And Crow? I think for the first time I can see what everyone else says about him. He can be charming. Friendly. And yeah, he’s cute.

   Dangerously so.

   “She’s a great girl.”

   “That she is,” Crow replies. “Do you want a tour of the warehouse? I can show you...”

   He leads my dad away, like he came here to visit him instead of me, and shows him all of the fancy motorcycles, the two of them suddenly best friends.

   I eat my burger and fries.

   Alone.

   Once the tour is done, Dad returns to me. “This place is pretty awesome.”

   “It is, isn’t it?” I reply, smiling at him. “Thanks for the food, Dad. And for dropping by. It’s definitely made my day. Even if you’ve spent more time with Crow than you have with me.”

   Dad just laughs. “I like him, he’s a good man.”

   Is this my dad giving his approval for Crow? He’s my boss! I want to tell him that is not happening, but I don’t want anyone to overhear that conversation, so it’s going to have to wait for another time.

   “He’s okay, I suppose,” I admit.

   Sometimes.

   “He promised me he’d look after you,” he adds, winking at me. “I better get going—Neville and I have some business to work out.”

   “Nothing serious?” I ask, remembering their intense conversation at the barbecue.

   Dad looks at me in surprise. “You worry too much. You know Neville, always has a scheme. We just have to discuss some things then we’re going to see a movie.”

   It’s so cute that the two of them go on little brother dates, and make sure to spend time with each other as much as they can. They both have such an amazing bond.

   “Okay, Dad,” I say, giving him a big, tight hug. “I love you.”

   “I love you too, princess.”

* * *

   Locking my apartment door behind me, I stretch my neck from side to side to release some of the tension. After placing the grocery bags on the kitchen counter, I pull out my phone and slump down on the stool at the bench. It’s been a long week, and I’m glad it’s finally the weekend.

   My phone is pretty dry, apart from messages from my dad and Billie, one of my closest friends. What are you doing tonight? she asks.

   Billie is the type of friend where we won’t speak for a few weeks at a time, lost in work, life and relationships, but our friendship is always as strong as ever. I know if I need her she will be here in a heartbeat, and vice versa.

   Netflix and chilling, I type back.

   Alone, I also add.

   She replies instantly. Get dressed. I’ll be there in an hour.

   I type out a few different messages, all stating that there’s no way in hell I’m leaving my apartment tonight, but hey, maybe time catching up with Billie is exactly what the doctor ordered.

   I’ve showered and thrown on some black, ripped skinny jeans with a lace bodysuit underneath when I hear her knocking. She always does the exact same knock, two slow taps followed by three quick ones. I don’t know if she realizes she does it.

   “Hello,” I greet her with a wide smile. “You look beautiful.”

   Her red hair has grown down her back, similar to mine, and it suits her. She’s wearing a white dress, her green eyes lined and smudged in black eye shadow. Growing up, people always thought we were sisters and we milked it for all it was worth. Now, though, she’s always changing her look and I couldn’t keep up with her even if I wanted to.

   I met Billie in kindergarten. Apparently I gave her a once-over and she thought I was a snob. But there was this really mean kid in class—I don’t even remember her name—and we bonded over our mutual dislike of her. The rest is history.

   “I needed a change,” she says, touching her locks.

   Closing the door, I take a wild guess. “New hair means you’re single, doesn’t it? What happened to Troy?”

   “Troy who?” she asks, dismissing her boyfriend of three years. “He’s old news. How have you been? How’s the new job going? You need to fill me in on all that, because a simple ‘I have a new job’ text message isn’t going to cut it.” She lifts up the champagne bottle she brought with her. “Let me pour us a glass, and then you can update me on your life.”

   I get comfy on the couch as she brings two glasses with her and fills them to the brim. After catching her up on me losing my job, finding a new one, finding out about Abbie, and all things Crow, she sits there with her mouth open.

   “Your life is way more interesting than mine,” she finally says, after a big swallow. “I’m glad your work situation sorted itself out. I know how stressful that must have been for a control freak like you.”

   “Not going to lie, it was definitely stressful. Now what happened with Troy? Last I heard the two of you were planning to get engaged soon.”

   She swirls the liquid in her glass, eyes hypnotized. “I had a bad feeling, so I checked his phone. I know, I know,” she murmurs, looking up at me. “I know I shouldn’t have, but I needed to know. And I was right; he’d been cheating on me. You should always trust your gut.”

   “I’m sorry,” I say, fingers tightening around my glass. “What an asshole! He was punching way above his weight with you, and then he has the nerve to cheat on you?”

   “That’s exactly what I said to him,” she grits out, teeth clenched. She waves her hand. “Anyway, it’s done now. I kicked him out, he’s Veronica’s problem now. I’m glad I found out the truth. Imagine if I’d married the scumbag?”

   “So true,” I agree, then mutter under my breath, “He better hope I don’t catch him down an alleyway or something.”

   Billie laughs and finishes the rest of her drink. “You know me, I’ll be fine. I mean, it hurts, but he obviously wasn’t for me, so. There’s no point crying over dick that wasn’t that great anyway.”

   I pour us more champagne, and we toast to that. “So what do you want to do tonight? Dinner?”

   “Dinner sounds perfect.”

   Although I’ve known Billie for a long time, and I know that her “dinner” always ends up being café Patrón shots, dancing on stage, and potentially throwing up on the cab ride home.

   I wish I were joking.

   She can be a mess, but she’s my mess, especially now that Troy is toast.

   “I’ll call a cab,” I state, grabbing my handbag and making sure it has all the essentials to survive a night out with single Billie.