Page 50 of Sanctuary

“Don’t you think I know that? But if I want to treat my bestie to a manicure, I think I should be allowed. Especially if you’re about to introduce me to my soulmate.”

“Okay, let’s do it.” She’d always liked having her nails polished and neat, and it was another thing that she’d neglected over the past year.

Rosie glanced at Lori briefly, and it was clear that she wanted to say something else but wasn’t quite sure if she should.

“Go ahead,” Lori said.

Rosie laughed. “Premonition: another good thing about us knowing each other so well,” she said. “I hope I’m allowed to say that it’s good to see you in heels and being okay with me dragging you to have your nails done. It’s progress, isn’t it?”

“I’d like to think it is, yes.” Lori pointed toward Bonnie’s Brew just ahead of Gabe’s auto shop. “Do you want a caffeine fix? I think I need one before I go on-screen.”

Rosie’s sideways glance made it clear she wasn’t fooled by the feeble excuse. Lori had been neglecting their friendship as much as she’d been neglecting herself, and it was time to change that too. Spending a few extra moments alone with Rosie would be good.

Lori snagged a couple of high barstools by the window while Rosie went to place their order. She also wanted a little bathroom pitstop to fix her makeup and prepare herself to see Gabe again. It had only been a day since Gabe had picked up the car, and although Lori was glad for it to be gone, she was also grateful for the ongoing excuse to see Gabe more regularly than her weekly Max visit.

Rosie returned quickly with their matching lattes and scooted onto the seat beside her. “This is starting to feel like old times.”

Lori caught the hint of melancholy in Rosie’s voice, and guilt tugged firmly on her conscience. She placed her hand over Rosie’s and squeezed. “I’m sorry I disappeared on you.”

“Hey, no, you don’t have to apologize,” Rosie said. “You did what you had to do, and I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

Lori sighed deeply. “Still, I froze you out, and you stuck around. Thank you for that.”

“It’s what friends do. How many times have you been there to pick up the pieces with me?”

Lori began to count. “I don’t have enough fingers,” she said and laughed.

“Point made. My love life has been a total mess the whole time we’ve known each other, and there’s no sign of an uptick in my future, so I wasn’t about to duck out on you when you needed me.” Rosie shrugged then winked. “Besides, it’s only a matter of time before I’ll need you to dig me out of another emotional black hole.”

“That’s not the kind of positive thinking I know and love you for.”

Rosie sipped her coffee then dabbed at her resulting foam mustache with a napkin. “Which is why I need you and why I stuck around.” She gestured toward Lori’s tall glass mug. “Anyway, you’ve got your caffeine fix, so why don’t you tell me why we really stopped here?”

“To continue my metaphor, I guess that I’m finally beginning to melt the ice walls I constructed after the lawyer left.”

“Okay, that’s good, and I’m relieved to hear it,” Rosie said. “But you seem to have shifted into a higher gear than you’ve been in for over a year. Want to share what’s kickstarted that?”

“I do,” Lori said. “You already know about Gabe and Max.”

Rosie grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “Of course I do. She was super-hot in that overtly strong way you’re a big fan of, and she helped raise a chunk of cash for the Sanctuary. I may have been a little out of it because I was chucking my guts up, but I wasn’t about to forget that.”

Lori clasped her hand over her mouth in a futile effort to stop a giggle emerging. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.”

“No. You shouldn’t,” Rosie said then laughed herself. “But I’ll let you if you continue the story.”

“Okay. And you know about the lawyer’s workshop and the car she never fixed?”

Rosie harrumphed so loudly that an old couple at a nearby table looked their way, distinctly unimpressed. “I remember how much money she spent on getting ready to fix it too.”

“All of it wasted,” she said. That had been an issue because they had shared finances, and Lori had never been a spendthrift, while the lawyer let money slip through her fingers like water. Lori didn’t get a large salary from the Sanctuary, but the lawyer still managed to blow through that as well as her own salary. She had to admit to liking Rosie’s indignation, but just as she hadn’t told her therapist about where exactly she’d found the lawyer and her clerk, she’d neglected to give that detail to Rosie too. There were some things she just didn’t want to share… She ignored the voice that chided her for sharing with Gabe and not her best friend, justifying it as the quid pro quo they’d agreed on.

“I get all that,” Rosie said. “And it’s led to Gabe’s offer to fix up the car, which is why we’re here. Are you saying that Gabe is the catalyst for the sudden change in pace of your healing?”

“It’s all inextricably linked.” Lori took a moment to have a long drink of her latte before it cooled too much. “Gabe’s second visit set off a chain of events that prompted me to address what’s probably the final piece of my life with the lawyer.”

“The car,” Rosie said, nodding. “When the car is sold for auction, it will close the book for you.”

“That’s a big part of it, yes. And so is my friendship with Gabe.”

---