“I know. It was probably nothing.”
“Your nervous system is fried. Of course, you’re jumpy.”
It’s a reasonable assessment. Exactly what anyone who loves me would say. Still, the word probably crawls back into my mind and curls up there like it plans to stay.
Vanessa leans closer to the camera. “Listen to me. Do not let what happened in Orlando steal this from you. You needed to get away before that awful break-in. This island may be the best thing that could have happened, minus the criminal prelude.”
“Criminal prelude sounds like a bad restaurant theme.”
“Don’t tempt me. I’ve seen worse concepts funded.”
I laugh because she wants me to laugh, and because it feels good to let something loosen inside me.
“Are you working?” she asks.
“I was about to.”
“No.”
“Vanessa, I have deadlines.”
“You have Wi-Fi. That does not mean you have to use it.”
“Talia moved everything she could, but there are still things I need to approve.”
“Fine. Approve one thing. Then go into town. Buy groceries. Eat something you didn’t make. Find out if the fisherman has a name.”
“Cole,” I say before I can stop myself.
Vanessa freezes for a second. It is so quick I would miss it if I weren’t looking right at her.
Then she smiles. “Cole. Of course his name is Cole.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means hot beach men are never named Gary.”
“Poor Gary.”
“Gary can find love inland.”
I shake my head, smiling despite myself. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you love me for it.”
I do. That is the easy answer. The automatic one. The one that has always been true in the way old friendships are true even when they fray in places no one wants to inspect too closely.
“I do,” I say.
Her expression softens with something that looks almost like relief.
“Good,” she says quietly. “Then listen to me. Give yourself today. One day without punishing yourself for needing a break. One day without proving you can still perform like nothing happened. The work will be there tomorrow.”
“I’ll try,” I say.
“That’s all I’m asking.”
We talk for a few more minutes about nothing that matters. Her restaurant shipment delay. A regular customer who keeps asking if her risotto can be made without rice. Talia’s dramatic voice memos. By the time we hang up, I feel steadier and strangely drained, as if being loved loudly still costs a little energy when I am already running low.
