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“And that’s when you decided to make a go of it with Jake?” she asked, piecing together the jigsaw puzzle of my life over the last few weeks.
I nodded. “None of it matters anyway. It’s done, he’s in the past, and I wish him nothing but happiness with his new bride.”
“Is that so?” She lifted her chin.
“Of course. I was friends with Connor for a very long time, and I hope we can continue to be friends.” Although truth be told, I’d have to feign an illness to avoid his invitation to a wedding. No way could I attend that. Repeating vows with someone I knew he didn’t love was just too heartbreaking to watch.
“I see.” She sat, remaining silent.
“Say something, please, Lourde. You’re my best friend. I don’t want this to come between us.”
I reached for her hand, grateful she didn’t pull away.
“I’m weirded out, but I’ll get over it.”
“Oh, thank God.” I blew out.
“Anyway, it wasn’t like it was anything serious, right?”
I smiled. “No, no, of course not.” My smile lowered into a line as I thought about losing him for good, the arms she threw around his neck. The dagger to my heart.
When I looked back up, Lourde was looking directly at me, curious in her expression.
“Anyway, so you had some news for me?” I asked, changing the subject.
“We do.” Olivia piped up. “And it’s a little exciting if I say so myself!”
“It is very exciting indeed.” Lourde smiled at Olivia.
“Well, spill the beans then…”
“We are opening our own design studio,” Olivia said.
“What? Seriously?”
“And Barrett? Does that mean you’ll no longer work for him at his construction company?”
“We’re working out the finer details with him, but he is very supportive of us doing our own thing.”
“That’s wonderful. You guys are such a dynamic team. You will kill it!”
“Well, we’re under no illusion as it will be tough. We have zero clients and are starting from scratch,” Olivia said, looking slightly fearful.
“Girl, you are so talented, your work speaks for itself,” I gushed.
“I second that,” Lourde said, patting Olivia on the back.
“So, do you have a name yet?”
“Bespoke Interiors,” they both said at the same time.
“I love it,” I admitted, so proud of my friends.
Conversation floated from the new company location to wedding plans for Lourde and Barrett’s upcoming wedding as we sipped our piping hot espressos and ordered a few more pastries. During our conversation, I had moments where my mind drifted back to Connor. His words, his hands on my body, his generous heart. Blocking him out was futile. I guess he was just a memory I had to live with, and hopefully, one day, I’d wake up and never think of him again.
After paying, we said our goodbyes, and sheepishly, I placed my arms around Lourde, and she unexpectedly jerked me in for a huge hug.
“For what it’s worth, I would rather have you as my sister-in-law than Francesca.”
