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world who knew that Beau still struggled with dyslexia. What was he going to do without his brother? And what kind of a grown man couldn’t function without his twin?

Today had not gone according to plan. Alice snapped her gratitude journal shut as Gaston barked at Sultana. It was impossible to be grateful while a dog barked and a cat hissed. “Hush, Gaston! I’ve told you before, Sultana is just a kitty.”

In Gaston’s defense, Sultana didn’t look like a typical cat. She had no hair, lots of wrinkles, and an impressive set of ears.

Gaston let out a high-pitched howl when Alice’s front door suddenly opened and a blue head popped in. “Knock, knock.”

Poor Carmen had probably been knocking for a while, but Alice hadn’t heard her over the mayhem.

“Come on in!”

Carmen held Alice’s dress in a clear plastic dry-cleaning bag. That sure was fast.

“Hold on,” Alice said, grabbing Gaston by his collar. “Let me put this hellhound in the backyard.”

By the time Alice returned, Carmen was sitting on the couch with Sultana curled up in her lap. “Where did you get this gorgeous creature?”

Finally, someone appreciated her cat. “From my neighbor, Dolly. Her little dachshund took one look at Sultana and had a stroke. The poor thing still walks with a limp.”

“Is she a sphynx?”

“Yes. And with my allergies, she’s the perfect pet for me.”

“You just dragged a hairy dog out—”

Alice sneezed. “It’s my mom’s. I’m pet sitting.”

She’d need to get to the pharmacy to pick up some more allergy meds tomorrow.

Carmen stroked Sultana and looked around. “Other than the dog and cat fight I walked in on, it’s pretty Zen in here. I like it.”

Alice was so pleased. She’d worked hard to make her little home comfortable. “My theme for this year is self-care.”

“Your years have themes?”

“Yes. Last year was self-sufficiency. I learned to change my own oil and can pickles.”

“Self-care sounds better,” Carmen said. “Although it can be exhausting.”

“So far, it’s great. I’ve been trying to relax more with meditation, yoga, and journaling.”

“See?” Carmen said. “Exhausting.”

Alice had been rather tired lately. “Since I’m self-partnered—”

“Self-partnered?”

“I don’t intend to ever get married.”

Carmen raised a fist in solidarity. “Sing it, sister.”

“I’m learning to be a devoted and caring partner to myself.”

“Excellent idea! Does this self-care involve sex toys?”

Alice’s cheeks warmed, which was stupid, because she was a grown woman in a relationship with herself, and sexual health was important. “Actually, yes.”

“Awesome. We’ll have to compare product notes. I just got a new vibrator.”

Alice didn’t quite know how to respond, so she simply said, “Orgasms improve the quality of your sleep.”

Carmen nodded enthusiastically, rubbing Sultana between her Yoda-esque ears, making the cat wince. Or at least Alice thought she was wincing. She kind of always looked like that.

“I have an app for sleep stories on my phone,” Carmen said. “My favorite one is read by Harry Styles.”

“I’ve heard of that app. Does it help?”

“Not really. Instead of getting sleepy, I just get horny because it’s Harry Styles. He’s got that accent going on.”

Alice laughed. “Maybe you should switch to a different narrator.”

“Wouldn’t be as fun,” Carmen said. “I swear, you and I have so much in common! Who would have thought?”

There was a brief pause in the conversation, and Alice felt the usual urge to fill it. “You didn’t need to rush having my dress cleaned. I don’t intend to wear it again until the next wedding, which isn’t for another six weeks.”

“It was no problem. I sent it out with dirty linens, and it came back with a load of tablecloths and napkins. We were so busy today that I paid for same-day service. I think we ran out of just about everything.”

Alice hung the dress, and then she filled the kettle to make tea. When she came back into the living room, Carmen was looking at her goal journal, which was wide open on the coffee table.

Alice gasped, even though there was nothing in it to be ashamed of. She just wasn’t . . . Well, shoot. It sounded childish, but she wasn’t used to people looking at her stuff.

“Sorry. It was right in front of me.”

“It’s okay,” Alice said. “I don’t have many guests. And when I do have guests, like book club, for example, I tend to be prepared. No fighting animals, and no diaries left out in the open.”

“Oh, shit,” Carmen said. “Is this a diary? It looks more like a to-do list.”

“It’s a goal journal, which is kind of like a diary—”

“It’s a to-do list. And it’s a hefty one. I especially like how you’ve planned spontaneity.” She pointed to a spot on the page. “Be more spontaneous. You wrote it right beneath zip-lining and . . .”

Carmen looked up, mouth open wide, eyebrows at the hairline. “You’re going to bring a date to Brittany’s wedding? It says Find a plus-one for Brittany’s wedding right here in angry red ink.”

Even Carmen, who didn’t know Alice all that well, recognized that this was an unusual move on Alice’s part. “Yes,” Alice sighed. “I’m afraid I need a date.”

“Who are you going to take?”

“No idea. Everyone is married or in a relationship.”

Carmen wrinkled her brow. “Yep. All the good ones are taken.”

“And a few of the bad ones,” Alice added.

Carmen sat up straight. “Oh my God. I know who you can take.”

“Who?”

“Beau Montgomery.”

Alice gasped, and then she started laughing. Because Carmen was hilarious.

“I’m serious. He’s the perfect choice!”

Alice couldn’t think of a less perfect choice. “Beau and I have absolutely nothing in common—”

“You’re self-partnered and not looking for a boyfriend. And Beau is definitely not boyfriend material. In fact, I hear he’s a player. And that’s what you want for a one-time date. Handsome guy. Loves a good time. No strings attached.”

That might be true. But just thinking about being on an actual date with Beau Montgomery made Alice perspire. And her knees felt a little shaky. An uninvited image of Beau’s bare chest popped into her head, and she sat down, fanning her face with her hands.

“Are