Cora’s fingers shook so hard that she could barely respond to Vanessa and Winnie. She typed a ghost face emoji and about a thousand exclamation points, unable to put her thoughts into a coherent sentence. Her secret was out, and now her blog was going to be flooded with hundreds of haters.
Winnie texted back immediately. “Don’t worry, we got your back, sister.”
FOURTEEN
“Sydney, stay, darling. Stay. Stay. Stay.” Fran backed away from her dog slowly, chanting the word and holding her hand up, as if giving Sydney a blessing. He watched her move away for a few steps and then followed her.
Cora interrupted her. “Fran, say ‘stay’ once. If you do it right, he won’t need you to repeat it. Set him up to succeed, say itonceand believe that he can do it. And yes, that sounds totally woo-woo.”
“I love it when you get woo-woo. I’m woo-woo. Just look at all of the totems, guards, and gods all over my house,” Fran said, pointing to a shelf crowded with statues of Buddha, Durga, Freya, two bright blue foo dogs, and Bastet. “I’m wearing a healing crystal around my neck! I am the very definition of woo-woo.”
“Well, maybe all of that spiritual energy will help you guys get this one right. Try it one more time, and then I promise you’re done for today.”
The pair aced their final attempt. Cora was pleased that Sydney was making progress despite Fran’s endearing flightiness.
“Okay, that’s a perfect place to end. Nice work! Now let’s go over homework.”
“Before we do, I want to talk to you about something,” Fran said, sounding excited. “You’ve heard of Santiago Rivera, yes?”
“The Latin drummer? Sure, I know of him, but I don’t really know his music.”
“Did you know that he got his start in DC? He’s doing an invitation-only miniconcert to kick off his tour at Café Fuego, which is part of one of our properties. One of my job perks is I get to attend these types of events, and I would love it if you could come, too, darling!”
“Wow, that would be amazing!”
“Wonderful! And I’m suresomeonewill be very happy that you’re going to be there.”
“What do you mean?” Cora asked.
“Shit!” Fran covered her mouth. She sighed. “I might as well spill it. Girl power, sisterhood, and all of that, right?” She paused. “You know Eli from my office?”
Cora nodded.
“He thinks you’re lovely.”
Cora’s eyes widened before she could get her reaction in check. The Human Blur liked her? Why hadn’t she picked up on it at Beth Ann’s?
Fran continued, looking stricken. “Pleasedon’t let on that I told you!”
“Scout’s honor.”
Fran leaned toward Cora conspiratorially. “Since we’re on the subject ... what do you think of him?”
“Well, Ihaven’tthought of him, really. He seems nice but—”
“Are you seeing someone? I’m sorry, how rude of me not to ask first.”
“No, I’m actually single. Painfully single.” She pictured Charlie’s face but quickly dismissed it.
“Hooray, darling! Allow me to give you some background on him.” She paused. “He is awonderfulperson. He’s an incredibly hard worker. He’s a team player. He is resourceful—”
“It sounds like you want me to hire him!”
“Whoops, it does. On to the juicy bits, then. He’s the most emotionally intelligent man I’ve ever met. He has three younger sisters so hegetswomen. He’s surrounded by women in our office and he navigates our hot flashes with ease. He’s been elected the office’s unofficial psychiatrist, so everyone goes to him with their troubles. He’s bloody hysterical, in a really weird way—you have to learn his sense of humor, so at first some of what he says will sound bizarre. He’s a ... a good egg. Iadorehim. And the two of you together? My heart would explode with joy.”
“That’s quite the endorsement! I will certainly, uh, keep it in mind.” Cora thought about how she enjoyed hanging with Eli while waiting for Beth Ann. Eli was sweet, yes, but could anyone compete with Charlie Gill? Particularly a quirky good egg with a big brother vibe.
Fran studied Cora’s face. “If you’re into guys like that alpha male Aaron, it’s likely Eli isn’t your type. But please, just give him a chance. Trust me, darling, little by little he’ll win you over if you let him.”
