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“Are you drinking something?” she asks.
“I already ordered,” I say. Usually, I wait in line before getting out of the shop again, but we’re sitting at one of the small booths they have in the corner that hardly anyone uses.
Just then, my name is called.
“Be right back.” As I stand to collect my order and return with two cups.
“I got you a latte,” offering Michelle the cup. “You drink that, right? Nothing weird like oat milk or something?”
She chuckles. “No, I drink coffee in any form I can get it.”
I nods and sit down.
“Thanks,” she says.
“Sure. Why are you still here in New York?”
“To open the new branch,” she says.
“Oh, you’re doing it.” I don’t know how I feel about that. I’m happy for Raven, of course. She gets what she wanted and it’s a feat to be able to do that. But she’s not here to oversee the new offices. I wanted her to be here. Damn it, I miss her. But she won’t come. Of course, she won’t—she has a daughter.
“Yeah. I’m here for business, in a way.”
I frown, confused. I thought she wanted to talk about Raven.
“I talked to Raven about hiring new employees. I need a few different people. Raven insisted that I talk to you about your sister. She believes that she could be useful.
“What?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“We need a manager for the branch here. It’s not an easy job, but the hours are pretty standard and the pay is good. She’ll have to come for an interview, of course, and we’ll need to know she can do the job. But Raven insisted we ask her first before I officially advertise the position.”
I don’t know what to say. My mind spins. “Raven asked for this?” I ask.
“You look shocked.”
“Confused. We didn’t part in the best way, and I didn’t think she cared…”
Michelle’s face softens and she hooks her short, auburn hair behind her ear.
“She knows what it means to be a single parent.”
I swallow hard and nod. Natalie can really use this break. If she’s good for the position—which I hope to God, she is—this could change her life. I’ve been asking around to no avail. I’m just not in the right circles to pull strings for someone like Natalie.
“Can I give you her number?” I ask. “I think she’ll be great for the position.”
Michelle nods, and I give her my sister’s number.
“If you’ll give her a heads-up that I’m going to call, that might help, too. I don’t want her to be suspicious or scare her off.”
I nod. I’ll do just that. She might think there’s something to it—the same way I do. But it’s real, isn’t it?
“Why is she doing this?” I blurt out. “Why would she care about my sister?”
“Raven cares a lot about you, Noah,” Michelle says softly. “More than you realize. She shows her affection in different ways. I think she really does want to do something nice.”
“That’s not the impression I got when we parted.” I clench my jaw, thinking back to the fight we had and what she said to me. Whenever I think about it, I always think about what I said to her, too, and my anger always burns away again as fast as it came. I want to stay mad at her. Anger is easier to deal with. Missing her is a bitch.
“You care about her, too.” It’s not a question.
