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âBut when you shave,â Wallace rubbed at his own chin for good measure, âyou fit right in with those little sixteen-year-olds.â His smile was warm, a strong contender for the overwhelming summer sun. âCanât believe youâre a married man with a baby, Miles. God. Time flies, man.â Wallace stalled at Milesâ question, still facing forward as his memory filled in the landscape before them like overflowing paint. Nothing changed in Wallaceâs world. Miles was forever 23 and the bakery across the street still sold overpriced bagels. But his nose knew better and Miles was quick to remind him of his birthday every year. âWell,â Wallace ran a hand through his hair, âitâs going. Iâve been trying to keep up with my cooking skills actually. I know that sounds weird, but Mom helped me label everything so I donât dump garlic powder instead of cinnamonâwhich has totally not happened before,â he laughed. âUm. I⌠finished this audio book? The Art of Racing In The Rain. It made me cry like a bitch. I fully recommend. And,â he ducked his head in embarrassment. âI think I mightâve met someone. Maybe. Donât quote me on that or anything.â
âI know. Thatâs what Iâm saying â Iâm an old man now.â Miles shook his head, then added, âAnd married to Nick, no less.â The passage of time really did blow his mind; Miles could still remember his single, sad self spending every day with Wallace while Nick was away dealing with his own stuff like it was yesterday, not several years ago. âHey, thatâs awesome, man. And even if you did, you know Iâll try anything. Gimme all the garlic-infused mistakes you got.â He paused to take a sip of his drink and raised his eyebrows. Miles knew he couldnât see the borderline offended look on his face, but Wallace knew him well enough to pick up on exactly when he was being his dramatic self. That didnât mean Miles wasnât still going to flat out tell him, though. âI am downright wounded that you think I havenât read it yet. But Iâm glad you liked it. If you want to cry again you should check out A Dogâs Purpose next.â Book talk went out the window at the bomb Wallace dropped on him, and Miles leaned forward dramatically. âHooold on, whoa, back up.â Miles waved his hands in the air and then all but slammed them back down on the table, perhaps a bit too loudly, but he had to make it a point to Wallace. âYou metâ who?â He went full on mom mode during conversations like this with his friends, and Wallace knew better to bring it up if he didnât expect Miles to grill him for the details. âYou know you canât just drop this shit on me. Where did you meet them?â














