Page 37 of Thanks for the Friendship
“Trust me, I’ve thought about it,” she says. “But you know me. As long as this place is mine, I’ll never be able to step away completely. And being so far away will make it even harder. So, I probably have to make a clean break.”
My brain is spinning. I’ve been working for Elizabeth for years, and although I could easily get another job, Fun in the Sun Realty is my home. Well, my second home. My first home is about to be sold too. The thought turns my stomach.
“I need to make an announcement soon,” she says. “Could you keep this to yourself for a day or two?”
I nod. Ugh. Another secret to keep from Gabby. I’m the worst friend.
“Does Gabby know anything about this?”
She shakes her head. “That’s another dilemma. I haven’t even told my sister yet, and I really hate keeping things from her.”
I know how she feels. I haven’t even told my roommates that they need to find a new place to live. Maybe I’m afraid that if I say it out loud, I’ll have to face it. And to make matters worse, I have Sara and Cal wanting to buy my house.
“That’s another reason I don’t want you to tell anyone yet,” she begs. “I don’t want Gabby to say anything to Nikki before I do.”
I promise to keep it quiet and leave her to sort out her major life decisions.
“What did she say?” Javier asks as soon as I return to my desk. Gabby joins him, and I put on my best poker face.
“Not much other than she hasn’t been sleeping great,” I tell them.
“Uh-uh. There’s more going on with her,” Javier insists.
“Maybe she’s just having a bad day,” I suggest.
“Nope. I think there’s trouble in paradise. It’s something between sweet Billy boy and her.”
He’s on the right track—sort of. I chuckle at his Billy boy reference. Elizabeth’s boyfriend is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met—almost too nice.
“Maybe. But I’m certainly not one to judge or make assumptions about anyone’s relationship drama.”
Gabby makes a face. “Neither am I.”
Thankfully, both of them return to their desks, leaving me to think about Elizabeth’s news. I glance around the office, and another feeling of sadness comes over me. First my home and now this, it’s almost too much to think about all at once.
* * *
I decide to skip Pilates class and go straight home after work. Some days it’s just nice to sit in front of the TV and relax, which is something I rarely do. When I pull into the driveway, I see Theo in front of his house. He waves and starts walking towards my car, which causes a strange feeling to come over me.
I get out of the car and say hi.
“Hey. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
For some reason my curiosity is piqued. It’s not often that Theo wants to talk to me when Gabby isn’t around.
“Sure. Do you want to come inside?”
Theo follows me into the house, and I offer him a drink.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Well, first off, I wanted to thank you for such a great birthday party.”
I hold up my hand and remind him that Gabby was one hundred percent behind that party. She put everything into making it perfect.
“I know, but you helped, and you’ve been such a great friend to her.”
I open a Diet Coke and lean against the counter.
