Page 71 of Best Kept Secret

"I know how that feels—I went through that for a while and itwasbrutal," Stella admitted sincerely. "But Nina is picking up the tab."

I looked at Stella and then Zahra. Had they coordinated this? What were they trying to pull? Stella was a senator's daughter and was married to a guy with a shit ton of money; like hell she knew about not having money.

As if able to read my mind, Stella continued, "My father called in a loan he gave me, and I had to sell literally everything. All I had was my salary, which is pretty decent,butI was starting over from scratch, and there were days when I wondered how I'd make it all work."

"Ladies, are you crowding Mira here?" Nova's voice came through as she stood in the doorway.

"Yes," Zahra said unapologetically.

Nova grinned. "Both of you, out. Lunch isn't for another half hour—you can wait."

Zahra leaned to whisper to me, "Life is meant to be lived so live, yeah? Come for drinks."

Nova stayed after everyone left. "How's it going?"

I didn't look at her. "Good."

She'd been kind to me and had believed in me when Beau didn't. Roxy had also reached out, but I'd rebuffed her as well. I didn't know what to do with their kindness, with anyone's kindness.

"Everyone loves your food."

"Glad they like it," I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the soup. I didn't need her approval. I didn't need anyone's.It didn't matter! I didn't care.

There was an awkward pause before she added, "You know, if you ever want to talk, I'm around."

I nodded still not looking at her. Her words were meaningless to me. She waited a second longer, probably hoping I'd open up, but I didn't. She left, and I exhaled slowly, feeling my tension ease as soon as the door clicked shut behind her.

The one person at Savannah Lace who didn't try to pry into my life was Nina. She seemed to understand me in a way the others didn't. She didn't push. She just worked with me, listened when I had ideas about the kitchen, and about the menus. She respectedmy space, and that's why I had confided about my plans with her.

"I'm not staying in Savannah," I told her a few days ago, while we were going over the final plans for the cafeteria. "I'll work here, make enough money, and then I'm gone."

She'd paused, looked at me with those sharp eyes of hers, then nodded slowly. "I understand. But I hope you'll consider building a life here. You're good at what you do, and you could make a career at Savannah Lace."

I shrugged, uninterested. "I don't want a career. I just want to leave."

"Don't let a man, any man, run you out of anywhere," she remarked, and left it at that.

That's what I liked about Nina, she didn't bother with emotional bullshit. She respected what I said, and moved on.

Nova, I knew, was struggling with the distance I had put between us, and I could see it in every glance, every forced smile. She still lingered after everyone else left the room, still found reasons to check in with me, still tried to reach the version of me that no longer existed.

Nova hadn't said anything directly, not yet, but the questions were always there, just behind her eyes. The quiet, desperate "Are you okay?" that she wouldn't voice.

The thing was that I wasn't okay. I wasn'tanything. I was empty.

I didn't blame Nova for caring. But I alsodidn't carethat she cared. The newAfterAmbien Mira had no room for it.

I wiped my hands again, hanging the towel I used as an apron over the counter, and glanced at the clock. Almost time for lunch service. I heard footsteps behind me and didn't even need to turn around to know it was Aurora, the soft-spoken architect married to Beau's close friend Gabe Rhodes.

"Mira, how—" she began softly, hesitant, as if she were approaching a wounded animal.

"Lunch's ready," I cut her off before she could ask how I was doing. "I'll set everything in the dining area in the next ten minutes."

"This weekend we're having a barbecue. Gabe and I would very much like it if you could attend."

My hand gripped the ladle I was holding tightly. "I'm busy but thanks for the invite," I replied flatly.

"You know, I grew upalone." Aurora leaned against the fridge. "My mother was a bit of a flake. My father didn't want me. He had a new family. So, I had no parents, no money, nothing. I met Gabe and he swept me off my feet, and then he took it all away. Crushed me."

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