I let the refusal stand. “Okay.”
Again, surprise flickered through her.
“You’re accepting that?”
“I asked.”
“You argued extensively.”
“Because I wanted you to understand the option.”
“And now?”
“Now you said no.”
I stood and collected my cup. Disappointment made the empty paper feel heavier, though the rejection was reasonable. I had known it was reasonable before I asked. Amy gathered the application.
“You can leave that,” I said.
She held it under her coffee cup.
“I am reviewing the terms.”
“You said no.”
“I did.”
“You’re taking the application.”
“I may have comments on the competition’s structure.”
“Of course.”
She looked up at me.
“Dani.”
“Yeah?”
“If I changed my mind, it would only be because the arrangement offered clear practical benefits.”
“Obviously.”
“It would not be because of Evelyn.”
“Never.”
“Or attraction.”
“Absolutely not.”
The wind lifted a strand of her hair. I resisted the urge to reach across the table and move it from her cheek. Amy looked at my mouth for half a second. Maybe I imagined it.
“Tuesday,” she said.
“What?”
“We discuss it again Tuesday. After training.”
