A little trickle of unease hits the back of my neck. “Busy brain. Anything you want to talk about?”
She sighs and faces forward, leaning into the black leather seat. “I don’t know. I’ve just come to
realize that all thispeoplingis harder than I thought it would be. And it’s clear that I’m not doing a
great job.”
“You moved permanently out of your comfort zone, Maya. It’s ok if you don’t get it right
sometimes.” Her lips tighten at that. She doesn’t look convinced at all.
“That’s the problem,” she says, frowning. “I think I’ve been getting it wrong for a long time.”
“What do you mean?”
She groans, pulling her hand from mine and running it through her hair. I immediately miss her
warmth and stare at that hand in her lap, wishing it back to me. “I think I’ve had a friend. A really
good one, all this time. And I did not treat her well.”
“Who is she?”
She smiles slightly. “Abigail. She was my assistant in New York. And somehow, I didn’t realize
how important she is to me until now. And I have not been good to her.”
“Not good? What does that mean? Did you put salt in her coffee? Pull her hair? Talk about her
behind her back?”
My teasing does exactly what I intended. She scowls at me, a small smile breaking through.
“We’re grown women, so no, I didn’t pull her hair. I just…she was always so kind, she’d share her
life with me. And at work, I really liked that. But now I’m realizing it was so one-sided.”
“And you regret that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“So do something about it. If it’s that important to you, then don’t wait. If I’ve learned anything,
it’s that you might lose your chance if you wait too long. People can be ripped away from you too
easily. So you have to hold on tight.”
Her lips twitch. “So that saying,let them go, and if they come back to you?”
“Fuck that. Why the hell would you let someone you love go? I say hold on tight, and if they fly
away, you better damn well follow them.”
The smile bursts as she dissolves into giggles. “You’d get along really well with Abigail.” Her
laughter is infectious, and I can’t keep the grin off my face. She’s beautiful. She also thinks I’m joking.
I’m not.
