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“Job parameters,” she told me. “Except at work.”
That meant pretty much everywhere. “I’m not going in for two weeks.”
“Is seeing him that bad?”
Nothing got past this woman.
“It’s just until he leaves for London. It’s easier this way.” Really, it wouldn’t be possible any other way.
On the walk over, Constance kept me busy by asking about the history of the Casa di Rossi property and what the orchard was all about.
We got to the coffee shop before Sandy. This one had both indoor and outdoor seating.
Only when we were in line to order did I realize what Constance had done.
“Thank you for the diversion,” I told her.
She nodded. “Don’t want you to get an ulcer over him.” She’d provided me a few minutes of peace without Josh rattling around in my head, trying to convince me I was making a mistake.
I knew Sandy’s drink of choice, so I ordered for both her and me.
Constance chose dark roast. She pulled out a credit card. “Make him pay?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
It was a nice morning, and I chose a table outside.
Constance took up residence two tables over, facing me. When she put on her sunglasses, she looked the part of a Secret Service agent, except for the leather jacket.
The ball of energy that was my best friend arrived five minutes later and wrapped me in a hug. “Hey, girl.”
“Hey.”
She let go of me and turned to salute my bodyguard.
Constance raised her cup to us.
Sandy eyed me as we sat down. “Does she ever smile?”
“Sure,” I replied.Off duty.
It only took Sandy one sip of the cup to get to it. “So what’s the problem?”
“I just wanted to see my best friend, that’s all,” I answered.
“Right.” She pulled out her phone and tapped on it before showing it to me. “It says here it’s a workday.”
“I decided to take two weeks off.”
She nodded. “How long have we known each other?”
I didn’t answer the obviously rhetorical question.
She lifted a single finger. “Once. That’s the number of times you’ve wanted to meet for coffee during work hours.” She waved the finger at me. “So what’s wrong?”
I took a deep breath before diving into the deep end of the conversation that scared me. “We broke up.” There. I’d said it. I waited for the storm of obscenities.
It didn’t come. Sandy squinted over her cup and opened her mouth before closing it again. We were at a stalemate for some reason.
