Page 10 of The One Who Saw Her: Boone

Vivi let out a short, breathless laugh and shook her head. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Oh, but it is," Rea said, arching a perfectly sculpted brow. "And you? You're going to survive Boone Callahan, You’ll maybe even enjoy it."

The kitchen smelled like sausage and biscuits, and Vivi was starting to suspect breakfast wasn’t the only thing Lady Rea was cooking up. She rolled out the dough while Rea stood at the stove humming, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

"Tell me about this boyfriend in Singapore. He expects you to, what? Sell your soul, pack up your entire life, and become Mrs. Somebody Else's Career?" Rea asked, a perfectly arched eyebrow punctuating every word.

Vivi shrugged, trying to hide her nerves. "Pretty much. He wants me to give up my life here. Walk away from my friends, my work, my family and follow him halfway around the world. And honestly, I don't know if I can or if I even want to."

Rea tapped the ladle against the counter for emphasis. "That's not love. That's a relocation package with a side of guilt. You don't sell yourself short for some man's convenience. When my Marvis was around, I was rich. Filthy rich. So, I have taste and I know how to spot a bad deal in an instant. This, darling, is a bad deal."

Vivi laughed nervously, spreading gravy over a biscuit that was already drenched in butter. "It feels like if I say no, I'm letting him down. But if I say yes, I'm letting myself down."

Rea leaned in, voice dropping conspiratorially low like she was about to impart the nuclear launch codes. "Life isn't a charity auction. You don't give yourself away for someone else's happiness unless they're putting you in the VIP box with champagne and a proper inheritance. Otherwise? You eat your biscuits, you drink your coffee, and you live your life where you're wanted—not where you're merely tolerated."

Vivi almost choked. Rea waved a delighted hand like she'd just delivered the most important life truth since sliced bread.

"Besides," Rea added with a sly grin, "if he's expecting you to drop everything for him, he can at least learn to make his own damn gravy."

Vivi nearly snorted into her biscuit and suddenly the problem didn't seem quite so insurmountable. She might still be scared, but at least for now she had biscuits, gravy, and a very opinionated therapist giving her a masterclass in self-respect.

Vivi wiped her hands on a napkin and glanced at Rea, feeling slightly like she was under a microscope.

"If you ask my boss, I'm needed in the office every waking minute of the day. In reality, I can work from anywhere. Most people in my office telecommute.”

“What do you do in your fancy office?”

“Oh, it’s more of a sterile cubical with no personal touches, because god help us if a client sees a picture of someone’s kids. As for what I do, I'm a professional dating profile consultant."

"Is that fancy for a matchmaker?"

"I rewrite dating profiles. Help people present themselves well on dating apps."

Rea pursed her lips so tight they could cut glass. "And yet here you are. Which leads me to assume your own love life is tragically ironic?"

Vivi's stomach twisted. Rea didn't know her, but she'd nailed it. Which made Vivi wonder just how much she gave away with a single look.

She'd spent her whole life saying yes—always yes—to everyone else. Accommodating others so thoroughly that her own wants had slipped out the back door without her noticing. Now. finally, she'd done something for herself. Taken a risk and put her life and her job in the balance to come here—and apparently that made her scandalous. No wonder her heart kept ending up in pieces.

She forced a laugh, trying to hide the sting. "I suppose it's not exactly conventional."

"Neither is surviving Boone Callahan. But here you are."

Here you are, Vivi thought, a small surge of defiance rising through the embarrassment. Here she was—and maybe, for once, it was about what she wanted. Not anyone else.

"Yeah," she said, a little more steadily. "I can make a total stranger's life sound magical online. Somehow my own keeps not working."

"Of course it does. You're too busy thinking about everyone else and not nearly enough about yourself. Now that, darling, is fixable." Rea leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. "I propose a deal. You stay here, eat my food, let me share a little wisdom. You call me Lady Rea, and I'll help you remember that life is not a spreadsheet of other people's happiness. You deserve magic too."

Vivi blinked. "Lady Rea?"

"Like a fairy godmother—but with a Gucci clutch."

"Lady Rea it is," Vivi said.

"Now then," the older woman said, waving a hand like she was dusting invisible sparkles into the air. "I offer guidance, support, and the occasional blunt truth delivered with style. You'll get advice, laughter, and gravy like nobody else in this town can make. And while you think you're just here for comfort food and my stories—consider yourself officially under the wing of someone who knows exactly what she's doing."

Vivi couldn't help but grin. Rea's confidence was infectious, even if it was slightly terrifying. The thought of having a real mentor—a clever, funny, sharp woman genuinely in her corner—made her feel lighter, like maybe she didn't have to figure everything out alone.