“I wasn’t! I was just pointing out that, in the two decades I’ve known you, I’ve never witnessed a time when you didn’t have a boyfriend. Or a potential boyfriend. Or a recently-dumped ex-boyfriend.”
“So, I’m overdue for a solo period.” I shrug, striving for a nonchalant tone. “Don’t know why you’re making such a big deal outofthis.”
Her eyes narrow. “So, there’s no one in thepicture.”
“Nope.”
“No oneatall.”
“What part ofnopewas unclear?” My pulse picks up speed. “There’s no hidden agenda here, Phoebe. I’msingle. Flying solo. Channeling my inner Cheryl Strayed inWild…. But without the drugs or thehiking.”
“You didn’t even like that book,” she reminds me. “And you only saw the movie because you have a girl crush on ReeseWitherspoon.”
“Truer words, never spoken. Hey, speaking of Reese, do you want to go see her new rom-comwithme—”
“Don’t try to change the subject.” Phoebe pins me with a look. “Why do I get the sense you’re keeping somethingfromme?”
“Maybe you’ve breathed too many nail polish fumes, it’s making youdelusional.”
“Uh huh. This sudden…” She waggles a finger at me. “Dry spell… wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain redhead,wouldit?”
I blink vacantly, to cover the sudden thumping of my heart. “EdSheeran?”
“No.”
“RupertGrint?”
“No.”
“SamHeughan?”
“God, I wish. That kilt!Yum,” she murmurs, then recovers herself. “But,again,no.”
“Well, then I have no idea who you’rereferringto.”
“You do so,” she insists. “In fact, you denying to know who I’m talking about only reinforces my belief that this —you, suddenly impersonating a nun — has something to dowithhim.”
The tempo of my heartbeat kicks up a notch. “You’recrazy.”
“Am I? Because, I’m pretty sure, as your best friend in the entire universe, I know you better than anyone. And whenever I mention Luca Buchanan,youact…”
Mybrowslift.
“Strange,” she finisheslowly.
“Strange?”
“Twitchy. Flustered. Uncoordinated. Almost…unrecognizable.”
“Gee, thanks!” I roll my eyes. “Maybe I’mstrangearound him because I don’t like the man! He’s arrogant andinsufferable.”
And handsome and funny and alarmingly kind, when he wantstobe.
“Uh huh,” Phoebe repeats, sounding unconvinced. “So, he has nothing to do with the fact that your constant stream of man candy has dried up, in recentmonths.”
“It hasn’t dried up,” I grumble. “Notcompletely.”
“Well, it’s gone from a waterfall to a trickle. When was the last time you went onadate?”