“Besides, some of these horses have better attitudes than humans,” I told her. “Like this one.” I ran my free hand up the front of Taffy’s face, all the way to her forelock. “Oh, yes. You, Miss Taffy. You’re a bossy mare, aren’t you?”

“Are you flirting with that horse?” Sia asked.

I laughed and grabbed the phone, switching it to my other ear. Taffy picked up the apples and pulled her head back, content to let them drop in her stall so she could eat them.

I leaned against the stall door. “I am, and I don’t care.”

Sia laughed, then was quiet a moment. “You’re not coming back, are you?”

“What?”

“You sound happy. Or, well, you’ve been sounding happier the last few times on the phone. You’re not coming back, are you?”

I could hear her disappointment. “Uh…” What did I say? My stuff was still there. Waiting. Gathering dust. Sitting alone. “I don’t know, Sia. I really don’t.”

“I still had hope since you keep turning us down, but now I can hear it in your voice. You can tell me. You’re really not coming back.”

I looked at the ground, holding my phone so tightly. My throat swelled. “Uh…”

“Never mind. I didn’t say that to make you feel bad. I’m sorry. I just—I’m going nuts not having my best friend here.”

“I know.” I sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I think Jake’s going to propose.” She rushed on before I could say anything. “I have no proof. It’s not like I found a ring or anything, or even a receipt, but every time I go on his computer, ring ads pop up on the side. And when I’m searching for clothes, suddenly dress ads have started showing up, so that means he’s looking, right?”

I already knew he was. Jake had called a week earlier to ask for my “permission.” He’d laughed as we talked, but I heard how nervous he was. “I know you’re not her mom and dad, but you’re the reason I met her, and you’re her family,” he’d said. “I figured, well, this feels right to be asking you. I’m going to ask her parents, too, but to be honest, she’s way closer to you. I know it’d mean more to her if I asked you, so here’s me—” He laughed again, ending at a high pitch. “—asking you if I can marry your best friend?”

“Yes,” I’d told him. My cheeks had hurt from smiling during that conversation. “A thousand times yes. She loves you so much.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes!”

He’d sounded so happy, and it’d been a struggle to keep quiet since then.

“Well, if he does, he’s a very smart man,” I said now to Sia.

She snorted. “You’re damned straight he’s smart. He was a genius to seal the deal with a quickie that first night. Insta-love, Addison. I swear. It was during that first dinner at his place, after we found William’s stash—when he finished and before quoting Derek’s T-shirt.”

“Do I want to know this?”

“You remember that shirt? Or wait. Was it his coffee mug? I think it was a mug. God…” She chuckled. “He brought his own mug to a dinner party, and he still does! The same one. Don’t Worry, I Won’t Byte, it says. When we were in the bathroom, Jake said, “Don’t worry, I will byte.” And then he spelled out byte as we climaxed. Okay. Yeah, that was too much information. But I was laughing so hard.” She still was. After a moment she composed herself. “That’s when it happened. That’s when I fell hard for him. I just didn’t know it till later.”

“Well, that is a good story.” I had to give her that.

“Not too much information?”

“Oh no, definitely too much info, but it’s fine.” I was smiling like a dumbass, and I knew she was, too. Taffy nudged the back of my shoulder, and when I turned back around, she sniffed my hand. “I should go. I’ve got a certain mare looking for food. She’s eying my phone like it’s her next meal.”

“Okay. Listen, uh—before you go, I have to tell you something.”

My stomach dropped. “What?”

“I saw him the other day.”

I knew instantly who he was. My throat started to burn.

“He’s lost weight.” She faltered, coughing to clear her throat. “He’s not around that much. I mean, I never used to see him at all, but that’s according to Dawn.”

My heart pounded. I always felt like I was holding my breath when it came to Cole.

“She said he’s been gone, but now he’s back. We saw him in the lobby the other night. Jake and I were leaving with Doris and William. That’s who we’ve been reduced to hanging out with—our hippie retired neighbors, who are awesome and hilarious. I need to add that. Oh, and Derek is going to ask Dawn out. We had another resident dinner the other week, and she apologized to me for some phone thing. I had no idea what she was talking about, but she kept asking questions about Derek the whole night, so I think he’d already asked her out. I think she’s thinking about it. I hope, anyway. She seems less obsessed with Jake, so that’s a plus.”

“Sia?”

“Yeah?”

“Cole.”

“Sorry. I get nervous when I talk about him, you know? But okay. Yes. We saw him. Doris and William were freaking out afterward. I think William had toked up right before we left. He was more nervous that Cole was going to kick him out because there’s a no-drug policy—which is how ironic? The landlord is a mafia boss, and there’s a no-drug policy—”