Page 111 of Falling into Place
“Dammit, Brooks,” Sasha muttered, sounding irritated and disappointed.
“Hey, I don’t hold it against him. He’s an adult, and if he needs space to go to therapy or process his emotions differently, that’s his decision to make. I get it, and it doesn’t make me care about him any less. I want what’s best for him. But I’m also not necessarily waiting around until he’s ready.”
Something like panic filled Sasha’s eyes. “But ... but he loves you.”
“I love him, too. That doesn’t mean we should be together.” It would be nice if things were that easy. “I just ... I have some things to consider, too, you know? Benjamin came back, and—”
“What?” Sasha shrieked, earning a glare from an older woman sitting behind them. “Benjamin’s back?”
“Yes, but I’m gonna stop you right there. Now that Brooks is in the picture, you don’t get a say in how I handle Benjamin. You’re no longer a neutral party.”
She snorted. “Like I ever was.”
“Good point.” Sasha had never been a fan of Benjamin. “Still. We’re not talking about that. It will just confuse me, okay? I need to figure it out on my own.”
Sasha practically sank in on herself, the effort to stay quiet almost comical. “Does he want you back?” she blurted.
“No comment.”
“Oh God.”
Carly shook her head and pushed the plate of food closer. “Finish your croissant.”
Sasha nodded like this was an excellent idea and stuffed the rest into her mouth in two bites. When she’d finished, she took a long, slow breath. “You know I just want what’s best for you, too, right?”
“I do. But you know what? I’ve got so many fires in my life right now, let’s put relationships on the back burner and focus on my career for a second. Because that’s an area where I’ll take any and all help you’ve got.”
Her friend pushed the plate aside and rubbed her hands together. “Right. Let’s go. What are you thinking? How can I help?”
Carly gestured at her laptop. “I was searching accounting jobs before you showed up, but nothing popped out at me.”
“Accounting?” Sasha cried. “You can’t go back to accounting. You hated it.”
“I didn’thateit.”
Sasha slow-blinked.
“I didn’t! Did I love it? No. But it’s definitely not the worst thing I could be doing, and it paid my bills just fine.”
“You can’t give up on a career in fashion,” Sasha said, unmoved. “You can’t. It’s all you’ve been working toward, and you can’t just throw in the towel at the first setback.”
“Getting fired’s more than a setback.”
Sasha ignored that. “Have you even looked for another stylist job? Or something else like it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. A lot’s happened this week, Sash. I’d likesomethingin my life to get back to normal.”
“Fashion is normal for you.” She tapped the top of Carly’s laptop with one long fingernail. “Come on, open her up. Let’s take a look.”
“You realize we’re in Oklahoma, right?” Carly said, though she did as she was told. “Not a lot of options in that industry to be had around here.”
Sasha cocked her head and lifted one perfectly plucked brow. “You seem to forget who you’re talking to. I’m the most connected woman in this city.” She cracked her knuckles and leveled Carly with a stare.
“Now, quit whining, pull up Google, and let me work my magic.”
