“Well, keep going. Iamin listening mode. Activated and everything.”
She laughs. “Are you going to charge me by the hour?”
“Nah, we’ll call it even?”
She sits quietly for a moment, fingers resting around her glass, eyes unfocused like she’s deciding how much truth to let out. Then something gives.
“The day David left,” she says, voice steady but softer now, “my life became entirely about Theo.”
I stay quiet. I’ve learned that moments like this don’t want interruption.
“Without getting into everything,” she continues, “I came out of that marriage feeling like I was never really heard.” She gives a small, almost self-aware smile. “But I had a cough that wouldn’t go away.”
I stare at her. “A cough?”
She nods. “Slight but there.” Then she shrugs, adding lightly, “It magically disappeared after David left. I used to think it was an allergy.” She winks, like she’s trying to soften the weight of what she’s just said.
“What was it?” I ask.
“I had a doctor once who told me the body does amazing things to protect us,” she says. “To alert us when we’re not listening to ourselves.” Her gaze holds mine now. “She said she wouldn’t have been surprised if it was my body trying to tell me to speak up. To be louder. To take up space.”
The words settle between us, heavy but honest, and suddenlyI understand something important. This isn’t just Juliette sharing about her past with me. This is her showing me how hard she fought to find her voice again.
Our server appears and drops our dishes in front of us, and we both dig in, the conversation still flowing as we do.
“So, you got rid of the man and the cough,” I say between bites.
“I did. I walked away with the most precious prize, that being our son,” she says, her shoulders relaxing as she does. “I guess all of this backstory is starting to help you make sense of my insanity when it comes to Theo and the shop.”
“One hundred percent and I find it admirable.”
“Thanks.” She smiles shyly.
“And thank you for letting me intrude on your space. I know it’s deeply inconvenient for you.”
“I’m here spilling my guts—what about you?” She waves her fork in the air as if pointing to cities on a map. “What’s Sawyer’s origin story?”
A hearty laugh escapes me. “My origin story? Okay…let’s see. Grew up in a loving household with parents who were madly in love until my dad died.” I shrug. “It’s that easy and it probably ruined me because I think I’ve always been looking for that kind of perfection when I date someone.”
“That’s very self-aware.”
“And the result of my own therapist, thank you very much.”
Juliette giggles as she takes another bite of her red curry. “Gotta love therapy.”
“No doubt,” I murmur. “You know, I can’t believe I’m about to tell you this, but I’ve actually had to talk about my low-key jealousy of what my cousin has.”
Her eyebrows arch in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“His relationship. His fiancée is incredible. She’s also the owner of our old team.”
Juliette spits out her rice, making me laugh. “He hooked up with the team owner? Nice one.”
“The two of them together are a power couple like nobody’s business. And I want that. I want what they have; it’s trusting and solid. He’s here for what he needs to do, she comes up when she can and vice versa, but they make it work. No drama. All communication. That’s the thing.”
“So they’re long distance?” she asks and I nod. Juliette hums approvingly before she tilts her head to the side and sizes me up. “You’ve told me about your dad. Where is your mom now?”
“She moved to Canada to live with her best friend from college.” She points to the soy sauce and I hand it to her. “What about you? Where are your parents?”
