Page 77 of Minted

“You’ve never been the best about believing in yourself, but your mom and your dad were always there, buoying you up. Now all you have is me to believe in you, and it’s not enough. You have to believe in yourself again, too.”

“I don’t need a pep talk,” I say.

“Oh, I disagree. I think you do.” Seren points at the window. “See that? That’s sunlight. Artificial light just isn’t as good. It’s not the same. After my parents died, I was afraid to love Dave. I was afraid to be happy at all. It’s a normal way to feel after losing someone—and in your case, two someones—you love a lot. But Alice told me then what I’m going to tell you now. You need to welcome the sunshine back into your life, and you need to make the life you want for yourself. Even when it feels like sorrow is the only thing you can see, even when it feels like the darkness is where you belong, you can’t wallow forever in it.”

She’s right. “Maybe once I do it, I’ll be good enough for Bentley.”

“Wait,” Seren says. “Once you. . .do what?”

“I’m going to quit my job,” I say. “I never really wanted to do what I’m doing, and I need to take steps to make my life what it should be. What I deserve.”

“Easy there, tiger,” she says. “If you need money to pay this loser dad to go away, I’m not sure now’s the time to—”

But I’ve already dialed my boss, and I’m ready to take action. “Hey there,” I say when she answers.

And then I give her my two weeks’ notice.

“Bonuses are being announced in eight days,” my boss says. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait a bit.”

“Right,” I say. “I might have been acting on an impulse. Can we pretend I didn’t call?”

“Sure.” I can almost hear her smile. “But hold onto that energy. I like it.”

“Alright,” Seren says after I hang up. “Now, if you’re done doing stupid things, how about you call Bentley?”

But I can’t bring myself to do it. Not quite.

“I’ll call him tomorrow,” I say. “I swear.”

Seren doesn’t want to let it go, I can tell, but she doesn’t have a choice.

“I have to go,” I say. “The girls have a tennis match. That’s why I’m off work today.”

“Fine,” she says. “But if you don’t call him tomorrow, I’m going to come over here and dial his number myself.”

“I know.” She loves me, so I believe she means it.

“And Barbara.” She points. “You have to let the light back in, or things will never get better. Do it. Open the windows.”

She’s probably right. “But right now, I have no time.” I gesture at myself. “Look at me. I can’t go to the game like this.”

“Match,” Seren says. “Tennis has matches.”

“Whatever,” I say.

After she finally leaves, I close the windows—not symbolically, but because I don’t like the people walking by being able to peer inside. And then I throw my hair up into a quick and dirty bun, and I change into something that’s not yoga pants, and I head for the tennis match.

I’m barely able to find a seat before it starts.

Only, when I start to cheer for the cutest doubles team ever, someone else behind me is cheering even louder than I am. For a moment I panic. Is it their dad?

But when I turn around, it’s not.

It’s Bentley.

I inadvertently kick a woman in the nose climbing up to the top row of the bleachers—what is he doing up so high?—but when I get there, I’m irritated. “Why are you here?”

“Me?” Bentley touches his broad chest, with clearly visible musculature even under his stupidly fancy sweater. “Oh, I’m just low-key stalking this woman I’m in love with. She said she loved me too—”

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