Well, it was officially Sunday. I was back home and back in New York. I was glad to be back, and I was looking forward to going back to work. The only thing that sucked was the fact the deal Nathan and I made was over. I got lucky on the flight—no pun intended—and was surprised that Nathan went through with it. I saw him trying to resist. He was so close to leaving me alone in that tiny bathroom. 

"I'll follow you anywhere, gorgeous." 

My heart ached when I had heard those words. I know he didn't mean to say it. He got caught up in the moment. We both did. When we were in Florida, we both just let our hormones do the talking. It's been twelve years for me and eight months for him. He didn't tell me much about his ex-fling or whatever. He only said that whatever it was ended before Lanie had the baby. I could tell there was more to the story, but I didn't press him. 

Ring-ring

I got up from my dining room table where I was sipping some coffee and grabbed my phone from the charger. I was so jet-lagged and had Nathan on the brain yesterday that I forgot to charge it before I went to bed. 

I smiled when I saw Abby's name on the caller-ID. "Hey, Abbs. What's up?" 

"Hey, girl! I'm so glad you're back!"

I fell onto my plush sofa. "Me too!"

"How's your dad? I know we spoke a few times while you were up there, but I wanted to make sure he was okay." 

"He's doing great. Thank you, by the way. I appreciate you calling and checking on me." 

There was a suspicious silence on the phone. I met Abby a few years ago and we both ended up moving back to New York at the same time. Besides Lanie and Harper, Abby was the only close friend that I had. It was refreshing, actually. She didn't know Nathan the same way the others did, so sometimes she was more objective. 

"Abby..."

She sucked her teeth on the other line. "Okay, you told me I could get all the juicy details once you got back, sooooo spill." 

I couldn't stop the smile that broke out on my face. I told Abby that Nathan was in Florida with me and, like she said, I promised to give her all the details. "Well, let's just say...I took your advice." 

"Oh. My. GOD! You slept with him! You sexcycled, didn't you?" 

I rolled my eyes. "Please stop calling it that." I still couldn't believe that Nathan heard our conversation at the café that day. "Yes," I breathed as I got up from the couch and started pacing in my living room. 

"So? How was it?" 

As if I could answer that question. "It was amazing, Abby. I know I told you that we had fantastic sexual chemistry, but damn. I forgot just how fantastic it was." I brushed my hair back before I picked up the picture of Nathan and I that Lanie gave me. 

"Do you regret it?" she asked. 

I ran my fingers over the picture. "No. I mean, there were some old feelings there and some things that felt very familiar, but...no, I don't regret it." I flipped the picture over, turned around and leaned my hip against the counter. "We had a deal. What happened in Florida stayed in Florida. Nothing was going to continue when we got back to New York." 

"And you think that's really going to work?" Abby laughed into the phone. "Karma, you and the man you love are both single and in the same city. You've already had sex—clearly the feelings are still there. Honey, it's only a matter of time before you guys fall into bed together again." 

What bothered me the most, was that every single thing that Abby mentioned I thought of myself. When it came to Nathan Jenkins, I was weak. "I never said I still loved him." 

Abby snorted. "Yeah, okay. The only people who don't know that you love Nathan, are you and Nathan. Look," she sighed, "I didn't call to lecture you. I want to see you. Girl's night tonight? Your place?"

I looked around my still half unpacked home. "As long as you promise to bring wine and help me unpack." 

"Deal. See you at seven." 

When I hung up with Abby, there was a knock at my door. "What the hell..."

Even though I was curious about who was at my door, a tiny little part of me got excited at the possibility of it being Nathan.

If it wasn't him at the door, where was he? What was he doing? Or who was he with? Those are the kind of questions that ran through my mind when it came to Nathan Jenkins. Shit. It kind of felt like it did when I was eighteen—and that wasn't a good thing.

I opened my front door and smiled at my surprise guests. "Lanie! Harper!" I held the door open for them to come inside. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

The three of us went into my dining room and sat around the small table. From the tired look in Harper's eyes, I could tell she was going through something emotionally. Probably with Jackson. Lanie, on the other hand, had that same look she did when we were fifteen and she snuck us into a college party.

"How's your dad doing?" Lanie was always one to beat around the bush.

"Better, thanks. It definitely could have been worse but he is much better now." I looked from one best friend to the other. "What about you guys?"

Lanie put her hand to her chest. "I'm good. Harper is having guy trouble—"

"No, I'm not."

"But we both want to know," she continued, "what happened between you and my brother in Florida?"

I knew the question was coming, even before she showed up here. If she hadn't have shown up at my door, she probably would have called me sometime today to interrogate me. I had to tread lightly here. Lanie wasn't stupid.

"Nothing happened, Lanie. He flew up there to help me, by your request, and that's what he did. He helped with me and my parents." I gave her a warm smile. "I actually wanted to say thank you for giving him the idea to fly up there. They were happy to see him."

Lanie just stared at be blankly. "Look me in the eye and tell me there's nothing going on between you and Nate."

I leaned forward and looked her in the eye. "There's nothing going on between me and Nathan." Fuck. I hate lying.

"I told you," Harper quipped to Lanie.

Lanie slouched into the chair. "Fine. Don't tell me. Anyway," she breathed, "that's not the reason we're here."

"Oh." I glanced to Harper. "Is this about your guy trouble?"

Harper slammed her hands on the table. "I'm not having guy trouble!"

I glanced to Lanie, whose eyes were as wide as mine by the sound of Harper's tone. Lanie shook her head, signaling me not to press our best friend any further.

Lanie cleared her throat. "Um, actually, we're here about Nate's birthday tomorrow. I'm planning a surprise party."

I laughed. Then I laughed again. And once more. "You're kidding, right?" Lanie's expression told me she was definitely not kidding. "I'm sorry, you do know your brother, right? He hates surprises and he's definitely hates parties for his birthday. Remember the surprise party fiasko of 2005?"

Harper chuckled at the memory and Lanie winced.

"Yeah. That poor guy who jumped out of the cake needed twenty stitches."

I huffed and brushed my hair out of my face. "See? Nothing good will come of this."

Lanie blew air between her lips. "This is happening. Trust me, it'll be good for him. Besides, it'll only be his closest friends. There won't even be ten people there."

I snickered. "That sounds like ten too many."

Lanie rolled her eyes at me. "Please. No one knows Nate better than me." She glanced at her watch. "Okay, we better go. I told Ayden I would be back in time to help dinner."

When Harper's phone rang, she got up from the table to grab it from her purse. Lanie leaned forward so Harper wouldn't overhear. "Jackson is at my place waiting for Harper."

"What is going on with them?"

She gave me a look that told me she would tell me later. It only made me worry more for my friend. She and Jackson seemed so solid. Well, I had first hand knowledge that there's no such thing as a sure thing.

I walked Harper and Lanie to the door. A part of me was sad to see them go. I knew I was going to see them at this surprise party, but that was for Nate. I really haven't been able to put the time in to really reconnect with my closest friends.

I leaned against the door frame as they stepped onto my front porch. "Let's have some girl time soon, okay?"

"Yes."
"Absolutely."

I smiled and waved goodbye. Just as I was going to shut the door, I heard Lanie call out to me.

"By the way," she said with a smirk, "Nate told me his therapy session is with you tomorrow at 2pm."

"Yeah, so?" Where was she going with this?

"So, I need you to keep him distracted. Then bring him home by eight for the party."

My mouth dropped and my heart started racing. "That's five hours, Lanie. How the hell am I supposed to keep him distracted?"

She shrugged and threw me a wink. "Dunno. I'm sure you'll think of something."

I shut the door and leaned against it. What the hell was I going to do? I couldn't just bring Nathan to my house. I know we had a deal, but it might be a little awkward. He might think I'm desperate or something. Or that I'm trying to seduce him back into bed.

Damn. How the hell am I going to keep him distracted for five hours tomorrow?