Josh couldn’t tell if Evan was being sarcastic, so he said to Paige, “But it sounds like the event went very well.”
“It did,” said Paige.
“You’ve got yarn in your hair.” Josh tentatively reached over and snagged a bit of brown yarn that had gotten twisted in one of Paige’s curls.
“That seems about right,” said Paige. “Cleanup ended up being kind of an ordeal.”
“Hurricane Kid swept through here faster than we could stop it,” said Evan. “The event was fun, but wow, kids can make a mess.”
“And I don’t even get much of a break.” Paige sighed and rubbed her head. “We’re starting the literacy program this week, too. A day care center up the street is bringing their first- and second-grade kids here after school Wednesday, and I’ve got a stack of books in the back that I was able to buy thanks to the fundraiser.”
Evan frowned. “Pablo helped you pick those out, didn’t he?”
Paige ducked her head sheepishly. “He did. But he’s been working at the bookstore a long time, and he knows kids’ books well. He gave me a bunch of recommendations.”
“Who’s Pablo?” asked Josh.
“He works at the bookstore a few doors down.” Paige hooked her thumb to the east. “Evan’s in love with him.”
“I’m notin love. I just like him a lot.” Evan turned to Josh. “I missed the window. Bided my time waiting for the right moment to ask him out, but now he’s going out with someone else.”
“That sucks.”
Evan laughed. “It does, yeah.”
One of the cats wandered over then and rubbed against Josh’s leg. He reached down to pet the cat’s head. The cat let out a littlebrrupand started purring.
“Don’t get ideas, cat. I already brought one of you home. He’s great, but I definitely don’t need any more.”
“That’s Lizzy Bennett,” said Paige.
“Cute.Pride and Prejudice, right?”
“Yup.”
Josh looked at the cat. “Sorry, Lizzy. You and George aren’t even from the same book.”
Paige giggled. “Anyway, Evan had this whole elaborate courtship ritual plotted out. But since Pablo didn’t know about it, he didn’t follow the rules.” She shot Evan a pointed look.
“On the other hand,” said Evan, “I have another date with Darius next week. He got us reservations at Le Bernardin!”
“Fancy,” said Paige.
“He better be buying, because that menu is a little bit out of my budget. Although, actually, I think he’s throwing his money around to impress me and win me back.”
“Are you impressed?” asked Paige.
“By the experiences, yes. By Darius? Remains to be seen.”
“So, wait,” said Josh. “You have a crush on Pablo, who is dating someone else. But you’re dating a guy who seems to be going out of his way to impress you, and you feel meh about him.”
“Ding, ding, ding,” said Evan. “That’s about the sum of it. I know I should get over Pablo. And Darius has been really great! I’m just not sure if he’s the One, you know? Or that I totally trust him.”
“Fair enough.” Josh wasn’t sure that he even believed in the One. Megan hadn’t been the One, that was for sure. He’d thought she was for a long time, but there was no way the woman he was supposed to be with would end things because she got a job that, rumor had it, she didn’t even like. He’d loved Megan more than anything for two years of his life, and though he wasn’t generally cynical, her leaving had made him rethink some of his ideas about romance and fate. Even setting that aside, he’d spent enough time around Lauren and Caleb since moving to Brooklyn to see that they were very much in love, but were they the One for each other? He doubted it.
He looked at Paige. She smiled back at him in a way that made his chest ache. Well, he wasn’t sure if she was the One, but she was definitely someone he wanted to spend as much time with as possible.
A sound near the front of the café caught Josh’s attention, and he looked to see what it was. He could see through the glass door that separated the cat room from the café that a dark-haired man walked in through the front door with a stack of what looked like picture books in his hands. Lauren greeted him with a smile on her face than gestured toward the back.
