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I blanch a little. “Two weeks,” I say, my voice only cracking a tiny bit. I keep the camera tight on my face so they can’t see the rest of the dark, quiet room. “I’m still in shock over it.”

Theo nods decisively. “Brilliant. Enough time to have my secretary arrange it all.”

“All what?” I ask nervously.

“Travel for everyone, including your parents, of course. What use is having a million-and-a-half frequent flyer miles and being your sponsor if your family can’t go and see you play?”

“You’d do that?” I ask quietly.

“Yes. And if there’s anyone else you’d like added to the list, email me. The more, the better. It’ll be a nice tax write-off and a pleasant trip across the pond for once.”

“Thank you,” I sputter, completely at a loss for words. “I do have one question for you.”

“Yes?”

“How exactly did you meet Drew?”

Theo smirks. “I was a student of his once upon a time.”

“Really?” I blink. “Then why do you always call him Andrew?”

“Because it annoys him,” Theo says with a perfectly straight face. “Some traditions are too important to abandon.”

“Was that before you joined the dark side or before you started a rebellion?” Leon asks.

Theo rolls his eyes and pretends he didn’t hear the question.

Randy takes hold of the camera next. “How’s everything been?” I ask.

He flashes a thumbs-up. “Busy, but manageable. Lina’s hired two new girls, believe it or not.”

“Two?” I ask, tilting my head.

“Uh-huh. You’re hard to replace. You did a lot, and I don’t think either Lina or I fully appreciated it until you were gone.”

“Aww.” I rub my chest. “They’re settling in okay?”

“Yup. They’re doing great.” He grins. “I’m glad to hear you’re staying, because now it means I won’t have to worry about splitting the tips with another person.”

“Brat,” I mumble.

“I miss you, work sister.”

“The feeling’s mutual.”

He hesitates, his smile turns a bit shy as he drops his voice. He glances over his shoulder toward Zoe. “There is one more thing. If I wanted to ask your best friend out on a date this weekend . . . do you think she’d say yes?”

A real, unforced smile breaks across my face for the first time all night. “Trust me, she won’t say no. Just promise me you won’t hurt her. Otherwise, I’ll fly over there and make sure you’re on the receiving end of one of my serves.”

“Warning received.” He salutes me before handing the phone back to Zoe.

“We won’t keep you too long. I know you probably want some time to rest up,” she says. I fake a yawn. “We’ll chat tomorrow.”

“Same time?” I ask.

“Yeah, if that works for you.”

“It does,” I say, and I mean it. I need the anchor of her voice more than she knows.