That's How it Happens

32. The Mirror Between Us

The lawn behind the Drakes' house was trimmed to perfection, the kind of dormant winter grass that looked intentional – like someone had told it to take a seasonal sabbatical. The trees were bare but stately, casting long shadows over the setup: a row of white bistro tables, gold-rimmed plates, and fleece-lined throws draped over the backs of chairs, like a catalog spread. The air was brisk enough to make the mimosas feel earned, but warm enough that no one had to pretend they liked being cold.

Ainsley sat with one leg tucked under her, watching Leo pass her the last of the strawberries. Liv was trying to convince Ethan to dance to the older country music, and Jackson was already two drinks in and enjoying the rare winter warmth in shorts and a hoodie.

Leo passes Ainsley another perfect strawberry. She'd expected things to be awkward. After what happened – the kiss that had started as a joke and ended as something else – she thought maybe they'd be tiptoeing around each other. But Leo hadn't changed. He still teased her, still passed her the good strawberries, and still knew her like nobody else.

There wasn't a label. Not yet. But they were definitely more. And somehow, the friendship had survived the shift. Maybe even deepened. She sighed and took a sip of her mimosa.

Leo's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and stood, stepping away from the group, his voice low.

"I found something. About Peter." Leo rolled his eyes. He wanted to say "obviously," but didn't have time for the sarcasm. He could feel Ainsley's eyes on him. He pressed the phone to his ear and looked around, making sure no one was around.

"...what kind of something?"

"Enough that you'd want to know. Do you want me to send it over?"

Leo looked back at Ainsley, her face lit up in the sun, laughing at something Jackson said.

"No. I don't want to know. I don't think Peter is an issue anymore, Eugene."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Thanks, though. You did a great job. I'll owe you a drink for keeping your mouth shut."

"Oh, that would be phenomenal." Eugene's nasally voice responded through the receiver. Again, Leo wondered what he had gotten himself into by bringing in the weird little man, but it was a price he'd pay.

They hung up. Leo took a breath, then walked back to the table.

Ainsley smiled up at him. "Everything okay?"

"Just the office. Nothing urgent." He smiled at her. "What is everyone talking about?"

Jackson leaned forward, eyes gleaming.

"We were talking about the time you took your mom's estrogen pills. How many times was it again?"

"Oh, come on! Not this again! I told you – it was an accident."

"How do you take that by accident?" Ethan asked.

"They were in his mom's aspirin bottle!" Jackson and Ainsley said in unison and laughed.

"He was so moody..." Jackson said, wiping his eyes.

"Oh my God, yes! He cried during a dog food commercial."

"That was a really sad commercial."

"It was not–it was supposed to be funny."

"To answer your question, Ethan, my moms had these fancy vitamins and she told me to take them every day. I grabbed the wrong bottle." Leo rubbed his hand down his face. "You two swore you'd never tell. I need new friends."

"Oh, we're just getting started."

She turned to Leo, eyes twinkling.

"Did Ainsley ever tell you about the time she tried to impress Marcus-the-Model-UN-guy by pretending she was fluent in French?"