His eyes widen slightly at the contact before dropping to my mouth. His tongue darts out to wet his lips a second before he leans in and presses his mouth softly to mine. This would be enough; surely nobody would expect more than a chaste kiss in public. Most people aren’t exactly comfortable sucking face in front of an audience, right?

  My eyes remain closed when Leland’s lips leave mine. A second later, his teeth nip lightly at my bottom lip, drawing a gasp from me. My eyes fly open and I swallow a second gasp at the unexpected heat in Leland’s eyes. He tilts his head as if seeking permission. Instead of responding with words, I pull him closer and kiss him again.

  I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t occasionally daydreamed about kissing Leland when we were teenagers. Probably half our school had similar fantasies. The reality is better than any of my teenage daydreams, though. The man knows how to kiss. His mouth moves over mine, hands gently cupping my face. When he gives my lip another teasing little nip, I fist my hands in the front of his shirt. A combination of gravity and desire send me drifting backward on the couch, bringing Leland with me.

  A sound breaks through my lust bubble. Voices? Something…jingling? Leland must hear it too because his mouth leaves mine, his warm breath heavy on my lips. Realization dawns a second before the door swings open. Leland and I spring apart, with him rocketing upright and me scooting to the far end of the couch. We stare at each other with wide eyes for several beats before we burst out laughing. There’s no way Evie and Wesley are going to miss our disheveled state and swollen lips.

  “Hey, you two,” Evie says, smiling brightly when she sees us. “Leland, I didn’t know you’d be here or I would have brought enough dessert for all of us.”

  “Oh, that’s okay, I really should be going anyway,” Leland says.

  “I hope you’re not going on our account,” Wesley says as he hangs up his coat, then Evie’s.

  “Or mine.” I say the words quietly so only he can hear them.

  His gaze whips in my direction and he gives his head a little shake, reaching for my hand, but stopping just short of making contact. “I actually didn’t mean to stay so long,” he says, addressing the room at large, although he’s still looking at me. “Felicity needs my help with a delivery early in the morning, so I should head home and get to bed.”

  Evie and Wesley slip past us into the kitchen. I can feel my best friend’s eyes on me as I give Leland a nod. He reaches for my hand again, gripping my fingers this time as he gets to his feet and pulls me with him.

  “I hope we can all hang out together sometime soon,” he says to Evie and Wesley. His fingers are still loosely gripping mine. “Maybe the four of us could go on a double date.”

  “Ooh, yes!” Evie says. “Wesley and I were saying the other night that we hope to make couple friends soon since some things are more fun as a group.”

  I expect Leland to remind her that he and I aren’t truly a couple. Instead, his smile widens and his fingers tighten on mine. “That’d be great. Let’s plan something soon.”

  He says goodnight to Evie and Wesley, and I walk with him to the door. “I’m glad you came over tonight,” I say. “I really enjoyed your company.” I also really enjoyed kissing you, I add silently. “And all the food too. Thanks again for that.”

  “Anytime,” Leland says. “I love hanging out with you.”

  He bends to put on his shoes, so he misses what I’m sure is a goofy smile caused by his words. I rein in my expression as he straightens and dons his jacket.

  “I’ll see you soon?” It might be my imagination or a case of wishful thinking, but he sounds hopeful and just a tad uncertain.

  “Of course. Felicity asked me to come in tomorrow afternoon, so I’ll likely see you then. And I’m still waiting on that invitation to dinner at your mom’s.”

  “Right, that. I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow and let you know.” He waves over my shoulder, telling me Evie and/or Wesley are watching. I open the door and move so my back is against it, giving us a modicum of privacy to say goodbye. Not that we need it. It’s not like I expect Leland to kiss me again, although I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it.

  The corners of his mouth twitch as he moves past me into the hallway. “I’m guessing Evie’s not known for her subtlety?” he asks quietly.

  I shake my head, pressing my lips together to hold back a laugh. “Definitely not. She never was, but she’s been extra protective since…”

  His expression turns solemn. “Right. I guess it’s not so bad when you look at it that way.”

  “No, I’m lucky to have someone who loves me so much and wants the best for me.”

  He bobs his head, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Well. Goodnight, Stella. I had a great time. Wait, I already said that, didn’t I? It bears repeating, though.”

  Something like delight bubbles up inside me. Is Leland Levesque actually nervous right now? “It does bear repeating. Goodnight, Leland.”

  As he leans in to press a lingering kiss to my cheek, that delighted feeling rises inside me like champagne bubbles, making me feel light and airy. I watch him walk down the hall and disappear into the stairwell, and then I remain where I am for a moment longer, telling myself I need a minute before facing Evie. In reality, I want to enjoy this bubbly feeling for a little while longer.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  That weekend, Evie and I meet Hollie and Louisa at the diner for breakfast. I’ve always cherished my time with my three closest friends, but I appreciate it even more now that Wesley is around. It’s felt natural for our foursome to expand, and I love that my brother fits so comfortably into our group, but I hope we never get to a point where it can’t just be the four of us, even for short periods of time.

  “Boys not joining you today?” Bea asks, approaching the table with her order pad at the ready.

  “Wesley and Leland are coming later for coffee, but it’ll just be the four of us for breakfast,” Evie says.

  “No cute Scot?” Bea’s smiling eyes land on Louisa, who blushes at the mere mention of Fergus. “He came in one night this past week for takeout and I convinced him to stay and eat here. When I told him I was going on break, he asked me to sit with him and he bought me a piece of pie. We had a real nice chat. If one of you doesn’t scoop him up…” She trails off, casting a glance over her shoulder toward her husband in the kitchen. As if sensing her eyes on him, Horatio pauses what he’s doing and looks our way, sending his wife a wink. “Never mind,” she says, turning back to us with a grin.

  Once Bea has departed with our orders, I turn my attention to Hollie, who’s been wearing a slight frown since we arrived. “You look a bit…stormy.”

  Hollie releases a long, weary sigh. “I may look stormy, but I feel stupid. I’m officially done with online dating.”

  “Oh no, what happened?” Evie asks.

  “Did you finally meet that guy you’ve been talking to on the dating app?” Louisa asks.

  Hollie and Evie joined a dating site a couple months ago. Evie went on a few lackluster dates and then decided her heart and mind weren’t in it. Hollie has chatted with a few guys, although hasn’t been on any dates. She did, however, meet someone she likes and has been talking to him for the last few weeks. We’ve pressed her for details, but she’s been tight-lipped about it, claiming she doesn’t want to jinx it, and promising to tell us if and when there was anything to tell.

  Hollie presses her lips together and sits back as Bea approaches with our drinks. When she’s gone again, Hollie continues. “You know how hesitant I was about the whole online dating thing. When SC and I started chatting, I liked him immediately. We had a connection, and he seemed so great: smart, funny, charming. He even typed in full sentences and used proper punctuation.”

  I lift my coffee cup and take a sip to cover my amusement, and Evie does the same.

  “This was his first foray into online dating too, so we were both kind of wary,” Hollie says. “We shared bits and pieces of our lives, our interests and hobbies, our hopes for the future. We had a lot in common, but we never gave too much personal info, and all our conversations happened through the site’s private messaging. Earlier this week, he asked if I’d like to finally meet for drinks and possibly dinner if we felt as much of a connection in person as we did online. I worked up the courage to say yes, and we arranged a time and place. I showed up, and…”

  We’re all leaning in now, waiting for Hollie to continue. None of us speak, even though I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to bombard her with questions.

  “He didn’t show up,” Hollie says faintly. “I waited, ordered a drink, waited some more. I double and triple checked our messages to make sure I got the time and place right. Then kept checking to see if he’d messaged me. I even messaged him to see if everything was okay, but didn’t hear back. I finally left and, when I hadn’t heard from him by this morning, I deleted the whole damn app from my phone. This basically confirmed everything I needed to know about online dating.”

  Evie rests her hand on Hollie’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Hol.”

  “I’m sorry too.” I reach for Hollie’s hand and she holds onto mine tightly, taking Louisa’s offered hand in the other. “I know this probably won’t make you feel better right now, but it’s his loss.”

  Hollie lets out a little sniffle. “It is his loss. I’m awesome.”

  “Damn straight you are,” Louisa says.

  Bea approaches the table, balancing all four of our breakfasts. I’ll never understand how she does that. “Do I need to kick someone’s butt?” she asks as she sets down our plates. This has been a common refrain from her since we were teenagers.

  Hollie lets out a weak laugh. “One of these days, one of us is going to say yes, and then what will you do?”

  “I’ll handle it,” she says matter-of-factly. “But the truth is, I know you girls can handle yourselves.”

  When Bea leaves, Hollie says, “Anyway, I’m not going to dwell on it. Let’s talk about what’s going on with you three.”

  Evie tells us about the phone calls she’s been getting from her mom, who’s knee-deep in planning this year’s Christmas party. Louisa shares pictures of the beagle she’s fallen in love with at the animal shelter where she volunteers. When it’s my turn, I tell them I’m seriously considering taking a job at FandomTown.

  “I’ve been enjoying the work Felicity has me doing, and I know she’d be an amazing boss. She told me I could basically create my own job if I wanted to, and we’d figure out my salary accordingly. How often does a chance like that come along?”

  “Hardly ever,” Hollie says. “A lot of times, you’re expected to do all the things, even though they’re not in your job description and your pay often doesn’t reflect the work.”

  She’s speaking from experience; Hollie loves her job at the community services center, but she has to wear a lot of hats, and she regularly volunteers on top of the work she gets paid for.

  “Exactly,” I say. “So…I’d be stupid not to take this job, right?”

  They all nod emphatically, but it’s Louisa who speaks first. “You should go for it, Stella. You’d be perfect for this job, and Felicity obviously thinks so too. She’s been in business long enough to know a good thing when she sees it. Besides, you deserve a fun job—something you can be passionate about and actually enjoy.”

  I mull that over as I slather raspberry jam on my last triangle of toast. When Leland and I talked about passion in one’s job, it didn't occur to me that working in a place like FandomTown—somewhere that combines my interests and hobbies with the ability to work with and serve like-minded people, aka my fellow nerds—could be my passion. I always thought I had to do something serious and ‘worthy’, something like Hollie with her job at the center or Evie with her career as a realtor. Working at FandomTown might not be a life-changing or life-saving job, but so what? It makes people happy and it would make me happy.

  Once we’ve all finished eating, Hollie and Louisa say their goodbyes and head out. I watch them cross the diner after paying their bills, their arms linked and their heads bent close. The door opens as they reach it, and Nelle Bryant breezes inside, lifting her oversized sunglasses onto her head and scanning the room.

  “Crap,” I mutter, whipping around and slinking down in my seat.

  Evie averts her eyes when she spots Nelle. Her quiet sigh and the slight slump in her shoulders tell me we’ve been spotted. “Incoming,” she murmurs a second before she straightens and plasters on a smile.

  “Stella, hi, I thought that was you,” Nelle says, coming into view. “Well, actually, I recognized your friend and figured you’d be together.”

  The way she says it makes my hackles rise. “Yep, that’s Evie and me, completely inseparable, practically joined at the hip since birth.”

  Nelle lets out a titter, but sobers quickly, her faux smile replaced by equally false concern. “I’m sure you need your best friend at a time like this. I’m sorry about you and Leland.”

  “What about me and Leland?”

  Nelle leans forward, scrunching up her face in a way I’m sure she hopes will convey how much she hates what she’s about to say. “I saw Leland the other day with another woman, so I assumed you two broke up. They looked pretty chummy.”

  I try to keep my expression neutral even as my stomach drops. Nelle watches me expectantly, waiting for a reaction. Before my mind has a chance to run away with thoughts of Leland seeing someone else, reality hits me. “Was this woman curvy and about my height? With long, curly hair?”

  “Yes…” Nelle says slowly.

  “That would be Felicity. Leland’s sister.” I stop myself from adding that she should recognize her since she bullied her in high school. How on earth did I get here all these years later, dealing with mean girls and ridiculous high school antics? I’m too old for this crap.

  That being said, I can’t deny the pleasure that sweeps through me as I watch Nelle’s eyes widen. She lets out a high-pitched laugh and shakes her head. “Oops, my bad. Sorry about that.” Her eyes widen further a second before a pair of warm hands drop onto my shoulders and Leland swoops in to kiss my cheek.

  “Sorry we’re late,” he says. “I lost track of time talking to my mom on the phone. Our dinner with her next week is all sorted. She can’t wait.” He brushes his lips against my cheek again and straightens, finally looking at Nelle. “Oh, hey, Nelle, how’s it going?”

  “Uhh, good. Really good, thanks,” Nelle stammers. “I just stopped in for some coffee. Gotta recaffeinate! Lots to do today, you know how it is.” With that, she scurries away to the front counter.

  I’m so relieved to see her go, I don’t stop to think about it before saying to Leland, “I could kiss you right now for your impeccable timing.”

  One side of his mouth tilts up as he drops into the seat beside me. “I mean, if you insist.”

  He inches closer and, just like the other night, my brain goes haywire. I know this is an act; he probably thinks Nelle is watching, so he’s fulfilling his end of our deal. But I can’t help thinking about the scorching kisses we shared when we didn’t have an audience. Sure, we said it was for practice, but there was an undeniable spark between us. At least I thought so.

  My inner freakout—paired with the fact I can feel Evie and Wesley’s eyes on us—leads me to place a quick peck on Leland’s cheek. He’s still wearing that small, inscrutable smile, and he remains where he is for a second, his face inches from mine, before easing away.

  While Wesley and Leland discuss whether to get something to eat, Evie catches my eye and motions for me to lean in.

  “When did that happen?” she whispers, wiggling a finger between me and Leland.

  “What?”

  “When did your fake dating become real?”

  I sputter out a laugh. “What are you talking about? That was purely for Nelle’s benefit. We’re still just friends.”

  Evie makes a non-committal sound. “Doesn’t look that way to me, my lovely. I think you need to open your eyes to all the possibilities in your life, not just the new job. You might be surprised what amazing things are waiting for you.”

  Without answering, I sit back in my seat. Leland has slung his arm across the back of the booth, and he shifts it to rest on my shoulders. A quick look around the diner shows Nelle has left, so this isn’t for her benefit. When I meet Leland’s eyes, he’s watching me with a small smile.

  There’s no sense reading more into this. Leland is both a good actor when he needs to be and a friend who’s comfortable enough with me to show open affection. That’s all there is to it.

  Or…could Evie be right and there’s something more blossoming between us than I’m willing to admit?

  CHAPTER NINE

  Butterflies are staging a riot in my stomach.

  It’s Tuesday evening and I’m waiting for Leland to pick me up for dinner at his mom’s place. I try to tell myself it’s nerves over meeting Mrs. Levesque and putting Leland’s and my dating ruse to the test. And, while I’m sure that’s part of it, the truth is, these flutters are mostly for Leland. Proof of that comes when he pulls up in front of Evie’s building and steps out of his car, causing the butterflies to take flight, swarming in my belly and rising up into my throat.

  “Hey there,” Leland says as I stride down the front walk to meet him. He looks so good. He always does, but tonight he’s freshly shaved, with his hair styled back from his face, and he’s wearing a burgundy dress shirt with dark trousers. He kisses my cheek when I reach him. “You look beautiful, Stels.”

  “Thank you.” My voice is embarrassingly breathy. “You look great. I really like that color on you.”

  “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

  We make small talk on the drive. This is the first time conversation has been stilted between us. We’ve seen each other nearly every day recently; after our diner breakfast on Saturday, Leland asked me to go to the movies with him on Sunday afternoon, then yesterday I spent a few hours with him and Felicity at FandomTown.