“You’ve seen him.”
Eleanor shot her a look.
April rolled her eyes and marched straight to the closet.
“For two years,” April continued, flipping through hangers, “I have listened to you say you don’t have time to date. You don’t have bandwidth. You’re building your practice. You’re establishing your reputation.”
“I was.”
“And now you have.”
Eleanor hesitated.
That part was true.
Her name carried weight in Sylva now.
Judges respected her.
Clients trusted her.
She had built something solid.
And now?—
The wolves were circling again.
April turned, emerald silk in her hand.
Low back. Clean lines. Elegant without trying.
“Put it on.”
“I am not wearing that.”
“You are.”
Eleanor exhaled slowly.
“I’m not doing this for romance, April.”
“Oh, I know,” April said sweetly. “You’re doing it to end things.”
Eleanor paused.
“I am.”
April’s brow lifted. “You’re going to break up with a man you haven’t dated yet?”
“It’s responsible.”
“It’s cowardly.”
Eleanor narrowed her eyes.
April didn’t flinch.
“You’ve worked too hard to let this turn into Charleston 2.0. I get it,” April said more gently. “But maybe don’t preemptively torch something that hasn’t burned you.”
