“I wasn’t territorial.”
“You put an arm around me, kissed me, and called me baby. In context, it was a flag planted in disputed land.”
“Baby is not possessive.”
I almost smiled. Her face stopped me.
“You’re right,” I said.
The apology did not calm her.
“You criticized me for reacting to Simone.”
“I did.”
“You demanded honesty.”
“I did.”
“Were you jealous?”
The directness hit. The café was too public, and Blake stood at the front desk pretending not to watch.
“Can we discuss this privately?”
Amy nodded once. We moved into the consultation room. She closed the glass door.
“Were you jealous?” she asked again.
I could make a joke. Say I distrusted Evelyn. Say I was protecting the public premise. All partly true. None complete.
“Yes.”
Amy’s grip on the door handle eased. The anger had become something less certain.
“I didn’t like her touching you,” I said. “I didn’t like that she asked for a private conversation. I especially didn’t like partly.”
“That does not justify what you did.”
“You’re right.”
“Then why?”
“Because I wanted her to know you weren’t available.”
Simone’s words returned: I’m not available. Amy looked down.
“I am available,” she said.
Hope rose before I could stop it.
“According to the agreement,” she added.
“Right.”
“Rule four exists to prevent this.”
“Rules aren’t prevention. They’re documentation.”
