was a difference between what they said in text and facing it down in real life. She’d warned him they’d have to share, but they still had to... actually share.

With a nervous tumble of her stomach, she sat up to prepare.

The room was spacious but clearly not designed with privacy in mind. Aside from the closet, bathroom, and balcony, there was nowhere to hide unless she built a fort out of sheets over the small dining table in the corner. No, this room was designed for intimacy. People didn’t book an oceanfront king with creamy linens and fluttering curtains tonottouch each other inside it.

At least the toilet had its own little closet-size door, but the rest of the bathroom—a palatial sweep of brown marble and glass with a drive-in shower stall and a tub big enough to swim laps—screamed romantic getaway. The wall above the bathtub even had a set of shutters that opened into the bedroom facing the bedside, in case one lover wanted to watch the other bathe.

By herself, the room was glorious. Opulent. A much-needed escape into indulgent luxury. But the thought of Gabe’s presence inside it with her—his cologne, his warmth, the way they would inevitably bump into each other despite their best efforts—had her hot with nerves. Or perhaps hot with something else that she couldn’t look directly in the eye.

Thoroughly intimidated, Emmy silently cursed her sister for sentencing her to such a fate and then set about unpacking.

She hung her clothes in precisely half of the closet and used exactly one-half of the dresser drawers. In the bathroom, she placed her toiletries around one of the two sinks and then reached in again to cluster them tighter when she saw her facial cleanser had crossed the midline toward the other side. She struggled to imagine someone who always looked as put together and perfect as Gabe Olson using such pedestrian things like toothpaste and deodorant, but in one short day, all his personal effects would be on display alongside hers.

The fact secretly thrilled her.