Page 88 of April

“Well, we have someone we’d like you to meet.”

“Someone?”

“Yes. She’s a friend, and we think you two might hit it off.”

“You’re setting me up?”

“Why not?” Melinda replied.

“You’ve never tried to set me up before.”

“You didn’t seem interested in anything real.”

“What makes you think I am now?” she asked.

“If you’re not, you’re not,” Kyle said. “But we thought it was worth a try.”

“I don’t know… I’m busy with work right now. Asher leaving means I’m taking over some of her accounts.”

“Monica and Bridge?” Melinda asked.

“No, she’s going to keep theirs. She’ll do as much as she can from here and fly back as needed once she moves. I already talked to Carolyn, our boss, about that one.”

“Well, that’s good, at least. I was worried,” Melinda said.

“With Ash leaving so suddenly, I’m still a little in shock. I don’t know that I want to go out with anyone right now. I think I want a tub of ice cream in my lap later tonight and a TV show that I’ve seen a hundred times on in the background while I wallow.”

“You sound like you’re going through a breakup,” Kyle noted.

Linden swallowed and replied, “Not exactly.”

“Hear us out,” Melinda said. “Just one date. I’ll firm up the details with her and text you. It’ll be good for you. Get out and meet someone. Have a drink. If it goes nowhere, it’s no big deal. If it does, maybe having something positive in your life would help with the whole Asher moving thing.”

“I’ll be bad company.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll turn on your charm like you always do,” Melinda said. “So, back to our cake. Can we talk flavors, or do we have to do tastings first?”

Linden picked up her pen, opened her notebook again, and said, “We can do it either way: narrow down what you want or don’t want now, and I’ll mention it to the vendors, or we can just show up, and they’ll give us samples of everything.”

“I like the idea of having samples of everything,” Kyle said, pretending to think and causing Melinda to laugh.

Linden jotted down a note and thought of Asher. Then, she pictured herself sitting at some restaurant, waiting for a woman Kyle and Melinda wanted her to meet. Normally, she would be excited at the prospect of meeting someone new, but she wouldn’t be this time. She would be too busy thinking about how Asher was about to leave New Orleans.

After Melinda and Kyle left her office, Linden packed up her things and noted that it was long after five and most of the rest of the staff had gone home, including Asher. She stood inthe doorway of Asher’s office for a moment, realizing that soon it would be hers but that she didn’t want it. It would always be Asher’s office to her. Then, she walked over to their old desks, which were still there, though occupied by new planners. She remembered those first few weeks, how she’d tried to get a smile out of Asher, and she wondered if the two people sitting here now understood the important history of their desks. She doubted they did. Walking back to her own office, she grabbed her things and decided that she needed to spend time alone tonight to try to get over her shock so that she could support Asher in her decision because if this was what she really wanted, Linden needed to be there for her.

CHAPTER 23

This was the longest she’d gone without talking to Linden in a very long time. About five years ago, Asher had gone on a long weekend away with her boyfriend at the time, and they hadn’t talked then, but since, they’d seen one another at work at least a few days a week, talked on the phone when they didn’t, or, at least, texted each other a few times a day. Since she had told Linden about Dallas, though, they hadn’t talked. Asher had hoped Linden would text her or ask if she could stop by her place last night so that they could talk about what this would mean for their friendship, but she hadn’t, and now, Asher was about to leave work for the day, and Linden had worked from home. Asher understood why. She just didn’t know how to fix it. If Linden needed time to adapt to her leaving, she’d give it to her. She just hated that that also meant they’d have less time together before she moved.

Asher had spent the previous night searching for apartments to check out when she visited and trying to figure out how to pack all of her stuff and hire movers in such a short period of time, all while worrying that she was making a mistake. She’d never wanted to leave New Orleans. She’d never planned on moving to Dallas or running an office that wasn’t hers. She just couldn’t sit around here feeling like she was in love with her best friend, who only wanted to date around. She knewshe couldn’t watch Linden make out with another woman. Just picturing that night, her kissing Jill while they danced, still made Asher want to throw up a little.

She stupidly accepted Bryce’s offer to set her up with some stranger because it was easier to agree with Bryce than to try to argue and not give her the real reason that she didn’t want to go out on any more dates. Bryce hadn’t cared that Asher was moving, and Asher couldn’t just blurt out that she was in love with Linden. Of course, who was she kidding? Bryce was with Sophie, and Sophie knew that Asher at least had feelings for Linden, so Bryce undoubtedly knew already. She was just trying to help Asher get over Linden by setting her up with someone else.

After spending the day working on Monica and Bridgette’s wedding because she wanted to get as much done as possible before she moved to give them the assurances that everything was under control and make it easier for herself to deal with the rest of Dallas, Asher went home to change out of her work clothes. Tonight, she was supposed to meet this woman at Santorini’s, and she didn’t have much time to get ready, but since she didn’t really care about this date, she decided to keep her hair back in a clip and didn’t bother reapplying her mascara. Shedidchange out of her business suit and into a black sleeveless dress with matching heels, and she changed out her bag to match. Checking herself in the mirror after adding earrings to complete her look, Asher locked her apartment and headed to the street, where she’d parked her car.

She would be driving tonight because she didn’t plan on drinking or even staying long. She wouldn’t order wine or an appetizer, and there wouldn’t be dessert. She didn’t want to go. She would be nice to this woman, but she knew there was no one who could take her mind off Linden right now. Even a supermodel couldn’t get Asher to shut up about her best friend.

Asher parked her car in the restaurant’s lot and walked inside, finding the reservation under Bryce’s name. Arriving at the table, she sat and waited for her date, who, apparently, was late since Asher was right on time. Bored a few minutes in, Asher pulled out her phone and decided to check her messages. Nothing from Linden, Bryce, or an unknown number saying that she was going to be late. Asher couldn’t text the woman herself because she hadn’t managed to get a number or even a name out of Bryce, despite texting her earlier that day, asking for more details.

---