Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Nori
The first person I call when I get home from Vincenzo’s is my brother, East. He and my sister-in-law, Becca, request proof of life whenever I go on a date with someone new, even though I’m an actual grownup with a full-time job, a car I love, and an apartment we shared for two decades.
I frequently remind them both of this.
But after raising me for more than half their lives, and never having children of their own, they can’t seem to break the habit of treating me like a kid. I sometimes wonder if letting go is harder for them than it is for regular parents. After all, my brother only ended up as my guardian because we lost our mom and dad. So I feel like he and Becca are always a little bit braced for bad news.
Either way, the least I can do since they moved out is let them know I’m okay after a date with a stranger. One quick call is a small price to pay for everyone’s sanity, right? Except one quick call usually turns into a campaign for me to move to Boston, no matter how many times I tell them I don’t want to leave Serendipity Springs.
Luckily, this is not my first post-date rodeo, so I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the inevitable. Apparently East is prepared too, because he answers on the first ring. “You home safe?”
“I am,” I chirp. “You and Becca can officially turn off your worry-about-Nori radars for the rest of the night.”
East chuckles. “Sorry if our love for you is annoying.”
“When you say if , it’s not a real apology,” I tease.
“Yeah, well, it’s still just a little strange for us,” he says. “Not being home with you.”
Home .
East clears his throat, and my heart squeezes. For the first time, it occurs to me he might not have wanted to leave Serendipity Springs either. But he moved to Boston for Becca. For her parents. So maybe all these check-ins are less about me, and more about my brother adjusting to his new normal.
“Well, you and Becca can visit anytime,” I say. “This home is your home. Always.”
“Same,” he says. “You’re always welcome here, you know. You can visit anytime. Move here. Whatever.”
“Oh, I’m aware.” I puff out a laugh. “You’ve only told me a million times.”
“Make it a million and one,” he says. “And also, Becca keeps trying to grab the phone out of my hand, so I guess I’ll just let her?—”
“Hey! Did you have fun?” Becca blurts.
“Hi, Becca. And the short answer is no. What’s the opposite of fun? That’s what I had.”
“I’m soooo sorry to hear that.” This is what Becca says, although there’s a tinge of something less sorry and more excited in her voice. “But maybe now …” She lets her words trail off.
I smirk even though she can’t see me. “But maybe now, what?”
“Maybe now you’ll let Pamela give your number to that lawyer friend of hers. The one who just moved back to Serendipity Springs. Phoenix … something-or-other. You know she’s been dying to introduce you two.”
I guffaw. Pamela is Becca’s best friend, and she’s almost as invested in my love life as Becca is. But at least they’re not trying to hook me up with some real estate agent who’s got a list of available apartments down the street from Becca and East.
That’s progress.
“Nope. No more random setups,” I say. “Not even with a friend of a friend. Not even a lawyer named Phoenix Something-or-other.”
“But Phoenix isn’t random,” Becca persists. “Pamela knows him personally, so he’s fully vetted. And if you go out with him, your brother and I might be able to stop worrying about you for a little while.”
I bark out a laugh. “Newsflash: Nobody’s asking you to worry about me.”
“But what if Phoenix the lawyer ends up being the love of your life, and you’re just saying no on principle?”
Becca has a point. I do want to find Mr. Right. And if going out with Pamela’s lawyer friend will give me even a short reprieve from their overprotectiveness, I guess I can make this one small concession.
“Fine. Pamela can give my number to her friend, Phoenix the lawyer. But please. Tell her texts only, no calls.”
“Obviously,” Becca says. “I’m not a monster.”
“And if I end up being Mrs. Phoenix Something-or-other, Esquire, you’re in charge of figuring out how to monogram our towels.”
This pulls a chuckle out of Becca. “I promise to find out Phoenix’s real last name before your date.”
“Deal. ”
“Either way, we’ll sleep better knowing you’re going out with someone we kind of sort of know.”
“Spoiler alert,” a deep voice interjects in the background. “Nori doesn’t care how we sleep.”
“Hey. Did you put me on speaker? You should’ve told me.”
“Maybe,” Becca admits.
“Well, good night, East,” I say in a singsong voice. “I love you toooo.” I make kissy noises loud enough for both of them to hear.
“Gross,” he says.
“Bye!”
I hit end, then move on to my next point of contact: Texting Keeley to let her know—cliché or not—she was right about that offer of an emergency call. Unfortunately, lamentably, indisputably right.
Me
I really should’ve agreed to your escape plan ten minutes into my setup with Warren Snuze. He’s the worst.
Keeley
OH NOOOO! Sorry, friend. Do you need a debrief re: the date? I’m out with Andrew, but I can pivot if you want me. He won’t mind.
Hmm. I actually feel like her boyfriend might mind, though. Andrew lives in the building too, and he’s not a bad guy, I’m just not one hundred percent sure he’s right for Keeley. Still, if I told her this, she’d probably double down on her commitment to him. Not because she’s stubborn. Because she’s loyal.
Me
I’ll be fine. And Hayden should be home soon anyway.
Keeley
She’s the better friend than I am. Noted.
Me
Ha, ha. Hayden didn’t offer me an emergency intervention tonight, so that’s debatable. And I’m definitely taking you up on that ten-minute phone call during my next setup. Thank you in advance.
Keeley
All the welcomes. Now go take a bath and have a glass of wine or something. PS: a gallon of butter pecan ice cream never hurt anyone.
Hmmm. I’m not feeling a bath or wine, but I could take down a tub of butter pecan right now. So I text Hayden next, to find out when she’ll be home to commiserate with me.
Me
Are you still at your mom and dad’s? I thought you’d be back by now!
While I wait for her reply, I move to the window seat and curl up with my phone. This side of the apartment faces a stretch of red brick shops across the street. The view is cheerful enough, with multicolored awnings and trees in between the buildings. But I prefer The Serendipity.
The property used to be a women’s dorm half a century ago, so there’s a history of romance here. Stories swirl about handsome men who’d come courting. Of first kisses. Proposals, even. No wonder everyone thinks some kind of magic lingers here. But I’ve never felt anything special myself. And tonight is proof I’m nothing but unlucky in love. I’m gearing up for a fresh sigh when my phone pings with Hayden’s text.
Hayden
I decided to stay overnight. I’ve got cake tasting here early tomorrow, so it didn’t make sense to drive back and forth.
And there’s the sigh. Alone again.
You can probably still do half a gallon of ice cream on your own .
Hayden
How was your date?
I groan out loud. I don’t want Hayden to feel bad for me, but I have to be honest. We’re always honest with each other.
Me
It was a complete nightmare. Not only did Warren Snuze turn out to be the human personification of nastiness, but Dr. McMuffin was having dinner there too. His girlfriend is beautiful. And also a doctor.
Text bubbles dance across my phone, then disappear just before Hayden’s FaceTime request comes in.
“Forget texting,” she blurts when I accept the call. “I’m gonna need every detail. And I need to see your face.” Her ginger ringlets take up more than half the screen. “Did Dr. McMuffin ignore you again?”
“Worse.” I scoff. “He came right up to our table and humiliated me. Maybe not on purpose, but still. I wanted to die. And he’s even better looking up close, which is basically a tragedy.”
“So he really is a jerk, then, huh?” Hayden frowns. “I was kind of hoping we got the wrong impression of him.”
“Yeah, well …” I take a beat, considering the fact that Cash Briggs wasn’t actually a jerk tonight. In fact, he was kind of nice to me, and maybe even a little chivalrous. But I can’t af ford to see him in a positive light. The man is way too attractive, not to mention he’s already spoken for. Accentuating the negatives is the safer option in the long run.
“So tell me about this girlfriend of his,” Hayden continues, before I can walk back her assumptions about Cash’s jerkiness.
“She’s as ridiculously gorgeous as he is. And her name is Dr. Margaret Hanson. But she said I could call her Maggie.”
“Hmm.” Hayden purses her lips. “That’s either adorable or … annoying?”
“Both,” I say. Then I proceed to fill Hayden in on the entirety of my dismal date with Warren Snuze. I begin with the Gas-X and the snails, and end with the fact that my stomach is almost certainly permanently queasy. “Like, for the rest of my life,” I say.
“That is what permanently means.” Hayden shrugs. “But I don’t know, Nori. Now that I’ve heard everything, Dr. McMuffin doesn’t sound so bad.”
“You’re not helping.”
“No, seriously. Maybe there’s a bright side to this situation.”
“A bright side? You must’ve missed the part where he was out with a stunning woman who is also a doctor.”
“So you won’t date the guy,” she says. “We could still be friendly.”
I push down the knot in my throat that says Hayden might be right. “But I don’t want to be friendly,” I say. “Dr. Cash Briggs moved in two months ago, and his love life is already thriving. Meanwhile, I’ve lived here forever, and I’m dating the likes of Warren Snuze.”
“Wait. The rich doctor’s name is Cash ?”
“A little on the nose, right?”
“I take it back. There’s no bright side to this situation.”
“Thank you. Now, that’s helpful. ”
Hayden flashes me a crooked grin. “I should be home by the time you’re done with work tomorrow. We can perform a Dr. McMuffin cleansing ceremony.”
“Deal,” I say. “Do you mind if Keeley gets in on that action?”
“Yes! I mean, no, I don’t mind. I love Keeley. Definitely invite her. For now, though, go do something to restore your faith in romance.”
“I think I’m going to binge-watch The Twilight Saga , unironically.”
Hayden puts a hand to her chest and fakes a gasp. “Without me?”
“Just this once. But I promise to save you some ice cream.”
I end our FaceTime and change into a pair of yoga pants, an old tank top, and an off the shoulder sweatshirt. I’m in the bathroom wrangling my hair into a messy bun when something flickers in the mirror. I blink twice, but there’s still a glimmer in the reflection, almost as if a hand is threading through mine.
A large hand with long, thick fingers, and ropy veins climbing up the wrist.
What on earth was in that escargot?
I flip the light off and on again, and the glimmer begins to morph into the sheer outline of a man, beginning with a smile, then slowly expanding until the vision is complete. Kind of like the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland . Except this is the handsomest, hottest cat I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Cheshire Cash is in my bathroom mirror.
I let out a gasp.
Then he’s gone.