Page 79 of Manhattan Bossholes

But Darcy was relentless—and once we were outside, I was surprised to find that I did feel just the tiniest bit better. Fresh air was clearing my head much more effectively than sulking in bed could have accomplished. Not that I was going to admit to Darcy that she’d been right.

“Remember when we talked about renting a booth here for Strapped?” Darcy laughed. “We were thinking so small. Look at us now, hooked up with the angel investor for women-owned businesses.”

“You’re right,” I finally agreed, trying to summon up some happiness for what was actually a huge deal. “We weren’t thinking big enough.”

Darcy slung her arm around my shoulder and squeezed me. “Not anymore. All of our dreams are going to come true! First, our flagship product. Then camera bags, then purses, then the next thing you know, we’ll be fighting for shelf space against Kate Spade and Michael Kors.”

I managed a smile. “I like how you think.”

Darcy pulled away and turned to face me. “Hey. I know our good news is under a black cloud thanks to your bosshole. And I’m so sorry he was such a dick to you last night. He doesn’t deserve you, Piper. Do you hear me?”

She waited until I looked into her eyes and nodded before she kept going.

“You’re going to get through this. I promise. You’ll quit, and when you stop seeing him every day, you’ll forget about him. And no matter what, I’ll be here for you every step of the way.”

She pulled me into a hug, which triggered an uncomfortable tingly sensation in my nose. I didn’t want to cry in the middle of the farmers’ market, but a few tears squeezed out of my eyes anyway.

“Hey, hey,” she said when we pulled apart. “We’ve got this. Okay? Go ahead and feel bleak for now, as long as you promise to remember how much good is in your life. We’re on the cusp of an amazing adventure together!”

Her excitement was almost contagious.

“It’s going to be great,” I sniffled and wiped my nose with the back of my hand. “Ugh, I need a tissue.”

“Hey, hey, looks like someone’s got allergies.”

I turned and there was Matthew, the second-to-last person I wanted to see on such a bleak morning.

“Ugh,” Darcy said, wrinkling her nose at him like she smelled sour milk. “You just don’t know how to take a hint, do you?”

“I have no idea what you mean,” he said with a good-natured laugh. “I’m just out here enjoying the beautiful day, hanging out, buying fresh produce. And enjoying some serendipity running into this one!”

He reached out to give my foot a little tap with his.

“Matthew, it’s not serendipity, and you know it,” I said, leveling him with an angry stare. “You never wanted to come to the market with me when we were, uh, doing whatever we were doing. It sure as hell wasn’t dating.”

“What are you talking about? We had a good thing together.” Matthew stared at me intently, like he could will me into believing his absolute bullshit.

Darcy sputtered out a shrill laugh.

Matthew shot her an angry look, then refocused on me. “Hey, can we talk alone for a few minutes?”

I sighed. “Darcy, give me two minutes to deal with this.”

She smirked at him and drifted over to a booth selling handmade jewelry.

“What do you want, Matthew?” I asked him warily. “Because I’m tired of you pretending there’s some big cosmic reason why we keep ‘accidentally’ meeting up. I’m not in the mood to deal with you. So tell me what you’re after, and let’s be done with all of this.”

“I can imagine you’re going through some shit right now,” he said, trying to sound comforting. “Looks like your company is dealing with some gossip, and you’ve got a co-starring role. That guy Vincent turned out to be a real asshole, huh?”

I wasn’t about to go there with Matthew, especially since I wasn’t sure exactly what he’d seen. I’d purposely avoided social media since last night, but Darcy had given me a couple of brief updates about the drama. By now, it was probably everywhere.

Which absolutely sucked. Not that I was in any mood to discuss that with Matthew. Much less—ew, even the thought was gross—accept any comfort from him.

“What do you want, Matthew?” I asked, not bothering to mask my frustration. “I know you have an ulterior motive, so spill it.”

He looked up and down the street and then fixed me with his attempt at a heartfelt expression. “Okay, I’m going to put it all out there. I need a favor, Piper.” He clasped his hands under his chin.

“Clearly,” I glared at him. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be stalking me.”