Page 118 of Never Not Friends

I can’t even remember the last time anyone brought me flowers.

Actually, I can.

Vinny.

Three years ago, when my grandma died.

He left them outside my apartment with a short note.

I push the thought away.

“Thank you. That’s so sweet of you.”

Avery clears her throat.

“Oh.” I laugh, looking at her. “Avery, this is Shane. Shane, this is Avery. We teach together.”

Her smile becomes enormous. “Ah. Shane. I’ve heard so much about you. Only good things, of course.” She grabs her purse from off the desk. “And on that note, I’m going home.”

“You don’t need to leave.”

She gives me a wink as she passes by. “I’m happy to leave you two alone.” But when she walks past Shane, her face goes serious. “Break her heart, and you die.”

Then she disappears into the hallway.

Shane glances over his shoulder then back at me. “I kinda like her.”

“She’s a little intense but such a good friend.”

He walks around. “So this is where you teach?”

“Yep.”

“I like it.” He stops by the reading corner, browsing through a few books.

“It’s a pretty basic classroom.”

“I don’t know. It has that Emma charm to me.”

My smile comes easily.

Just like him.

His eyes stop on my open laptop. “Still working?”

“No, I’m trying to write my maid of honor speech.” I set the flowers on the edge of my desk. “I’m running into a deadline here.”

“Eh, it should be easy for you. You’ve been such good friends with Juliet for years. I bet you have hundreds of things to say.”

“That’s the problem. I have a lot of things to say about Juliet. Saying something about the both of them together is where I’m getting hung up.”

“Well, then, start there. Talk about your friendship with Juliet.”

“Am I allowed to do that?”

“Of course you are.” Shane smiles. “You’re the maid of honor. You can do whatever the heck you want to do.”

“You’re right. It’s my speech. I can do what I want.”