And Jay Martin is sitting across from her in the other.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jay
I am not cheating.I am in zero way cheating by accepting Lyra’s invitation to brunch. There shouldn’t be any awkwardness when the hostess seats the table next to us and I look up to see Phoebe, frozen in the act of sitting, hovering halfway to her seat, her eyes switching back and forth between Lyra and me.
Phoebe chooses in favor of gravity and takes her seat. The hostess sets a menu in front of her and tells her a server will be along shortly.
“Hey, Phoebe.” I keep my voice relaxed because I amnotdoing anything wrong. This isn’t a date, and even if it were, Phoebe has made it clearer than one of Grandad’s polished amber bottles that she and I will not be dating. I’m treating her like I would any friend I bumped into.
“The brunch here is great if you haven’t tried it.” I want to ask if anyone is joining her, but dying of curiosity isn’t a good enough reason.
“I haven’t,” she says. “All part of the Serendipity Springs assimilation tour.”
“You remember Lyra from the library.”
They nod at each other and trade soft hellos.
“If you’re looking for a recommendation, the waffles are good,” I say. Easy chitchat. Look at the friendliness. What a good friend I am.
“Thanks.” Phoebe opens her menu and angles herself slightly away as she reads it.
Her server walks up and introduces himself, but when he asks what she wants to drink, she sets the menu down and scoops up her phone and keys. “Actually, I forgot I meant to start intermittent fasting today. Sorry about that.”
He takes the menu back with a mild look of surprise but hurries to his next table.
“Sorry to interrupt you,” she says as she stands, “but I guess it was serendipitous after all because I meant to tell you that I need to reschedule, Jay. We can look at that document Monday.”
Is she going out of her way to make that sound businesslike for Lyra’s benefit? And why is she rescheduling our letter snooping?
“It’s fine,” I say. “I can work around your plans. I’d rather look at the new one today.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I forgot about another obligation this afternoon. I’ll see you at work.” She gives us both a friendly smile and leaves.
That was weird.
“You were going to work later today?” Lyra asks, her eyebrow arching.
“Still going to,” I tell her. “It goes beyond the scope of the museum, so she doesn’t like me to feel obligated, but I’m not. The beauty queen mystery. You know how research can hook you.”
“I do.” Her smile is more like a lazy curl of her lips.
Why doesn’t it affect me more? Lyra is beautiful, smart, and accomplished. She’s made it clear she’s interested and available. Phoebe has made it clear she’s neither, yet I can’t help comparing them. Lyra comes out worse because Phoebe is beautiful, smart, and accomplished too, but she’s also funny. Plus, Lyra doesn’t have any cool letters for me to investigate.
“Hello?” Lyra says, her voice low and throaty. “You went away for a second.”
“Sorry,” I say. “I’m back. What were you going to tell me about your Samuel Brown lead?”
When we finish our meal, I walk Lyra to her car and thank her for coming to brunch and for the research contact she’s given me at her last college. She’s smiling, finding excuses to touch me and all but handing me an engraved invitation to ask her out on an actual date. But I don’t. I’m too preoccupied by Phoebe and trying to figure out why she canceled. Lyra deserves more than being a pleasant distraction.
I drive back to the cottage and try to focus on Old Sam, but he can’t keep my attention either, and after a couple hours of rearranging chapters only to put them back into their original order, I give up and reach for my phone to check the time. This is about when I was supposed to meet up with Phoebe before she canceled.
Jay
I’m still available and desperate
I give her all of thirty seconds to respond before I send a follow-up.
