When she opened the door, Emily stood front and center, coffee carrier in one hand, pastry box in the other. Gaby and Cari flanked her. Their smiles faded the moment they saw her.
Cari moved first, pulling her into a hug. “You poor thing.”
The words weren’t pitying, but warm and comforting. The hug the kind she hadn’t realized she needed until it was there.
Julia soaked it in for a moment before stepping back. “I’m fine,” she said automatically.
“You look like hell,” Emily said, hugging her next.
“That good, huh?”
Gaby gave her a once-over. “You look like it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
That hit too close to home, and she sniffled.
“Ignore them,” Cari said, raising her voice over the noise in the hall. “And let us in. I can’t hear myself think with that racket. What are they doing? Renovating?”
“About time. The cobwebs are the same as when I lived here,” Emily muttered, pushing past them and into Julia’s kitchen. Gaby followed. Cari released her after another squeeze and joined them.
Julia peeked out before closing the door. Two maintenance men worked near the stairwell, tools spread out, voices low as they replaced light fixtures. She blinked before glancing at her friends. “I’ve lived here for six years. I didn’t know this building had a ladder, let alone maintenance men.”
Emily waved her inside. “Well, for heaven’s sake, don’t jinx it.”
After shutting the door, Julia joined her friends in the kitchen, gathered around her small table. Coffee was passed, bagels and pastries shared without a word needing to be spoken. For a few minutes, it was almost normal.
Elbows on the table, Gaby watched Julia over the rim of her cup. “So, what happened?”
“Leland wants me to come back to Devil’s Pointe,” Julia said. “Said it’s safer.”
Gaby’s brows lifted. “He’s not wrong.”
“No,” Julia conceded. “He’s not.”
“And?” Emily pressed.
“He offered to stay out of my way so I could find the dom Ineed.”
There was a collective wince.
Cari’s hand tightened briefly on Julia’s arm. “What was your reply to that?”
“I hope you let him have it,” Emily said.
Julia looked down at her hands. “We didn’t exactly stay on topic.”
Emily went very still. “Don’t tell me you had sex with him.”
Her lack of response was answer enough.
Julia didn’t look up. “Is this the part where you tell me I’m an idiot?”
“No,” Cari said gently. “This is the part where we tell you that you’re human.”
Emily pointed at her. “He’s the idiot.”
“Also true,” Gaby added.
A beat of silence passed.
