And here I was again.

Well, not the same place I was last time…but the same idea.

Sorry, let me rewind and start from the beginning. Yesterday, after I’d come clean to Fanny about Travis’s and my fake relationship, I contacted the realtor who was helping me find a new store location. Or at least she had been prior to Travis taking over the job.

So here I was, driving to the first address on the list. The difference? Hannah was with me instead of Travis and Fanny.

Had I heard from Travis since I spilled the beans to his grandmother?

Yes, several times. First to make sure I was okay. And then to update me on details about the fundraiser next week. Even though I was organizing the event, he was the one contacting the owner of The Unicorn with details about the performance.

I’d also heard from Fanny, telling me the cookies were to die for, and no matter what happened between Travis and me, I would always be like a granddaughter to her.

Did I tear up when I read the text?

Maybe a little.

Okay—a lot.

“You know what you need?” Hannah said in the voice people always used whenever they knew damn well their answer wouldn’t match your own.

“What?”

“To go out on a date.”

Yes—well, about that. The way my heart was slumped in my chest, I didn’t believe going on a date would work for me. “Great idea. But since no one’s asked me out, looks like that won’t be happening any time soon.”

A word to the wise…when your best friend mentions you need to go out on a date, it’s usually because she already has one lined up for you.

Was Hannah aware of what had happened between Travis and me? Yep—every juicy I’m-such-an-idiot detail.

Her reaction? You mean after she said she would love to meet him down a dark alley and practice karate on him? She declared he was the king of douchebags.

Did she believe that? No—but that was what best friends did. They tried to make you feel better by pointing out all your ex-boyfriend’s—or in my case ex-fake-boyfriend’s—flaws.

“Not a problem,” she said, confirming what I had suspected. “I’ve got a date tomorrow night with the hot resident I was telling you about.”

“And let me guess…he has a friend.”

Hannah laughed. “You might wish to contain your excitement. Wouldn’t want you hurting yourself doing cartwheels or something crazy like that.”

“Yes, because I’m known for doing cartwheels at exciting news like that,” I said dryly.

She grinned at me in the way that always had me agreeing to her plans. It was more lethal than if she had attempted puppy dog eyes. “It will be fun. I promise you. We’ll see a movie and grab some pizza to eat afterward.”

It will be fun. Famous last words.

“What movie?”

“A total man flick.”

“No kissing?” I turned down the street where the realtor had disappeared.

“You mean in the movie or with your date?”

I slid her a look. “In the movie. But if you wish to kiss your date, it’s totally up to you.”

“Please, Emma. You’ll be doing me a huge favor. I like Tony, but it’s one thing to flirt with the guy at the hospital and another to actually go on a date with him. What happens if he’s a complete dud? At least you’ll save me from the agony of being stuck alone with him if he is. And his friend is cute and nice.”

“All right. But only to help you out. I’m not there because I want to go out with your date’s friend.”

“Understood.”

“Good—as long as we’ve got that straight.” I parked my car next to the realtor’s and released a long God-I-hate-this sigh.

“You know, you could have broken up with Travis after he found you a new place for the store.”

“We didn’t break up. To break up, you have to be dating the person first.” I opened my door and slid out of my seat.

Hannah leaned over, peering out my open door. “Looked like you guys were dating to me. You even spent a couples’ weekend together with his friends. If that’s not dating, I don’t know what is.”

Not waiting for a response, she opened her door and climbed out with what could only be described as a victorious expression on her face.

“That wasn’t dating,” I said. “That was because one couple had canceled and Travis’s friends invited us to join them.”

Hannah snorted a laugh. “But they invited you because you two were a couple.” The I’m-right-and-you-know-it expression was back.

I did the only thing I could do. I rolled my eyes and made sure she saw it.

Her response was another snorted laugh.

The remainder of the evening was spent with the realtor showing us around the different retail spaces for rent.

“This is the best one we’ve seen so far,” Janet said. “The location is good, the price is within your range, and while it’s a little smaller than your current location, it’s still doable.”

Standing in the middle of the space, I turned around, envisioning how I would lay out the store.

She was right. It was doable. The price was at the higher end of my range. Higher than where I was currently located. And I would have to drive to work because it wasn’t within walking distance to my apartment like I was now. But given I would be forced to relocate soon, I didn’t have much choice.

“I’m definitely interested,” I told her. “But could I have a day or two to think about it?”

She narrowed the distance between us, her high heels clicking against the tile floor. “I wouldn’t wait too long if I were you. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s quickly snapped up.”

I smiled at her, a nervous feeling taking up residence in my stomach. “I’ll let you know tomorrow.”