Act your age. Even if it is all of twenty four years old.
Jonah’s got enough wisdom and existential dread for both of us.
Don’t flirt with Jeff. Just don’t.
Unless you want a licensed masseuse showing up at your doorstep. Or Jonah telling you off.
Come to me if you need help. Or cuddles and kisses.
Even people who have it all need cuddles sometimes. Especially them. Wink, wink.
I threw my head back and laughed. I laughed until my ribs hurt, until I was wheezing, bent over from the force of it. Going by the silence outside, Rosa, my housekeeper, seemed to still in the living room, possibly startled by this strange sound, while I leaned against the wall, tears in my eyes.
God, I hadn’t laughed like that in ages.
Lexi was cheeky. Reminding me, in writing, of all the blurred lines between us.
I carefully folded the napkin and placed it among my watches in the closet.
Despite everything that had happened, despite the impossibility of our situation, there was one woman I couldn’t wait to see.
26
LEXI
Friday morning began bright and early with Evie jumping on my bed before I had a chance to open my eyes. Evie and I had a small, unplanned dance party with her current favorite song playing on Alexa before we walked downstairs to the kitchen.
I thought I was doing a good job of handling the distance from Jonah.
Four days since he had said we’d need to keep our distance, and I’d only thought about texting him maybe a dozen times.
That was good. Progress, even.
“Daisy texted me,” Sasha said when we walked in, mentioning a mutual friend we loved to hang out with. She was sitting at the table, Cheerios and milk by her side. “She said she and Ella are meeting for coffee tomorrow and asked if we could meet up with them. It’s been months since we all met, and Daisy wanted to catch us up on her Europe trip.”
I ruefully shook my head. I had scheduled a dentist appointment for Evie in the morning, and afterward, I had to run to the grocery store to stock up on her favorite snacks for the week. I would need most of my Saturday to just finish uperrands, and then I’d use Sunday to catch up on cleaning our bedrooms and the bath.
“I would love to, but I can’t,” I said, helping Evie onto the chair while I set out bowls for her and me.
