Page 59 of Pucking Your Best Friend

She glanced up and noticed that Matt was still looking at her. “It’s absurd,” he finally muttered. He didn’t look away until the light changed.

“What’s absurd?”

“How easy it is for you to confront peopleon my behalf, but it’s so difficult for you when it comes to yourself.”

“That was an exception.”

“No.” He shook his head. “When Lucy felt so bad because of Dax, you had no problem telling her and your dad what you thought. When someone towed Hailey’s tiny house, who was the first to show up at the tow yard and tell the guy off?”

She was silent.

“Exactly. You’re good at fighting, Maddie, but for some reason, you only fight for someone else, not for yourself.”

She rolled her eyes. He was exaggerating. “Are you still talking about the olives in my salad? It’s not afightto send the food back.”

“For you, obviously it is,” he said tersely.

She bit her lip. Damn. He was right. “It was different. The thing with the olives, that’s okay. I merely choose my battles carefully. And, most of the time, other people need a battle more than I do.”

“I didn’t need it. I don’t care what people say.”

She swallowed. “I do.”

He grinned. “That was evident, too.”

Sighing heavily, she drummed her leg. “I just don’t like asking for too much for myself. I don’t need much.”

“But you need a salad without olives! And what do you mean by…asking for too much?”

Her cheeks caught fire. Sometimes, it was a shame that Matt wasn’t an asshole; then he might have just left it alone. That would have been easier. “I’ve had and still have a lot of people in my life who ask too much, Matt,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be one of them.”

“Your dad,” he replied quietly.

“For example. Rachel. Just…because she’s not here. Many clients. And…” …Clemens had also demanded too much of her: too much understanding, too much indulgence.

“And?” Matt asked.

“And nothing. When there are too many people around you who need something, Matt, you don’t feel comfortable wanting too much yourself. Because it’s exhausting. For everyone.”

He sighed heavily. “You should say ‘no’ more often, Maddie, when something is too much for you. And say ‘yes’ more often to things that are good for you.”

True, that wasn’t her strong point. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Okay. Then let’s talk about that clown that you asked out on a date tonight.”

She groaned and narrowed her eyes. “I take it back. Let’s talk about my inability to say no.”

“No way. Because, seriously, what the hell were you thinking?”

“His profile didn’t sound that bad,” she replied, defending Alfie, even though Matt was right. Alfie had been downright awful.

“But how did you come up with him in the first place? I mean…your questionnaire didn’t seem to work for you, did it?”

She sighed. She couldn’t blame the technology. “Oh, the questionnaire was fine. Alfie and I only had a compatibility match of forty-eight percent.”

“What?” he asked confused as he entered the underground parking garage. “Why is that?”

She kneaded her fingers in her lap and was grateful for the dim lighting so Matt couldn’t see her cheeks glowing so intensely.

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