Page 77 of Just This Once

“Ooh, can we go look at that jewelry?”

I trail her to the booth with the handcrafted pendants and necklaces, where we bump into Marianne and Clara.

My best friend frowns. “You didn’t tell me you were coming out.”

Marianne and I regularly update each other with our schedules. Daily check-ins and mental health updates.On the struggle bus today. Gotta stay late at work.OrI’m going to murder my ex-husband. Prepare bail money.

After all these years, we can pretty much guess what’sgoing on with each other, so for me not to tell her I was going to be here is a red flag.

Maddie fills in the missing information. “Dante got us tickets toThe Nutcracker.”

“Did he?” Clara crows with a knowing grin in my direction. “How nice.”

Marianne tips her head toward me. “So that’s a thing, huh?”

“Nope.”

“Definitely yes.”

I shake my head.

She nods.

Clara claps like Snow White when she’s listening to the dwarfs sing. Utterly enchanted.

Maddie glances between us before slinking away to check out the rings.

As soon as she’s out of earshot, Clara slaps my arm. “I knew it!”

“You did not.”

“I knew you’d be good for each other.”

“We are not good for each other.”

Clara heaves a sigh. “Why are you so obstinate? Can’t you see how well you complement each other?”

“So?”

Marianne buts in then. “I do feel like you’re fighting this extra hard.”

“Because nothing’s going on.” When they both glare at me, I lose my temper. “It’s just sex!”

A few people shoot their attention to me at my outburst, and I lower my voice. “It’s just sex.”

“And yet you’re here on a date,” Marianne says, and I knock her elbow.

“Why are you pushing me on this?”

“Because you’re self-sabotaging.”

I wrench back, jaw hanging open, huffing perturbed puffs of air. And yet no words exit my mouth.

“What’s holding you back?” my best friend asks, her head angled in that way she does whenever she’s breaking down a problem.

“He’s twelve years younger than me.”

Marianne blinks wide eyes at me while pointing to her wife. They have the exact age difference that Dante and I have, and it’s worked out pretty well for them.

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