distraction. Keep it simple, that was her mantra from here on out.
At least for the next eleven months.
Friday was one of the days Andie was on campus for her class, and she texted Mia to suggest they meet for lunch. They went to the student union as usual and got in line for hamburgers.
Mia had been thinking about the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park ever since she’d talked to her sister yesterday. The burgers at the student union were nowhere near good enough to satisfy her craving, unfortunately. There was a Shake Shack in Austin though. Maybe tomorrow she’d drive up and spend the day in the city. She needed some things from Sephora anyway. She could even go early and check out the farmers market Josh had mentioned. Possibly even splurge on some cheese.
“I heard you met the famous Wyatt King,” Andie said while Mia was eating her unsatisfying burger.
Mia took a drink of iced tea to wash down the stale, dry bun. “Is he famous?” she asked, wiping her mouth.
“Around here he is.” Andie’s lips twisted. “Famous for leaving a string of broken hearts across three counties.”
“Is this you trying to warn me off?” Mia asked, wondering if Andie’s had been one of the hearts he’d left broken.
“I wouldn’t dare,” Andie said. “Just so long as you know what kind of man you’re dealing with.”
“What kind of man is that?” Mia was curious to get Andie’s take on Wyatt. If he and her brother had been friends most of their lives, she must know him pretty well.
“Wyatt can be a great guy.” Andie shrugged as she reached for a french fry. “As a friend, he’s as loyal as it gets. But as a boyfriend? He’s basically the worst. He treats women like outfits to try on and discard whenever the mood strikes him. The guy’s got serious impulse control issues and the attention span of a squirrel. The second a tastier-looking nut comes along, he goes scampering after it.”
“Are you speaking from personal experience, perhaps?”
Andie laughed. “Me and Wyatt? Hell no. I’ve known him way too long to go barking up that tree. But I have a few friends who’ve had their hearts stomped by Hurricane Wyatt. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t end up one of them.”
“I appreciate the heads-up,” Mia said. “But you’ve got nothing to worry about. Wyatt’s not my type.”
She’d made up her mind about that for sure. Wyatt King wasn’t the kind of trouble she needed in her life right now.
Andie looked at her like she’d just announced that she despised puppies. “What, hot and charming aren’t your thing?”
Wyatt might be hot, but Mia hadn’t found his smarmy approach that charming. She’d been more charmed by Josh’s understated solicitude—until he’d withdrawn it, anyway.
But she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about Josh either. He was no more her type than Wyatt. Honestly, what was she thinking? The idea of her dating a goat farmer was too ridiculous to contemplate.
“Wyatt’s good-looking,” Mia allowed. “But the rest of it…the aggressive flirting and the constant…” She hesitated, searching for the right words.
“Neediness?” Andie suggested.
“I was thinking attention-seeking, but that works too. It’s exhausting, but also it strikes me as sort of—”
“Desperate?”
“Sad, actually.”
Andie snorted. “Sure.”
“Birdie told me about his mother dying when he was young. And I gather he doesn’t get along with his father.”
“Yeah, his dad’s a real piece of work.” Andie sucked on the straw in her diet soda. “But don’t buy too hard into the ‘poor little rich boy’ narrative. Wyatt grew up with pretty much every advantage a person can have, and he’s a hundred percent living the life he wants to live. He came out just fine.”
“Who told you I met Wyatt, anyway?” Mia couldn’t resist wondering if Josh had mentioned her to his sister. But also, maybe Andie knew why he’d started acting so cold around Mia.
“Birdie,” Andie said, dashing Mia’s hopes. “She told me about your bum AC. My condolences. I know what her guest bed is like.”
Mia’s neck gave a phantom twinge at the memory. “It was nice of her to let me stay.”
“I gather Josh and Wyatt drove to Austin yesterday to get you a new air conditioner.”
Mia hadn’t realized Josh had gone to Austin with Wyatt. “Are they really best friends?”
“Since first grade.”
“Huh.”
Andie looked up from picking through her french fries. “Why?”
“No reason.” Mia paused. “It just seemed like Josh wasn’t very happy when he showed up yesterday. I had the impression he might have been