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“What the hell is Bewitched?”

“It’s a classic sitcom! Comfort TV! You’ve never seen Bewitched?” To remove temptation, I went downstairs into the kitchen

“No, I rewatch Friends for comfort like everyone else who isn’t ninety Listen, it’s not weird to be friendly to a new neighbor Go say hi and welcohed “But no falling in love with him Give it at least a week”

“Haha” I opened the fridge and stared at the contents, possibly hoping to find a stray pie But the only sweet thing in there was my half-eaten chocolate Frosty fro out of it, which I didn’t think would e me so you can win the bet”

“I’ to win the bet anyway,” she said with confidence “I can’t believe you made it in the first place”

Honestly, I couldn’t either It must have been the vodka

Three ement imploded—Ellie and I went out for drinks, and I announced I earing off men

Ellie had laughed “Ha! You won’t last six months”

“Wanna bet?” I’d challenged, tossing back the rest ofvodka off the last olive on the bamboo pick

She’d raised one eyebrow “It’s May, Winifred You think you canin love? You?”

“Definitely,” I’d replied, and then hiccupped

“I admit,” Ellie said to me now on the phone, “I didn’t think you’d even make it to the Fourth of July”

“See?” I gloated, although generally, I did enjoy having a significant other on national holidays And bank holidays And especially Hallmark holidays

“But fall is coestively “Cuddle weather”

“Doesn’tthe fridge “I as”

“Glad to hear it But if you fall in love before Thanksgiving, you still owe ”

I shuddered I did not want to owe her the thing “I can absolutelyIn fact, let’s make it Christmas”

“Christ crazy You didn’t even like being single at Christrade”

“Well, this is an all-new Winifred talking And I a in love—not even with hbor” But apparently, I wasn’t capable of o check and see if the mail had come yet

I opened the front door, peeked intolot He was standing next to the truck, looking at his phone