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Kate tooka sip of her martini and reached for another piece of sushi. It was lunchtime on a Thursday and Ruka, a downtown restaurant known for its Japanese-Peruvian cuisine and dark, clubby atmosphere, was hopping with customers eager to start theweekend.
She was only half paying attention as Joanne Fuller, one of her two best friends from college, told Priya Varma, Kate’s other best friend from college, about Joanne’s most recent conversation with her most recent ex, a real estate developer that had managed to break through Joanne’s jaded defenses right before he dumped her withoutwarning.
“You still withus?”
Kate looked up to find Priya’s dark eyes trained on her face. “Oh, yeah! Sorry… I’m still getting used to being out without feelingguilty.”
They’d been best friends since they’d ditched their respectively bad roommates to room together sophomore year. Joanne and Priya had been there since the beginning of Kate’s relationship with Declan, through the discovery of her pregnancy and her decision to go to L.A., through the breakup withDeclan.
She’d even told them about Beth — about her paternity and her involvement with Neil. They were the only people she’d told outside of family. She didn’t need to hide anything fromthem.
“It’s lunchtime,” Joanne said, knowing Kate was talking about Griffin. “You’d be at workanyway.”
“I know, but old habits are hard to break,” Kate said. “I’m used to scarfing a salad at my desk unless I have a meeting withAiden.”
“It must be so nice though,” Priya said, pushing back a lock of the glossy dark hair falling in soft curls around her face. “Having Declan there to help, Imean.”
Kate nodded, pushing the food around on her plate. “Itis.”
“Oh, boy.” Several men at nearby tables turned to look at Joanne as she laughed, deep and throaty. Kate had always envied her friend’s sex appeal. She was attractive, with green eyes and thick brown hair that was always perfectly styled, but that wasn’t the reason men — and sometimes women — turned to look at her as shepassed.
That was something else, confidence and lack of self-consciousness, plus a free-spirited hedonism that conjured big beds and satin sheets and overflowing glasses ofchampagne.
Kate was too practical for that stuff. She’d have to make the bed, wipe up the spilledchampagne.
Kate scowled. “What?”
“I better order another drink for this one,” Joannesaid.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Katesaid.
“Don’t be coy.” Joanne caught the waiter’s eye and tapped her glass with a come-hither smile. “Something’s obviouslyup.”
“Is it Declan?” Priyaasked.
They’d both championed Declan’s cause during the months Kate had held him at arm’s length, waiting to see if he would really come through for Griffin, if she’d have the guts to take a chance when hedid.
Kate took another drink of her martini. “Declan’s great. He’s…perfect.”
“Uh-oh,” Joanne said, sitting back in her chair, her browfurrowed.
“There’s no uh-oh,” Kate said. She lowered her voice, aware that the murmur of conversation around them didn’t provide much cover for their own. “Seriously. Declan’s amazing. It’s… it’sme.”
“You always say that,” Priya said. “It’s nevertrue.”
Kate smiled gratefully at herfriend.
Joanne was an Assistant Director for a financial services company. She was used to selling, and she was good at it, which always made her perspective suspect in Kate’seyes.
Priya, on the other hand, worked for the CDC’s quarantine program. She was accustomed to presenting data calmly and truthfully, with a minimum of fuss, which meant she could be relied on to be truthful even when the truthhurt.
And Kate saw Priya’s point. Kate had spent her whole life digesting her father’s wisdom like a baby bird taking food from its mother’s mouth, and one of Mac Walsh’s old favorites had been “followers pass the buck, leaders takeresponsibility.”
Like all of her dad’s advice, Kate had taken it to heart to the point of dogma. She didn’t know how to blame anyone but herself for anything that went wrong, a quality that served her well at work but had caused her to become her own punching bag inrelationships.
But this time, she was right. There was nothing wrong withDeclan.
