Chapter Text
Megan
Even though Megan wasn’t officially a detective—just a receptionist and the boss’s right hand who handled all the paperwork—after so many years working with Julie she’d picked up some tricks and learned a new way of looking at mysteries. Still, no matter how many cases they solved, the biggest mystery of all was Julie herself. Ironically, the more Megan found out about her, the more questions she had.
There was one huge difference between Megan and Julie —one that made them work great as a team.
Megan didn’t exactly have a super-analytical mind or that laser stare that could expose every sleazy cheater, scammer, or shady businessman. What she did have was a quiet, subtle talent for reading emotions people tried to bury deep down.
Julie on the other hand… Julie was the most emotionally closed-off person Megan had ever met. And even though she could tell with scary accuracy who lied, when, and how, she struggled a lot with understanding why when things got more delicate.
Over the years, that’s exactly when Megan’s presence came in handy—especially her gentle way of slipping Julie some hints. In the end, cases got solved, money hit the account, and they could celebrate another win.
When Charles showed up, everything suddenly got more intense. He had all of their best traits combined, and Megan watched with curiosity how he—sometimes gently, sometimes less so—left his mark on Julie’s life.
Julie tried to pretend she wasn’t affected by him, constantly repeating that they didn’t even have to take the Pacific View job, that it was more trouble than it was worth, that she was wasting time listening to the pseudo-theories of a lonely old grump.
Megan just listened patiently, nodding without much reaction. Julie didn’t seem to notice one tiny detail—her complaining was mixed with excited explanations of the latest theory she and Charles came up with; with calling Megan into the office just to play a bit of one of his long rambles that had nothing to do with the case but made her laugh; with extra trips to Pacific View that didn’t add anything new, but she still spent hours there. (More than once, Megan bit her tongue to stop herself from pointing out that Julie didn’t need to show up every time with an armful of sweets.)
Along with Charles came a whole bunch of colorful characters. To Megan’s surprise, Julie instantly seemed to like and respect Emily. And Charles’s new friends were fascinating - each one of them had such a rich story and personality they could easily be the stars of a whole book series or movies. Megan would be their biggest fan. Or at least the second biggest, right after Julie—who, pretending to be annoyed, kept telling her newest employee to calm down and act like an impartial observer, yet still listened to all his stories with interest… and when he left, spent a good chunk of time reading through his notes.
There was something else that caught Megan’s attention from day one and wouldn’t leave her mind.
After helping Charles move to Pacific View, Julie had been unusually talkative and told Megan everything with almost ridiculous detail. Or… almost everything. Most of her stories were variations of: Didi said… Didi claims… Didi showed me…
Once again, Megan listened way more than she commented. It didn’t take long for everyone to agree that Didi was going to be their biggest obstacle.
More than once, Megan walked in on Julie analyzing the notes they’d put together about the center’s director. At first, it made sense—they had to go through everything thoroughly. But each time after that only raised more questions for Megan.
“Do you suspect her? You think she’s involved in all this?” she finally asked one evening when she stopped by Julie’s office to say goodbye and found her hunched over a folder with Didi’s photo on it.
“What?” Julie practically jumped in her chair, snapped out of deep thought, and slammed the folder shut in one sweeping motion. “No! No… I just… I’m thinking.”
“Okay..?” Megan frowned, watching her for a moment. Julie avoided her eyes like she was embarrassed to be caught doing something she shouldn’t, and then started rearranging things on her desk—things that had already been organized with the precision of someone who might have OCD. “Anyway, see you tomorrow.”
Julie waved her off with a distracted grunt, still pretending to be busy “organizing.”
On her way out, Megan glanced through the office’s glass wall just in time to see Julie toss the folder into a drawer and slam it shut with force. Interesting.
Even though they all agreed on a plan to avoid drawing too much attention from Didi, neither Charles nor Julie could stick to it. Charles had a talent for getting himself into new situations that required Didi’s intervention, and Julie… well, Julie just seemed to want to see how far she could push her luck.
Every visit to Pacific View ended the same way. More stories about Didi this, Didi that.
“Did you even see Charles today?” Megan finally interrupted her halfway through another rant.
“Yes, for a moment, yes,” Julie answered quickly, clearing her throat, and then—as if someone dumped cold water on her—she suddenly shifted into a strict, detached breakdown of their next theories.
In all their years working together, Megan had never heard Julie sound as panicked as she did when she called to say they were aborting the operation because Didi seemed suspicious. Even though Megan liked her desk job, guarding the fort while everyone else was “in the field,” this time she would’ve paid good money to be there and see how everything played out.
Unfortunately, all she got was the story after the fact—and the aftermath—when Julie returned to the office late that evening, collapsed onto the couch, and stared up at the ceiling defeated. Megan leaned against the desk across from her, waiting patiently.
“This has never happened before,” Julie said after a moment, her face stuck somewhere between fear and fascination.
“But you solved the case, that’s what matters,” Megan replied calmly, watching her with interest.
“Yes, that’s what matters,” Julie repeated, clearly unconvinced, then added more quietly but very firmly, “This has never happened before.”
True. And it was getting more and more interesting.
While Megan finished up the last documents for the client and archived the mountain of papers they’d gathered over the past month, she kept wondering what Julie planned to do next. Not just about Charles—who had basically become a permanent part of the team, and it was hard to imagine work without him now—but also about everything that had happened at Pacific View…
Even though she and the Professor had managed to convince Julie to enjoy the victory, the atmosphere was still… surprisingly heavy at times.
“At least I won’t have to see Didi again,” Julie said suddenly, tossing a stack of papers onto her desk. With her hands on her hips, she looked at Megan expectantly, as if waiting for a reaction. “I told her that straight up. I think the feeling’s mutual.”
“If you say so,” Megan replied, not entirely convinced, shaking her head. Julie opened her mouth to say something, but quickly gave up and turned away, ending the conversation.
What she didn’t realize was that Megan was still watching her. Just like when Mr. Cubbler informed them—practically gloating—that Didi had resigned and at least someone would face consequences. Julie tried to keep a poker face, focusing more on Charles’s reaction, but Megan caught the way her eyes widened in genuine shock, and how she clenched her jaw as she endured the client’s comments. Megan wasn’t surprised at all when it took only a few sentences from Charles to convince her they needed to step in again. She was pretty sure Julie would’ve taken matters into her own hands sooner or later anyway.
But before they left to corner Didi in the café, Charles got a call from his daughter, and Julie started pacing around the office, looking more stressed by the minute. She stopped by Megan’s desk several times, only to walk away again after a few seconds without saying a word.
“You know, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to,” Megan finally said quietly, leaning forward across the desk and sneaking a glance toward the Professor to make sure he wasn’t listening. “I know you promised him, but we both know he can handle it on his own.”
“Yes, yes, I know,” Julie muttered, stopping again—only to start nervously adjusting her necklace.
“Last chance to decide.”
“I said I’d go, so I’m going,” Julie answered firmly, though her voice trembled a little. “Honestly… I feel guilty.”
That was new. Megan must not have hidden her reaction very well, because Julie rolled her eyes the second she looked at her.
“We messed things up too much…” she admitted after a moment. “And Didi… Didi is really good at her job. Her leaving isn’t going to help anyone.”
“Ready?” Charles asked, joining them and sliding his phone into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Julie nodded silently and walked past him toward the elevator. The Professor gave Megan a quick smile, as she leaned forward a bit more, shouting after Julie:
“Good luck!”
You’re gonna need it… Megan thought, shaking her head.
They did it, though. Megan didn’t know exactly what they’d said, but they pulled off another success. When Charles later told them that the whole Pacific View was relieved, Julie didn’t comment—didn’t say a single word—but Megan saw the faint smile she tried to hide as she bent over her laptop, pretending to focus on something important.
Charles officially joined the team, not that it took much convincing for anyone involved. One subtle suggestion from Megan was all it took—Julie didn’t even try to brush it off. It was like she wanted him onboard but needed an excuse to make it official.
The Professor kept visiting Pacific View regularly, patching up his relationship with most of the residents and staff. And Megan didn’t miss the way Julie casually asked how was everyone doing after almost every one of his visits. But she never once said Didi’s name, as if speaking it aloud too many times would summon the woman like some kind of ghost or demon. Beetlejuice style.
It was starting to get annoying. If Megan weren’t at least a little scared of her boss, she would’ve told her to get a grip a long time ago. She almost did a few times, but one icy look from Julie was enough to send her back to the reception desk, hoping that maybe next time she’d be braver.
After a few months, she figured it was probably best to forget the whole thing.
And then suddenly everything was getting complicated again.
“Tomorrow, after i visit Charles at Wheeler College, I won’t come straight back to the office,” Julie said, standing in the doorway of her office, leaning against the frame. “I need to stop by Pacific View.”
“Oh?” slipped out of Megan’s mouth as her fingers froze above the keyboard in mid-word.
“Didi called,” Julie added hesitantly, biting her lip. “She asked me to come by and talk.”
Interesting…
“And… you said yes?”
“Yes.” Julie shrugged.
“What happened to ‘I hope we never see each other again’?” Megan laughed—but immediately dropped the smile when Julie shot her another freezing look.
“Maybe she has a job for us. Business is business.”
“If you say so,” Megan replied in her default neutral tone—the one that usually worked best.
“Everything will be fine,” Julie said as she headed back into her office.
Megan was almost certain she was talking to herself, not to her.
Surprisingly, nothing happened after that first meeting. Julie came back to the office, told her they’d landed a new gig, gave her a couple of instructions, and then shut herself behind the glass doors, spending most of the day glued to her laptop or stuck on the phone. Megan started wondering if maybe she’d blown the whole thing out of proportion in her own head out of pure boredom, and there really wasn’t anything to stress about.
But her first instinct turned out to be right when Julie came back from Pacific View for the second time. “Came back” was way too gentle a term… She stormed out of the elevator like a thunderclap, tossed her bag onto the nearest chair, deep in thought but also very clearly pissed off.
“Everything good at Pacific View?” Megan asked carefully, keeping a safe few steps of distance.
“Maybe,” Julie snapped. “What do you remember about Didi Santos Cordero?”
“ Beloved leader, caught you red-handed. Called you a remorseless, bottom-feeding, two-faced rat in an email I deleted before you read it.”
“I read it. She hated me, right?”
“Until you and Charles went and apologized. Anything i can help with?”
“No.”
Standard Julie. Megan hadn’t expected anything else. Julie spent the next few hours barricaded in her office, working on something with full focus, but completely ignoring everything else going on. She even brushed Charles off when he called with new info on the Wheeler College case. Then she left the building with the same level of dramatics she’d entered with.
Megan didn’t even have to ask.
She tactically decided she’d stay a bit longer that evening, even after finishing work, once again cleaning her desk and reading old emails.
It paid off when Julie came back, this time with completely different emotions — though she still tossed her stuff on the reception desk like she was Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada. But now she looked like a scared, scolded puppy. Megan honestly wondered for a second how on earth anyone (including herself) was ever afraid of this woman.
Julie sat for a moment in the dark office with her head hanging, like she was licking her battle wounds. Then she started hammering at the keyboard like her life depended on it. Megan watched her patiently through the glass wall.
“You can come in,” Julie finally said quietly — so quietly Megan wouldn’t have heard it if she hadn’t been waiting for that exact moment.
She calmly sat down across from her desk.
“What happened this time?” she asked, trying her best not to let the smile creeping onto her face escape.
Julie stared at her for a moment, as if trying to decide how much she wanted to admit, and then suddenly threw her hands in the air, half-yelling:
“She said I’m cuckoo bananas! Who even talks like that?!”
“Well… she is a medical professional,” Megan said — losing the battle with herself and grinning.
“Hilarious,” Julie growled, hiding her face in her hands.
“Can I ask what exactly made her call you that?”
Julie froze, cheeks flushing slightly — which only entertained Megan more.
“I may have come in with a theory she… uh… wasn’t very fond of.”
“Oh, Julie… again?”
“It’s not my fault!” Julie shot back, offended. “This woman clearly couldn’t stand me and suddenly she wants to hire me and chat about random stuff… It’s suspicious.”
“Maybe she’s just being nice?”
“Oh, sure. Megan, nobody randomly changes their behavior like that without some hidden motive.”
“And what would that hidden motive be, exactly?”
Julie stayed silent for a moment, clearly not wanting to answer. Megan just raised a brow at her, making it very clear this conversation was happening whether Julie liked it or not.
“I thought she was trying to set me up and use it against me, make me miss something in the new-hire screenings, undermine my skills, and embarrass the firm.”
“Oh, Julie…” Megan sighed again.
“I know, I know…” Julie muttered, slumping back in her chair, head tilted up to the ceiling, too embarrassed to keep looking at Megan. “Well, she straightened me out real quick. Told me I’ve got trust issues and should go to therapy. Then gave me her own diagnosis.”
Megan let out a quiet whistle. She regretted never getting to meet Didi in person — the woman clearly didn’t sugarcoat anything, at least not when it came to Julie. Honestly, it was impressive.
“Maybe…” Megan started cautiously, still smiling a little. “Maybe next time, instead of charging straight into her office with another… not-so-solid theory, you come talk to me first? I’d tell you the same thing, just… you know… a little gentler.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Julie said sarcastically, still avoiding her eyes. Then she waved her off toward the door, clearly done talking.
Megan headed out but stopped halfway, turning back toward her.
“She really got under your skin, huh?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah… you could say that,” Julie mumbled.
Megan never would’ve guessed that out of all possible days, her wish to finally meet Didi would come true on Thanksgiving. She only accepted Julie’s invitation because she knew it was going to be some prime, high-quality drama. And somehow they all ended up stepping through Charles’s front door. Julie briefly introduced them to the rest of the guests, then subtly moved closer to Megan and grabbed her firmly by the elbow.
“Didi’s here,” she hissed quietly, right before Mona swept her and Vanessa off to the kitchen.
Megan scanned the room and within a second found the source of her boss’s panic attack. Didi was already watching her with obvious curiosity, smiling a little when their eyes met. There was something sincere and piercing in her face — Megan immediately understood a bit better why Julie was so rattled by her.
For most of the evening, Megan felt like one of those National Geographic researchers observing strange behavior in wild animals. The Nieuwendyk family was fascinating on their own, but her attention kept drifting toward the two most interesting creatures in the room.
Julie and Didi must’ve silently agreed to avoid each other at all costs. And it worked… halfway. Megan didn’t see them exchange a single word, but they constantly hovered within each other’s line of sight, sneaking glances whenever the other wasn’t looking.
A few hours passed before Megan noticed Julie — eyes locked on Didi like a hawk — down the rest of her wine in one go and march straight toward her, completely ignoring everything around her.
Megan honestly didn’t know if she should start dialing the cops or an ambulance.
She decided to keep observing from a safe distance. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hear a thing because Mona had suddenly decided that right now was the perfect moment to entertain Calbert with another one of her stories.
Their exchange didn’t even last two minutes. But from those two minutes Megan derived a brand-new, surprisingly accurate theory: Julie had clearly gotten under Didi’s skin too.
Didi brushed past Julie at a brisk pace, practically vibrating, like she might explode. Megan strategically stepped in to block her path. If she wanted answers, she had to get them herself — Julie would never volunteer anything.
“You work with Julie?” Didi asked bluntly.
“Eight years.”
“She’s weird, isn’t she?”
“Oh God, you have no idea.”
Megan casually mentioned she had plenty of stories she could share, and Didi took the bait instantly, like she’d been waiting for it.
And honestly? Megan hadn’t had this much fun in ages. Sure, she was kinda betraying Julie’s trust, but she carefully picked stories that didn’t get too personal — just enough to confirm that yes, Didi was absolutely right, Julie was one of the weirdest people either of them had ever met.
Didi seemed genuinely invested, hanging on every word. So Megan wasn’t surprised at all when the conversation shifted toward Julie’s personal life.
Bingo.
With surprising subtlety — though at that point Megan wasn’t really bothering with subtlety anymore — she told her the story about the ex, plus a few others that made Julie look loyal, intense, and complicated. She saw something flicker in Didi’s eyes that told her she’d only confirmed whatever theory Didi already had brewing.
What surprised her more was that, after a while, they weren’t talking about Julie anymore. Megan found herself sharing pieces of her own life, and Didi still listened with the same focus. No wonder Charles, Emily, and everyone else spoke so highly of her.
The side effect of the wine Didi had swiped before they slipped out onto the patio showed up during dinner — in the form of Megan being a little too honest.
“I’m grateful for my new friend Didi,” Megan announced, grinning directly at her. Didi smiled back, tilting her head with a cute, slightly shy expression.
“New friend?” Julie asked, her voice calm in this unnerving, artificial way that always gave Megan goosebumps. “What were you two talking about?”
“Nothing,” Megan answered immediately, sneaking a glance at Didi, who straightened a little in her chair.
“Can we talk in private?” Julie added, stabbing her with an icy stare.
“No, thank you.”
Megan silently thanked Vanessa for jumping in before Julie had the chance to press her further. The fact that the interruption triggered an even bigger, MUCH bigger drama — well, that wasn’t Megan’s problem anymore. If anything, she figured Julie had more important things on her plate than taking revenge for a harmless conversation with Didi.
Unsurprisingly, the evening wrapped up not long after. Julie ignored them all on purpose, standing tall and wrapping herself in her coat as she waited outside for an Uber. Megan said a quiet goodbye before heading down the steps toward her own ride, just as it swapped places with Apollo’s car on the driveway.
“Hey, Megan!” she heard behind her and spun around. Didi had darted down the stairs, bumping Julie’s shoulder on the way — Julie shot her a look sharp enough to turn someone to stone. Didi stopped in front of Megan with a bright smile.
“Thanks for today. Really,” she said, then reached to open the Uber door for her. Megan glanced over Didi’s shoulder at Julie, who was glaring at them, arms crossed.
“I hope we stay in touch? It’s hard to meet someone in adulthood that you actually want to be friends with.”
“We will,” Megan said firmly, deciding not to worry — at least for a moment — about what Julie might think.
“Great.” Didi smiled even wider, helping her get into the car. Then added, a bit quieter, “She’s not riding with you, right?”
Megan shook her head. They both knew that was for the best.
“Text me when you get home,” Didi said, and closed the door behind her.
Before Megan even showed up at work again, she had an entire speech rehearsed in her head—exactly what she was going to tell Julie about her brand-new friendship with her nemesis.
When she walked into the office, Julie was already at her desk, sipping coffee and staring at her laptop with boredom. Megan headed straight toward her, stopping right in front of the desk and leaning on it hoping she looked confident and assertive. Julie lifted her brows at her in surprise.
“So, about Thanksgiving…” Megan started rambling at the speed of light, afraid she wouldn’t be able to explain herself otherwise. So much for looking cool. “You really don’t have to—”
“Stop.” Julie raised a hand, instantly and sharply silencing her.
Megan straightened up and took two steps back, completely thrown off. Julie let out a long sigh and walked around the desk to stand closer to her.
They stared at each other for a moment before Julie spoke again.
“You don’t need to explain anything to me. I trust you.” Her voice wavered just a bit, like saying it out loud cost her a lot. “I really do trust you. And Didi… she’s nice. I knew you two would get along.”
Megan knew Julie had been working on herself for months—and it was becoming more obvious every day. She assumed Didi’s diagnosis and Charles gently but steadily invading more of her personal life had finally pushed her in the right direction.
But apparently Megan hadn’t noticed the positive change in her direction.
“Oh.” Megan exhaled quietly—relieved she didn’t have to give her whole speech, but a little sad she’d wasted so much time writing it in her head. Then she smiled brightly and added, meaningfully, “You’re my friend too, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Julie muttered with a soft, awkward laugh, looking away. “Can we start working now?”
“Sure thing, boss.”
They never returned to the subject—and more importantly, when Megan eventually said she couldn’t stay late because she had plans with Didi, Julie didn’t comment at all beyond wishing her a nice evening.
Only after the Wheeler College case, while they were secretly planning a surprise party for Charles, did Julie wander over and sit on the corner of her desk with visible hesitation.
“You’re still in touch with Didi, right?”
Megan hummed a confirmation—just to be safe.
“Did you tell her about our plans?”
A few hours earlier, they’d made a guest list—as if they were inviting half the city—and Julie herself suggested that it would mean a lot to Charles if Didi showed up. Megan wrote her name down, but decided not to get involved further, waiting for Julie’s next step.
“No, not yet,” she said with a small smile.
“Okay.” Relief washed over Julie’s face as she hopped off the desk. “Then don’t text her. I… I think I should invite her myself.”
Megan watched her nervously pace two circles around her office before grabbing her phone. She turned her back to Megan so wouldn’t see her reaction.
Megan held her breath, ready for potential yelling—just in case the conversation went sideways again.
But nothing happened.
A moment later, Julie put her phone down, visibly relaxing.
Seconds later, Megan’s phone buzzed. She already knew what she’d see.
J just invited me to Charles’s party. WTF?
Megan grinned, shaking her head, and typed back:
She’s trying.
When she looked up, she caught Julie watching her through the glass wall—uncertain, almost nervous.
Megan genuinely believed Julie was trying, which is why, when she saw Julie once again approach Didi to talk to her directly, she decided she wouldn’t eavesdrop. Whatever happened—happened.
It wasn’t until the food delivery guy called from downstairs that she walked past them. Okay—fine—maybe she could eavesdrop a bit. But she was too late. She ran into Julie who had a huge smile she didn’t even try to hide. And when she looked at Didi right after—she saw the exact same thing: happiness mixed with honest disbelief.
Megan burst out laughing.
“Told you,” she sing-songed, leaning over her.
“Oh, okay,” Didi said, still visibly stunned.
After a long internal debate and a mental list of pros and cons, Megan decided she wasn’t going to ask either of them for details. As Charles liked to say, some things sort themselves out.
So she waited, quietly collecting small puzzle pieces, like:
- Julie spending twice as much time staring at her phone (now usually with a shy little smile).
- Every time Megan talked to Didi on the phone, she heard the same excited question: “How’s Julie doing?”
- A short note—“dinner plans”—that appeared in Julie’s shared calendar. Friday evening. No details.
So Megan wasn’t surprised at all when, that Friday, Julie packed up much earlier than usual and announced she was done for the day. Megan wished her a nice evening—still not asking any questions—but decided she’d stay late, just in case Julie’s inner demons decided to sabotage the whole thing.
Once again, Megan was right. She should really stop being surprised.
A little over an hour later, Julie walked back into the office. She stopped mid-step, frowning at Megan.
“You’re still here.”
“Mhm.” Megan hummed. “And you shouldn’t be.”
Julie shifted her weight anxiously from foot to foot. She looked adorable—softer than usual, with her hair down. Gone was the severe business suit, replaced by light jeans, a pastel loose-fit shirt with rolled-up sleeves. She looked more like she had while visiting Pacific View, except this time she wasn’t performing—she was just herself.
“Yeah, I…,” Julie cleared her throat and gestured toward her office, “I forgot I still had something to do.”
Any other day, that might’ve been believable. But for the past week, they had an unwritten pact: everything had to be wrapped up before Friday evening.
“Right,” Megan sighed, standing up and grabbing her laptop. “Come on.”
Julie followed her cautiously to the couch and sat beside her with clear hesitation.
“Did you do today’s Wordle?” Megan asked casually, opening her laptop.
Julie shot her a unimpressed look, but for once Megan didn’t even flinch.
“You have no idea what you’re missing. But don’t worry, we’ll fix that,” Megan said playfully.
The actual activity didn’t matter—what mattered was pulling Julie out of her anxiety spiral.
And Megan nailed it on the first try.
Before they knew it, they’d gone through Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, Sudoku, Strands, and Pips. Julie was sitting cross-legged, leaning against Megan’s shoulder for a better view of the screen, though she still kept nervously squeezing her phone in her hand.
Megan checked the time—and she could feel Julie doing the same.
“You should get going,” Megan said gently, patting her knee. “You don’t want to be late.”
“You’re right,” Julie breathed, standing slowly, like she was fighting with herself. She grabbed her bag and smoothed her shirt anxiously.
“You look really pretty,” Megan said honestly, keeping her tone as soft as possible.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Megan laughed. “Trust me, you’ll have a good time.”
“Thanks for…” Julie waved a hand vaguely at her. “For this.”
An hour of emotional babysitting.
“No problem.”
Julie nodded, took another deep breath, and turned toward the door.
Megan decided to take the risk.
“Juls,” she called after her.
Julie froze, glancing back over her shoulder.
“Say hi to Didi for me.”
“How—” Julie looked like a terrified teenager whose parents had just caught her smoking. “How did you—”
“Seriously?” Megan gave her a look that basically said don’t insult me. She pointed at the elevator. “Go. And for the love of god, Julie, relax. It’s just a date.”
When Megan finally got home—arms full of enough Chinese food to help survive the entire weekend—her phone buzzed in her coat pocket. She struggled with the bag and her keys, , unlocked the screen, and grinned at the notification.
Didi says hi back.