“Just give me a minute.” I straighten out the copies, making sure they look their best.
“Ted.” He sounds exasperated. And also, just a little endeared by my antics. It makes me smile. This is Alex and Thea solid ground.
“One last adjustment,” I tell him, scooching his second cookbook half an inch to the right. “All set.”
“Great,” he says, gripping me by the hand, “Now let’s go—”
“Alex?” a voice calls from the other end of the aisle.
We both spin around, facing a woman in a sage-green romper and coordinated Birkenstocks walking briskly toward us. Long brown hair streaked with subtle sun-kissed highlights, a heart-shaped face, kind blue-green eyes. The closer she gets, the prettier she is.
Alex drops my hand. It shouldn’t sting, but it does.
“Andi?” he says, sounding genuinely surprised.Pleasantlysurprised. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here with the kids! Our annual beach vacation. What about you?”
“Same,” Alex says. “On vacation with Mia.” He’s conveniently left out being here with Ethan and Jen. And me.
“What a small world.” Andi flashes Alex a megawatt smile. Alex smiles back.
My gaze snaps to her bare ring finger, the trace of a tan line where a ring used to live. Fear wriggles through my heart. There’s a warmth, a familiarity between them. And with Andi’s ring-free finger, there’s nothing stopping it from becomingmore.
Their conversation seems to fade as my heart pounds in my ears. The chiding voice of reason in my head reminds me,This was inevitable. He’s never been yours to keep.
When we made our friendship pact, rationally, I accepted that, eventually, Alex would fall for someone, and I was going to have to smile my way through it. Or, if I couldn’t, pack up and move. Probably out of the country. Brush up on my German, push books at an indie store in Köln.
Not a viable solution anymore. Not if Fern says yes to my business proposal, if The Bookshop isn’t just hers anymore but ours,and one day, when she’s ready to sell her half of the ownership to me, mine to love and grow for a very long time.
Not when I love Alex and Mia and this life I’ve built as deeply, wildly, and fully as I do. Shock slams through me.
Even before I faced what I want—who I want, I’d already anchored myself to Pittsburgh. In my business proposal, my book club, my promises to Mr. Fleischer about the genre for next month’s pick, my plan for this fall with Lauren to take her to Alex’s restaurant. Iwantto anchor myself there. To the life I’ve built—and at the heart of that life is Alex. What would I do if I lost him to someone else?
It’s always been theoretical—a far-off terribleone daythat I pushed away, told myself I’d deal with when that day came. Otherwise, I’d make myself sick. But now, it’s horribly real.
I stand rooted beside him, watching Andi and Alex beam at each other, battling the urge to clasp his hand and yell,Mine!
“Thea.” Alex’s voice wrenches me from my spiraling thoughts. He turns toward me, and says, “This is Andi.”
“Hi,” she says warmly.
I shove down my possessive thoughts and tell her just as warmly, “Great to meet you.”
“Same!” Her smile deepens, its wattage somehow doubling. “Sogreat to put a face to a name—I’ve heardsomany wonderful things about you.”
That takes me by surprise. “Really?”
Alex says quickly, “Andi is Marlowe’s mom.”
My smile holds, but as everything slots into place, it feels like a rictus on my face. Marlowe is Mia’s kindergarten best friend. Mia spends a lot of time with Marlowe. For many of those playdates, Alex and Andi have probably shared conversation overdrop-off and pickup; talked and gotten to know each other while the kids ran around the playground; spent time together at Marlowe’s birthday party this past winter at the ice rink, where Alex said he met a few “not totally annoying parents,” which meant he actually really liked them.
I see how it could all unfold from here. Grabbing coffee after the kids are in school, exchanging numbers, going on a no-kids-night date—
I blink, stopping myself. “Marlowe!” I say brightly, hoping I haven’t taken too long to respond. “She’s such sweetie.”
“Aw, thank you.” Andi squints a smile. Even her eye crinkles are cute. “I love her and Mia’s friendship. They’re two peas in a pod. Which, speaking ofpeas,” she says, reaching past Alex toward the shelf that holds his books. “I’ve heard a certainsomeone’sfirst cookbook has a pasta with peas recipe that will entice even my picky I-hate-peas eaters. I came here just for it.” She throws a guilty glance at her heaping basket of books and games, and grimaces, gorgeous even in her self-deprecation. “Not that you can tell. Local bookstores are my Achilles’ heel!”
Crap. I think I like her.