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Poppy flipped her off and headed for the stairs that exited to either the café’s back room or the doorway to the alley.
“Just wait,” Lauren said. “I’ll get her wearing colors any day now.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” I said, giving her a tight hug. “Thanks again for this.”
Lauren squeezed me back, holding the embrace longer than usual. “Good luck tonight. Call me after, ok? Unless you’re having wild sex. Then just text me a picture of a monkey, and I’ll know the date went well.”
Despite the nerves in my stomach, I laughed. “Got it.”
She pulled the door to her apartment closed and ran down the narrow staircase to the café. I took my time, gripping the railing for the steep descent. Despite how much I’d improved, I knewmy back ached more than it should. Hearing Dr. Cohen and Cal confirm my fears had been upsetting, but not as much as seeing Avery with Cal. When he canceled our dinner plans after talking to her, my heart cracked, and I knew I had to tell him about the job offer and how I felt. I’d been so relieved when Cal called to apologize and asked me to dinner, I’d almost forgotten that this date could be our last. It was time to end things or move forward with the understanding it wasn’t casual, at least not for me.
Poppy stuck her head through the alley door. “You ok there, Granny?”
“Yes,” I said, picking up the pace a little. “I don’t want to fall and hurt myself more.”
Poppy nodded, and despite her rush, waited patiently for me to join her at the bottom of the stairs.
“I could have met Cal at the restaurant,” I said as I followed her to the hearse and climbed into the passenger seat.
“Admit it, when you were in high school, you fantasized about Cal Cardoso ringing your doorbell with flowers to take you on a date.”
We drove down Main Street, right past Antonia’s. “We’re not in high school, and I doubt he’d bring me flowers. He knows I live with a florist. We have flowers all the time.”
“But you had that fantasy, didn’t you? And it didn’t involve waiting alone at a restaurant, worried he won’t show up.”
Poppy turned onto Church Street where the corner bar hummed with loud music. I was glad Cal wasn’t meeting Avery there tonight, but my stomach continued to tighten. “You think he won’t show up?”
“Of course, he will. But I know you. You’d arrive early and start thinking the worst. Relax.”
I nodded and she drove the rest of the way in silence. She turned off the ignition but instead of bolting from the hearse like I expected, she grabbed my hand.
“You have to tell him about the job offer. Tonight.”
“I know.”
Poppy blew out a breath. “I’ve really liked having you back.”
I smiled at her. “Maybe I don’t have to leave.”
Her eyes widened. “You think they’d let you work from home?”
I shook my head. “No, but I’m not sure I want to accept the offer. To be honest, I don’t love finance.”
Poppy narrowed her eyes at me. “Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”
“I’ve had a lot of time to think since the accident. As bad as it was, it could have been so much worse. And I would have spent the last years of my life working my ass off at a job I only tolerated, with a social life that began and ended with Brad.”
Poppy nodded. “So, you’re having a quarter-life crisis. Are you planning to live in a van and travel around making crappy videos about getting lost to find yourself?”
“Um, no. I was thinking of starting my own business.”
“I guess that could work. Though, I doubt there’d be many big accounts around here for a financial firm.”
“No, a bakery. Mom and Lauren keep suggesting the idea. And it doesn’t sound as crazy as I first thought.”
Poppy sat back in the driver’s seat as though I’d just announced I was pregnant with quadruplets. “Don’t fuck with me,” she said in a small voice. “I know I give off badass chick vibes, but my little black heart can still break. Don’t mention something like that again unless you’re certain.”
“Ok,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze. “I won’t.”
