“That sounds like ayouproblem,” she said with a laugh. “Should’ve answered your phone. Now, drink your coffee and tell me what the hell is going on.”
“Nothing,” I insisted, but she pinned me with a glare. “Fine.” I took a deep breath and gave her the abridged version of the chain of events, beginning with me going to The Piccadilly Deli and ending with Luca asking me to help him find a place after he brought over dinner the night before. But when I got to the part about the morning when I told him about Brennan, I couldn’t skip over what Luca had confessed about his own struggles, though I asked her to keep it between us. If anyone could understand someone trying to heal, it would be Kia. After what we’d been through, how could she not?
She studied me with her elbows perched on her knees, nodding slowly. “Hmm.”
“Hmm?” I questioned. “What do you mean ‘hmm’?”
Her oxblood nails tapped against the coffee cup cradled in her hands.
“It’s just…Is this really a good idea?” she asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.
“What do you mean?”
“Under any other circumstances, I’d be thrilled that you met someone you seem to like,” she said. “But with your history…after Brennan…do you think it’s wise to get close to someone like that?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Someone like what?”
“A guy dealing with the kind of shit he is.” Her voice was soft, understanding. “That could be very triggering for you. It could also put a lot of undue pressure on the relationship.”
“First of all, we’re just friends. It’s not that serious.”
She cocked her head like she wasn’t buying what I was selling. “I don’t think you’ve seen the way your face lights up when you mention his name.”
The burn of my cheeks was giving me away. “Okay, well, whatever. Even if Ididlike him, so what? He’s been through some serious shit, but who hasn’t. I mean, look at us and Ravi and Jen.We’refriends.”
She shook her head. “That’s not the same thing.”
“Yes, it is,” I argued.
“No,” she said, the word sharp and final. “It isn’t. We” —she twirled her slender finger in a circle between us— “are connected because we lost people we loved. It sounds like Luca almost decided tobelost.”
“And?” I asked. “So what? He doesn’t deserve a friend?”
“Of course, he does,” she said. “All I’m saying is you might not be the right person to fill that role for him.”
“I think I’m exactly the right person,” I said. “I understand him in a way nobody else does because I know what loss feels like. Maybe I can keep him from…I could stop it from happening again and—”
She held out her hand and cut me off. “Andthatis what I’m talking about.”
“What?”
Her brown eyes bore into mine. “You can’t save him, McKenzie. That’s too much responsibility for one person to take on. And even if you could, it’s not going to bring Brennan back.”
“I know that,” I snapped. “Don’t you think I know that?” She moved to place her hand on my arm, but I pulled away. “Did you come here to check on me or to lecture me?”
“I’m not trying to lecture you, but Iamworried about you.”
“Just because you’ve apparently decided to live the rest of your life alone doesn’t mean I—” Her eyes went wide, and I clapped my hands over my mouth.
She swiped her tongue over her teeth. “I’m going to give you five seconds to reel that back in.”
“Kia, I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean that.”
She arched her brows.
“I didn’t,” I promised. “It’s just…I don’t know. I feel protective over him.”
“AndIam protective of you,” she said. “I’m sure Luca’s a great guy, but he’s not my friend.Youare. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
