I grimace, then lay my head on the cool wood of the bar. “I went for a coffee with Jane today because I had to tell her that I’d permanently moved out of the apartment. She’s been hassling me, and I needed to talk to her about what’s going to happen with the lease. You know, I never realized just how mad she is.” I mumble into the surface. “She talked about how we were best friends and how she wants me to move back in. Des was right about how oblivious she is.” I lift my head and peer at Sadie. She swims a bit. “She said she misses me.”
“Are yougoingto move back in?”
“God, no. I only just escaped with my life as it was.”
Shit, I shouldn’t have said that.
But Sadie doesn’t appear surprised or even ask any questions. She picks up her orange juice and clinks it against my glass. “Well, cheers,” she says. “Here’s to escaping your ex.”
I laugh. That sounds like an awesome toast to me, and I down the whiskey in one.
“Have you ever had a long-term relationship?” I say. She shakes her head, and I make a face at her. I find that very hard to believe. I study a toffee-colored lock of hair curling over one shoulder. Sadie is warm, funny … delightful really. “Why not?”
“I just never …” She trails off and swallows. “My mom works three jobs, and if I could do anything to relieve her of that burden, I did it. All my spare time was spent waitressing or cleaning.”
“Makes sense. I did some of that kind of work in college, too.” I fiddle with my empty glass. “Didn’t mind it, to be honest.”
“Me neither. I used to listen to audiobooks.”
I grin. “Now why does that not surprise me?”
Her lips curl up in a wry smile. With every second she sits there and talks to me, the coffee with Jane is receding like a wave. “I knew Jane so well I could finish her sentences. Nothing she said surprised me.”
“Except for the fact that she had a new boyfriend, right?”
A bark of laughter catches me unawares. Where does this quirky sense of humor of hers come from? I really fucking like it. “Good point.” I stare at the rows of bottles behind the bar. “And that she thought of me like a brother.”
“She said that?
I nod.
“Ouch. That’s brutal.”
“Tell me about it.” I reach out and touch her hand; it’s warm and soft. “Thanks for coming to meet me.”
“You’re my boss. You more or less ordered me here.”
“Did I? I’m sorry if I …”
She waves her hand. “I’m joking. And it’s fine, James. I didn’t take it like that. I’m here as a friend.”
“Can I ask you something?”
She eyes me warily. “Is it a deeply personal question?”
“No, but it is a favor.”
“Okay.”
“Will you be my backup for all Jane-related emergencies?”
Her eyes widen. “Me? You do realize I’m more of a crumple-in-a-crisis person. Why would you want me to be your emergency backup?”
“Do you want an honest answer to that?”
“Yes.”
“All my friends are Jane’s, too. The only ones that aren’t are people from work, and I can’t call on Des or Jo. Even in the short time we’ve been sharing a space, you’ve become a good friend.”
