Cassie and Emma stared at me.I closed my eyes.Why not just tell them I was interested in Lucas?I set my fork down and pushed my empty salad bowl away.“Confession time: I’m still interested in Lucas.”
“We already knew that.”Cassie’s smile confirmed her admission.“It was evident Friday night.”She glanced at her plate and then at Emma before she turned to me again.“I hope you don’t mind me asking: Do you have panic attacks often?”
I sipped my water, an excuse to gather my thoughts before answering.“That was the first one in a long time.”I wasn’t lying.“I’m sorry it happened Friday night.”
“Do you know what causes them?”Emma asked.
“They usually happen when I get extremely overwhelmed.I had horrible ones in college.”I took a deep breath.“And when my family, particularly my parents, started in on me.Those were the worst, because sometimes I couldn’t get away from them.Talking with a psychologist in college, and later on as well, helped me learn how to center myself, but it all went out the window Friday night.”
“Oh my, we did that.”Emma covered her mouth.
“No, you didn’t.It wasn’t you or Cassie.”I sighed, not wanting them to feel bad.“It was when Lucas made his declaration about taking responsibility for the breakup in front of everyone.”
“Well, you have us in your corner,” Cassie assured me as our sandwiches arrived.
The turkey, ham, and roast beef melted on my tongue.Now this was my version of a club sandwich.Savory and filling.“This is so good.”
“I love this place,” Cassie said.
“New hang-out for us as long as we keep it a secret from the guys,” Emma commented.
“Are the guys the reason we didn’t eat in the employee café?”I was curious why they’d go out rather than eat where the food was paid for.
“Yes.”Emma rolled her eyes.“Asher always finds a reason to eat with me.”
“Marcus isn’t much better.Even if I make lunch for both of us, he’ll still come to my office to eat.”Cassie shook her head.
“They didn’t say anything today?”I frowned.It seemed like their men kept them on short leashes.I wasn’t sure I could live like that.
“I can see by your face you’re think our guys are too possessive, maybe?”
I opened my mouth, but Cassie held her hand up.
“We didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.We enjoy eating with our guys, but sometimes we need a break.Speaking for myself, Marcus understands when I tell him I need my space.”
“Same with Asher, especially since we share an office.There’ve been times when I’ve told him to leave for a while.”
“Really?And they listen?”
Cassie grinned.“They better.We’re not doormats.Relationships involve give and take, and trust me, I make Marcus back away when I need breathing space, and he’ll do it if he knows what’s best for him.”
“It only took once with Asher,” Emma said.“He overwhelmed me, and I told him if he didn’t back off, no sex for a week.Let me tell you, his whole attitude changed.”
Laughter bubbled up inside me.“I need to learn from you two.”I did.Standing up for myself had never been easy, and even now, I tended to not speak up.Maybe it was time I did.I was in my thirties, for goodness sake.
“We’ll help you.That’s what girlfriends are for.”Cassie grinned.
Girlfriends.That sounded wonderful.For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged, and it wasn’t a bad feeling.
Chapter Thirteen
Lucas
“What did you want to talk about?”Miles asked when I walked into his office.I’d called him earlier to see if he was free.
“How much of an issue will we have if I take Valerie on a tour of the furniture company?”There shouldn’t be any problems, but I needed to make sure.Miles was the expert.
“Legal will want her to sign another NDA since they’re not under FI’s umbrella.Why does she need a tour?”
