“Yeah.”

“Interesting, huh?”

“Sure.” Aiden glanced back at the women’s restroom door. Still no sign of them. Could the barista go any slower?

Spenser looked away. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do.” But right this moment, he didn’t feel up to another discussion about God. Not that their conversations weren’t interesting -the Christian and the agnostic – but he’d been distracted.

The restroom door opened. Aiden’s entire body stiffened, but he didn’t turn around.

The Indian man walked past him back to his girlfriend sitting near the window.

“You’re a little tense.” Spenser gave a sidelong look.

How to explain the predicament without looking more like an idiot? His gut reaction had been to avoid Trish. After all, she hadn’t taken it very well when she made that blatant pass at him, forcing him to firmly shut her down and transfer her to another physical therapist.

But then one glance at her cousin made him forget his initial desire to leave the shop, and he’d sat there staring at Lex. Too stupid to leave before Trish had come back to the table with their drinks.

He should just come clean. Of anyone, Spenser wouldn’t judge him – although he might poke a little fun. “Actually – ”

“I said I was sorry.” Lex’s voice coincided with the whoosh of the restroom door opening.

Where was Spenser’s mocha freeze?

“Oh, look, you missed a spot.” Trish’s sulky voice faded as the door closed again. No footsteps. They must have gone back into the restroom.

“Caramel mocha freeze, extra whip.” The barista slid the drink across the counter so hard it almost toppled to the floor before Spenser caught it.

Aiden took a deep breath. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Sure.” Spenser slurped through the straw as he headed out the door.

He’d managed to avoid Trish and Lex. Strange how Lex had frightened him more than Trish. Well, it didn’t matter now. He’d never see her again.

“You know, Mimi had a point,” Trish said, back in the bathroom to scrub at the remaining liquid.

Lex dabbed at Trish’s shirt. “I don’t care if she had an intelligent thought for once.”

“Hey, a little more gently, please. Do you know how much I paid for this?”

“Do I look like I care?”

“You could have aimed at her instead of me.”

“I’m sorry. Next time I’m lied to, dumped, and shocked in the space of three seconds, I’ll remember to spit my coffee in a more convenient direction.”

“You can’t blame her, though.”

Lex looked up to make sure Trish hadn’t blown a mental gasket. “What are you talking about? I can’t believe you’re saying something nice about Mimi.”

“It’s not something nice about Mimi, it’s an insult to you.”

“Oh, well that’s so much better.”

“Think about it. You and Kin-Mun have been friends for so long. If you guys had anything between you two, don’t you think it would have happened already?”

“I told you, he just never saw me – ”

“Oh, dream on. Mimi had every right to ask Kin-Mun on a date. How could she have known you’d suddenly go vampy on him?”

“That’s rich, coming from you, when you just complained about Mimi stealing your boyfriends.”

“No, there’s a difference. Mimi knew they were attached to me – er, belonged… she knew they were mine.”

“She knew Kin-Mun was mine. And she knew about Grandma’s ultimatum. She knew I’d be looking for someone.”

“Unlike you, Mimi can’t be ‘friends’ with a guy. She either loves them or dumps them. Since you and Kin-Mun weren’t lovers, she figured you never would be.”

Lex shot the crumpled paper towel into the trash. “Why are you defending her? I’m the injured party here.”

“You’re stupid is what you are. You wouldn’t listen to me about Kin-Mun. He isn’t right for you.”

“How could I know he wouldn’t be thrilled to date me? There’s nothing wrong with me, Trish. I’m fine the way I am. I don’t have to change for anybody.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I don’t need to look different.”

“Not at all.”

“I’m fine the way I am.”

“Well, you need to aim better.”

Lex eyed the mocha stain on Trish’s sunflower silk top. “I’ll pay for dry-cleaning.”

“No, it won’t come out. I want that pink top you bought today. You won’t need it now.”

“Just thwack my heart open with a Chinese cleaver, why don’t you?”

“Puh-lease. I know you too well. In about an hour, you’ll get over this ‘Oh poor me’ phase. And then, guess what?”

“What?” Lex sighed.

“You are going to be kamikaze mad at Kin-Mun.”

“Kamikaze mad? What – I’m going to ram my car into the side of his house?”

“No. You’ll be so mad that you wouldn’t waste that pink blouse on a date with him if he groveled.” Trish smiled, as persuasive as a geisha. “I’ll get that nasty pink thing off your hands and out of your sight.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t think too long. I have a date tomorrow night.”

SIX

I should go look for a condo.” Lex took a bite of Chunky Monkey ice cream and stretched her legs onto the battered oak coffee table.

Trish looked up from the edge of her Cherries Garcia. “What? Why?”

“It’s part of plan B.” She rubbed at a drop of ice cream on the dull orange and muddy brown of the living room couch.

“Kin-Mun was your plan A? Not much of a plan A, if you ask me.”

Lex had expected to feel upset for longer. Could she really get over someone so fast? “I guess I fell for an illusion. Or an ideal.”

Trish stuck her nose back in her ice cream. “Why a condo? I know you were saving money for a down payment, but now it looks like you’ll need that money to pay for the girls’ playoffs travel.”

“I don’t have enough for the entire team’s travel expenses. Besides, I’m sure I can get someone to sponsor the team instead. If they’d ever call me back.” Lex glared at the silent phone.

“It’s a lot of money.” Trish fished out a cherry.

“So, I also need to keep searching for a boyfriend.”

“You don’t need a boyfriend. Just somebody to bring to Mariko’s wedding.”

“Grandma’s expecting a boyfriend, not just a date. She’s going to be looking for some lover-like behavior.” Lex shifted her seat in the sagging couch springs.

“You realize that whoever you bring, Grandma’s just going to complain about something he’s not.”

“What do you mean? She’ll be ecstatic I’m dating. She’ll love him.”

“Wanna bet? It’ll be the same thing she did to Mariko. ‘He’s too short, he’s too tall, he’s too skinny, he’s too fat, he’s not Japanese, he’s not Chinese’… Mariko could never win.”

“Well, Mariko dated some pretty pathetic losers.”

“I think Mariko’s only marrying what’s-his-name because Grandma couldn’t find anything wrong with him.”

“Why should I care what Grandma thinks of my dates, anyway? She’s not the one kissing them good-night.” Suddenly Lex’s throat tightened. She couldn’t swallow her ice cream.

Trish gave a quick, wary look. “Are you going to be okay -?”

“I’m fine.” Lex scraped at her ice cream with her mouth still full.

They ate in silence for a moment, then Lex gave the coffee table a frustrated kick. “Why do we care so much what Grandma thinks? We’re pathetic.”

Trish kept eating. “It’s ingrained fear.”

“Yeah. Even when I know I’m right, it’s hard to disagree. Why are we so intimidated?” Lex took another bite. “She’s only ninety pounds. We could take her.”

Trish ignored Lex’s tongue-in-cheek. “She’s bigger than ninety pounds.”

“What do you mean? She’s only – ”

“No, I mean she’s larger than ninety pounds.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Lex set down her ice cream and stared at the phone, willing it to ring. “Well, I have four months. I’m sure I can find some nice guy.”

“You know, even if you dump him after the wedding, by that time you’ll have found another sponsor for the girls’ team, right?” Trish waggled her spoon at Lex. “Why are you stressing? Just pick up somebody from volleyball or something.”