Page 72 of The Amendment

“Well, we were supposed to come down this weekend, but um”—she cleared her throat—“Seth actually introduced me to one of his coworkers in Canada, and he’s taking me out for dinner this weekend.”

She said it casually, as if it were no big deal.

“What? You met someone?And he lives inCanada?”

“I know. Am I crazy? Is it crazy? Seth thought it was a good idea. He’s this really nice guy. An investment banker. Single dad. Has the whole two-point-five kids and a dog. Picket fence. Yada yada.”

I winced. “Kids and a dog? Is he divorced?”

“Widowed.”

We released sympathetic sighs at the same time. “Poor guy.”

“Tell me about it,” she agreed.

“As much as I hate it, he sounds pretty perfect for you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Of course. You’ve always wanted kids. And a dog. And, hell, Canada’s got free healthcare. Maybe I’ll move up there with you.”

“Well, no one’s moving yet, but we’ll be sure to build you a guesthouse.”

“Let him know you’re a package deal.”

She laughed. “Will do. Seriously, though, I miss you guys so much.”

I put the car in park. “We miss you too, G. We’ll see you soon, okay?”

“It’s a date.”

“Okay, well, I hate to let you go, but I just got to therapy and I don’t want to be late.”

She let out a playful groan. “Okay. Fine. Go get mentally healthy.”

I snorted. “Love you.”

“Love you more.”

With that, I ended the call and stepped out of the car. Once inside, I greeted her first, though she had her back to me.

“Hey, Joanna.”

“Hey, Annie,” she said gently, her voice hoarse as she glanced over her shoulder, seeming startled to see me. Had she been sleeping recently? Or crying?

“Everything okay?”

She cleared her throat as I took a seat. “Yep. Sorry. How are you? How was your day?”

“Well, I just found out my best friend is probably going to move to Canada and become best friends with a moose or something, so there’s that.”

She furrowed her brow. “What?”

I waved it off. “Nothing. I’m joking.”

“Your best friend… That’s the one you mentioned before? The one you spend most of your time with?”

I nodded, tears stinging my eyes at the thought of her. “At least, I used to.”

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