JENNIE

On the way home, I programmed Nina's dads' numbers into my shiny, new phone. They were not the first numbers in there. Lisa had already programmed contacts for Leila, Honky Tonk, Cherry, Eleanor's school, and Café Rev.

There was even one for herself.

I didn't know what that said or meant. And frankly, I was too damn tired to worry about it. Especially when I had a bigger problem.

That bigger problem was sitting on the front steps of the cottage with a glass of wine.

"Stay in the truck," Lisa growled.

But I was already halfway out. "It's fine. I know him."

Eleanor, crammed in the backseat with all our purchases, rolled down her window and stuck her head out. "Who's that?"

"That's Jimin," I said.

He put down the wine and opened his arms.

I ran into them. Jimin Park was the world's perfect man. He was smart, funny, thoughtful, outrageously generous, and so pretty it hurt to look directly at him. The only son of a real estate-developing father and an app-developing mother, he was born with an entrepreneurial spirit and exquisite taste in everything.

And somehow I'd gotten lucky enough to land him as a best friend.

He swept me up in his arms and twirled me around.

"I'm still incredibly pissed at you," he said with a grin.

"Thank you for loving me even when you're pissed," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and breathing in his expensive cologne.

Just seeing him, hugging him, made me feel more grounded.

"You gonna introduce me to Blondie and the Beast?" Jimin asked.

"Not done hugging yet," I insisted.

"Hurry it up. Beast looks like she wants to shoot me."

"She's more of a Viking than a beast."

Jimin tilted my head back with his hands and planted a kiss on my forehead. "It's all gonna be fine. I promise."

Tears stung my eyes. I believed him. And the relief I felt from that was enough to release Niagara Falls of tears.

"Where do you want your shit?" Lisa growled.

That was enough to dry up Niagara Falls. I spun around and found her standing only a foot away. "Seriously?"

"Got things to do, Daze. Don't have all night to stand around watching you make out with Henry Golding."

"Henry Golding? Nice," Jimin said.

"Eleanor, come meet my friend," I called.

High from her shopping, arcade, and burger experience, Eleanor forgot to look annoyed.

"Eleanor Kim. Lisa Manoban. This is Jimin Park. Jim for short. Ellie for short. And Leif Erikson when she's being moody."

Jimin grinned. Lisa growled. Eleanor admired Jimin's shiny smartwatch.

"The pleasure is all mine. You look like your aunt," Jimin said to Eleanor.

"Really?" Eleanor looked not too horrified by that statement, and I wondered if my shopping bribery had worked its magic. Score.

Lisa, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to dismember Jimin.

"What's your problem?" I mouthed at her.

She glared at me as if I was the one to blame for her sudden mood swing.

"Lisa," Jimin said, holding out a hand. "I can't thank you enough for looking out for my girl here."

Lisa grunted and stared at the offered hand for a beat before shaking it.

The handshake went on longer than necessary.

"Why are their fingers turning white?" Eleanor asked me.

"It's a thing," I explained.

She looked skeptical. "Like pooping for forty-five minutes?"

"Yeah, something like that," I said.

The handshake was finally over, and both of them were now locked in a staring contest. If I wasn't careful, the penises and rulers would be next.

"Lisa very graciously took us shopping today," I explained to Jimin.

"She bought me pink sneakers and she bought Aunt Jennie underwear and a phone."

"Thank you for that information, Ellie. Why don't you go inside and not talk anymore?" I suggested, giving her a shove toward the house.

"That depends. Can I have the last ice cream sandwich?"

"It's yours as long as you stuff it in your mouth instead of talking."

"Pleasure doing business with you. See ya, Lisa!"

She was already halfway back to her truck.

"Don't leave on my account," Jimin called after her.

Lisa didn't say anything, but I did hear some sort of growl coming from her general direction. "Hang on a second," I said to Jimin. "She's got the better part of a mall in her back seat, and I don't want her to drive off with it." I caught her just as she was opening her door.

"Lisa. Wait!"

"What? I'm busy. I have shit to do."

"Can you give me one minute to get Eleanor's department store out of your back seat?"

She muttered a few colorful expletives and yanked open the back door. I looped as many bags as I could over my wrists before her frustration took over. She marched all the new stuff to the porch and set it in a pile next to Jimin. "You did get new underwear," Jimin said, sneaking a peek into the Victoria's Secret bag.

Another low growl emanated from the vicinity of Lisa's chest, and then she was storming back to her truck.

I rolled my eyes and ran after her.

"Lisa?"

"Christ, woman," she said, rounding on me. "Now what?"

"Nothing. Just… Thank you for everything today. It meant the world to Eleanor. And me."

When I turned to leave, her hand shot out and caught my wrist. "Future reference, Daze. My problem is always you."

I don't know why I did what I did next, but I did it. I raised on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

She was still standing there when Jimin and I walked inside with a dozen shopping bags between us.

With Eleanor asleep in a shopping-induced coma, I changed into pajamas and wondered why in the world I'd left my closet doors wide open.

Then decided it had probably been Eleanor. I was surprised at the effect an additional human had on a household. Toothpaste tubes were squeezed haphazardly in the middle. Snacks disappeared. And the TV remote was never where I left it.

I closed the closet doors firmly and returned downstairs.

The back door was open, and through the screen, I saw Jimin on the porch. He'd turned my back porch into a citronella candle fantasy land.

"You can't tell my parents about any of this yet," I said without preamble as I stepped out onto the porch.

Jimin looked up from the tray of fancy meats and cheeses he was organizing on the picnic table. "Why would you even say that? I'm always Team Jennie," he said

"I know you talk to them."

"Just because your mom and I have a standing date at the spa every month doesn't mean I'd rat you out, Kimmy. Besides, I didn't tell them I was coming."

"I just haven't figured out how to tell them about Eleanor. It took me an hour on the phone after I pulled a runaway bride before Mom agreed to still go on the trip. I know if I were to tell them what was going on, they'd be off the boat and on a plane in a second."

"That does sound like something your parents would do," he agreed, handing me a glass of wine. The man had brought an entire case with him.

"Your beast wants to devour you like a dozen hot wings."

I flopped down on the lawn chair next to him. "How is that the first thing you say to me?"

"It's the most pressing."

"Not 'why did you leave Mino at the altar?' Or 'what the hell were you thinking answering your sister's call for help?'"

He propped his long legs on the railing. "You know I never liked Mino. I was ecstatic when you pulled the disappearing act. I only wish you would have let me in on it."

"I'm sorry," I said lamely.

"Stop saying you're sorry."

"I'm s—our?"

"You're the one who has to live your life. Don't apologize to other people for the decisions you make for yourself."

My voice of reason best friend. No judgments. No second-guessing. Just unconditional love and support…and the occasional truth bomb. He was one in a billion.

"You're right. As usual. But I still should have let you know I was pulling a runaway bride."

"You definitely should have. Although, I did get great pleasure seeing Mino's mother break the news to him in front of the entire congregation. Watching them both trying not to freak out to keep their porcelain reputation intact was comedic. Besides, I took one of the groomsmen home."

"Which one?"

"JK."

"Nice. He looked good in his tux," I mused.

"He looked better out of it."

"Hey-oh!"

"Speaking of hot sex. Back to the beast."

I choked on my wine. "There's no sex happening with the beast. She called me 'needy' and 'uppity' and a 'pain in her ass.' She's rude. She's constantly yelling at me or complaining about me. Telling me I'm not her type. As if I wished I were her type," I scoffed.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Because she lives right there," I said, pointing my glass in the direction of Lisa's cabin.

"Oooh. Grumpy next-door neighbor. That's one of my favorite tropes."

"The first time she met me, she called me trash."

"That bitch."

"Well, technically she thought I was Ruby when she was yelling at me in front of an entire cafe full of strangers."

"That vision-impaired bitch."

"God, I love you." I sighed.

"Back at you, Kimmy. So, to clarify, you're definitely not sleeping with the hot, grumpy, tattooed neighbor who took you shopping for underwear and a phone?"

"I am five thousand percent definitely not sleeping with Lisa. And she only went shopping with us because there were reports of a man in town looking for me."

"You're telling me she's a grumpy, overprotective hottie next-door and you're not going to sleep with her? How wasteful."

"How about instead of talking about Lisa, I'll tell you why I burned rubber out of the church parking lot and ended up homeless in Richmond?"

"Don't forget carless," he added.

I rolled my eyes. "And carless."

"I'll get the truffles I hid in your bedroom," Jimin volunteered.

"I really wish you were straight," I said.

"If I could be straight for anyone, it would be you," he said, clinking his glass to mine.

"Where did these glasses come from?" I asked, frowning at the barware.

"These are my car wine glasses. I always carry a pair."

"Of course you do."

--

DEAR JENNIE,

Your father and I are having a wonderful time even though you haven't been updating us on what's going on in your life. Barcelona was beautiful, but it would have been even more beautiful if we knew our daughter wasn't spiraling into a depression or some sort of mid-life crisis.

Guilt-tripping over. You should have seen our tour guide, Paolo. Hubba hubba as the kids say. I attached a photo that I took. He's single if you want me to bring you back a souvenir.

Love,

Mom