Page 21 of Conspiracies and Chemistry

“What about your second-act career?” Savannah asked.

“She’s working at Discovery Diagnostics with Andrew’s friend Oliver,” Carly said.

“That’s not a career change,” Bridget said. “It’s what you’ve been doing since you sold your business.” I must have made a face at the reminder of the Red Rover fiasco, because she rushed to say, “You’ve been helping companies find direction.”

“But…” The word was out of my mouth before I realized it. I never talked about my work. Emotions wrapped around my work like spiderwebs, too sticky to touch. My friends stared at me, and Savannah waited with her mouth open, so I kept going. “But this feels…different.”

“Different how?” Lucie asked.

“The mission of the company is important. We’re—they’re helping the medical community diagnose and treat conditions. Conditions like…like mine.” The words felt like broken glass as they made their way out of my chest.

“Endometriosis?” Lucie asked.

I’d never said the word to them. I was so used to keeping my secrets to myself. But my friends would never use them against me. Not like Harry had. “Yes. What Discovery is doing is amazing. They just need to do it faster.”

“And you’re helping them do that,” Carly said. “Oliver says you’re brilliant.”

“Does he?” I arched an eyebrow. “He tells me I’m pushy and over prone to risk-taking.”

“Hmm,” Lucie said. “What else does Oliver say about Tessa, Carly?”

Grasping my hand, Carly dragged me closer to the food table. “You didn’t hear it from me, but Andrew thinks Oliver has a crush on you. He has a thing for redheads.” She shimmied her shoulders.

I shuddered. “No. No!” Oliver was, perhaps, the smartest man I’d ever met. And working in Silicon Valley, I’d met plenty of smart people. And, yes, he was hot in a Bruce Banner kind of way, especially when he slipped on his safety glasses and that dorky lab coat that should have hidden his toned physique. I shoved the image from my brain.

“Okay.” Carly held up her palms. “So, it’s not mutual.”

“He’s way too young for me,” I said.

“You want to talk tomeabout an insurmountable age difference?” Carly smirked.

“Or me?” Lucie said. “There are definite advantages to being with a younger man. I have two words for you: refractory period.”

Justine leaned forward on her elbows. “Tell me more. The gray-haired lawyers I date are too exhausted to get it up.”

Carly fanned herself. “Oh. My. God.”

“Stop,” I said. “No one wants to hear about your amazing sex lives. Oliver and Iworktogether.” I was never going to fuck anyone I worked with again. Not ever. I’d learned from Harry how catastrophic that could be. “And, yes, I’m enjoying my work at Discovery Diagnostics. But I believe we were talking aboutSavannah’ssecond-act career.”

“Right,” Lucie said.

We all looked at our friend. She clutched the black blazer to her chest, and it was all wrong. She belonged in her pastel tracksuits in my kitchen, where I’d heard her humming country songs every morning since she’d moved in with me.

“What about cooking videos?” Carly said. She waved at the table of treats. “I haven’t seen anyone make anything as beautiful as this spread.”

“You don’t cook,” Lucie said. “Why would you watch cooking videos?”

Carly blushed. “I, um, I tried to make breakfast for Andrew once.”

“The things we do for love,” Lucie said. “I hope it didn’t require the fire department.”

“Regardless,” Carly said, “Savannah, you should consider it.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t.” Her face was as pink as her track pants. “I’d look terrible on camera.”

“Andrew could give you some tips,” Carly said. “He’s a pro with his nerdy YouTube channel. I could do your makeup and clothes. You should try it.”

“You should,” I said. “We can film it in my kitchen.”

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