“Jason, don’t you know? With me, you can have everything. You can have love and pancakes. And I’ll never serve you bacon.”

“That sounds like the perfect way to start every single day.”

After breakfast, and after post-breakfast experiments in other uses for syrup, followed by a long, hot shower, my phone rings. When I see it’s Ryder’s number, I take the call. But I don’t feel desperate. I’m simply curious.

And that’s a welcome change.

“Hey, Ryder, how’s it going?” I ask as I settle onto the couch while Truly gets dressed.

“Great. Apologies for calling on a Sunday, but sometimes business moves at either the speed of tar, or of the Concorde.”

“And never at the speed you want when you want it.”

“That’s the truth. Listen, I apologize for the cryptic message yesterday. I couldn’t say much because of the changes going on here.”

“No worries.”

“Here’s the deal though. We’re expanding. And I’m taking on a new role. I’m heading up programming for all of the shows and podcasts, so I’m taking a step back from the day-to-day hosting roles.”

“Congrats. Sounds like a good gig.”

“It’s a great one. We’re starting new shows, a couple of food podcasts, some restaurant reviews, and a new beer podcast we picked up. An affable fellow Brit is hosting that one.”

I furrow my brow. “Marcus?”

“Yes, that’s him. He knows his stuff.”

“I thought he was . . .” I trail off, not bothering to finish with taking my job. Assume nothing—that’s what I tell my guys. But in retrospect, I’d like to laugh at myself. Because that role makes perfect sense for Marcus. There’s no one better to host a beer podcast.

“And I’d like you to cohost with me.”

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, my jaw clangs to the floor. “You want me to be your Consummate Wingman cohost?”

“Yes. I do. Is that too much work? Can you fit it in with what you’ll be doing for Valerie? It won’t start for another few weeks. That’s why I told you I don’t need you this week. I want to work on some formatting changes to accommodate the next setup.”

“Yes. Yes. I say yes!”

He laughs. “Well, that was easy.”

“And it goes against all my own advice. Don’t let on how eager you are. But the cat’s out of the bag. I’m eager. I want this. And I’ll do a great job.”

“Excellent. We’ll set up some meetings to brainstorm.”

When I hang up, Truly pokes her head out of the bedroom, tugging her wet hair back into a ponytail. “What was that all about?”

I tell her the good news, and she throws her arms around me. “I knew it. I totally knew it.”

I look down at her outfit. “Why are you wearing exercise clothes? You just showered.”

“I know. I can’t very well do Punk Rope with sticky syrup on me. Gross.” Her eyes light up. “Hey, why don’t you come to class with me? It’s near your place, so you can grab some shorts there.”

I say yes to her offer too. Obviously. It’s what we’ve always done. It’s what I hope we’ll always do.

As we head over to the exercise class, I take her hand. “So, I’ve been thinking about all this good fortune that’s fallen my way in the last twenty-four hours.”

“Well, you are a gold mine. It makes sense that everyone wants to mine you.”

“But what I’ve been noodling on is my promise to you. How I want to help support your dreams too. I had an idea for you.”

She stops, tilts her head, and looks at me curiously. “Go on.”

“It’s about your bar concept.”

50

Truly

That afternoon, I head over to Charlotte’s bar, when my phone pings with a text.

It’s from my guy.

Jason: Good luck. I can't wait to hear how it goes.

Truly: I can’t wait to tell you.

I put my phone away, loving the certainty that he’ll be here for me however this goes.

When I reach the Lucky Spot, I walk straight over to my best friend. It’s early, so it’s not crowded yet.

“Hey, you!”

“I have a brilliant idea.”

“I happen to like brilliant ideas. Do tell.”

I point to her, then to me. “You. Me. Parisian-themed bar. What do you think?”

She gasps . . . says nothing . . . just stands there, bug-eyed. Finally, she finds words. “That. Sounds. Kick-ass.”

I smile. “I know, right? Two awesome women running a brand-new place together. We’d do a great job. Don’t you think?”

“We’d do an amazing job.”

“And screw investors. I have some money saved.”

“I’ve got plenty saved too.”