“Mae and I have had our struggles too.” Lynn takes a long pull from her beer. “Remember me talking about exes?”
I nod.
“Believe it or not, years ago, I swore I’d never get married.”
That grabs my attention. I tilt my head in disbelief. “You?I don’t believe it,” I say. “And you’re still going strong thirty-plus years later. Who would’ve thought?”
“Certainly not this freedom-seeking bird.” She laughs. “Mae and I had been dating for a few years, and she wanted to get married, but I wasn’t ready. How could I’ve been? Her family seemed to hate me before they met me because I’m a woman. They weren’t exactly fond that I didn’t share their culture either. They never admitted the second part out loud, but I could feel it.”
“What happened?”
Lynn pauses until a rowdy group of people passes. “One day, I gave Mae an ultimatum: no marriage or we were done, which went about as well as one could imagine. For as long as I’ve known her, she has always danced to the beat of her own drum. Her parents knew not to push her. I wish I had known. If you think Mae is prickly now, you should’ve seen her twenty years ago. Even her compliments sounded like commands. Anyway, everything became this massive clusterfuck fight ending with me pouring out my real reason for not committing—fear.”
Lynn continues, “She asked me if I loved her enough to work it out. I said no, because no matter how much we loved each other, I was terrified she’d end up listening to her parents and leave me anyway. Her side of the closet was empty before I could blink. Years later, we ran into each other at the Clean Energy Expo. She was married to someone who was everything I wasn't. But we worked out in the end.”
Sounds of crushing ice inside a blender catch my attention. The scent of orange juice and champagne teases my nose when the person next to me retrieves their drink. I didn’t know frozen mimosas existed. My focus shifts back to Lynn, who hadn’t stopped talking.
“The hardest part wasn’t forgiving myself.” Her face turns serious. “It was holding her again and realizing the time we’d lost. That was five years of kisses, arguments, and love I won’t get back. My advice? Give Basil some time, but don’t wait years like I did. If you love her, go get her. If she doesn’t love you back, then at least you won’t have to wonder.”
I nod. I know that feeling all too well. The more I think about how to get Basil back, the more discouraged I get. None of my scenarios end with an epic love story like Lynn and Mae’s.
“Wait. How did you two get back together?” I ask. “Let me guess: a good dose of courage and even better timing.”
“And luck.” She pushes her sunglasses over her eyes and makes a contemplative sound. “I heard the dumb bloke ran off withhersecretary. I happened to be in the job market and got an interview.” She chuckles, and that bright smile is back. “I didn’t get the position, but I got the girl.”
We fist bump. “I’m glad. You two seem great together.” I mean every word. I exhale a breath. “Thank you. That gives me hope.”
She does the same, an indication that storytime is over. Back to reality. “When you two are all made up, we’ll plan something fun. I like to think we’ve become friends.”
She swings an arm around my shoulders and gives me a reassuring hug. If only she knew the truth, the one that’s not mine to tell. I know how much Basil’s relationship with the Blakemans means to her, and I’ve already hurt her enough. The thought of never seeing Lynn or Mae again stings more than I care to admit.
I check the departure time on my ticket. “My flight leaves in two hours. I’m sorry, but I have to go.” I lift my beer in the air. “I wish I could stay and enjoy the view with you.”
Lynn taps her bottle against mine, and we take a final drink. After standing, she pats my back. “Come on. Let’s go grab the hog and I'll take you to catch your plane. He always makes me feel better.”
“Would it be okay if I took a quick shower at your place?” I’d rather not sit on a plane in my workout clothes.
“Of course. You’re welcome anytime.”
We begin our descent to the shore. Five minutes of silence later, Lynn shoves her hands in her pockets. “You know, me and Quilliam are really going to miss you. You’re a good person to be around. Promise me you’ll visit?”
I do my best to muster a smile through the sadness. I don’t know if she’ll feel the same way if she learns about Basil and me. Or if I’ll visit alone. Nonetheless, it’s a promise I plan to keep. “I will, friend.”
CHAPTER 27
BASIL
The last sixmonths have been hectic and exhausting, to say the least, but in a good way. It’s the dark, gloomy winter sky that makes me miss the perfect island weather. Seated in my office chair, I peer out the window. This afternoon, downtown is lacking its usual vibrancy. Being from Seattle, the frigid winds never bothered me much up until recently. I had always thought the city was beautiful even during the cold and wet days, but the view isn’t doing it for me right now.
My stomach growls, reminding me that I need food for survival. I have a meeting with the board of directors starting in less than thirty minutes, and I missed the window to have Jenn pick me up food. She’s a great personal assistant, but she’s not a miracle worker.
With a heavy exhale, I run my fingers through my hair, knowing I need to eatsomethingin order to focus. I scour through my desk drawers one after another, desperately searching for anything to curb my hunger until I get home tonight—whenever that is. Reaching into the depths of the last drawer, my fingers tap a plastic wrapper. It’s not empty. I yank the granola bar out and open it.
I didn’t imagine this promotion would bring such joy: expired chocolate-chip granola bars and a tiny bottle of juice from the networking event two months ago. Nibbling through the stale oats, I kick off my heels and try to relax during the rare moment of silence. This is my life now. Living with people but feeling alone. Meetings stacked on top of meetings—taking over my entire day and making it difficult to complete meaningful work.
Staying with Riley and Hazel hasn’t been awful, but being forced to look young love in the face every day while fighting off thoughts of Caroline is draining. A streak of anger zips up my spine, recalling the way my blood boiled when my mother showed me the manila folder, claiming for me to stop "playing house.” I still can’t believe Caroline betrayed me after I’d poured out my heart about being left at the altar. After all we went through, I trusted her. I fell inlovewith her. Was Caroline—assuming that's even her real name—going to tell me if my mother didn’t show up.
Someone knocks on my door, interrupting my date with the muted view of the city. Grumbling underneath my breath, I slam the wrapper in the trash. I hear three more quick taps against the door, followed by two heavier ones. Riley’s signature knock.
