Page 13 of Dare to Hold
Harper gasps like I’ve just suggested canceling Christmas. “Do you have any idea what I’m walking into next week?” She throws her hands up. “Twenty-five kindergartners who forgot how to sit in a circle and think glue sticks are a food group. I need this last night of spring break.”
Olivia sets the silver dress down and turns toward me, her lips curving into something softer. “And what about you, Ivy? Are you excited to be free from your boring desk job?”
I shrug, fiddling with the zipper on my cosmetic bag. “I don’t know. I mean, freelancing full-time was the plan eventually. I’ve got a couple of clients lined up, but it still feels surreal. Like I’m either on the verge of something amazing or a total disaster.”
“You’re brave,” Harper says softly, with that same blend of admiration and concern she always uses when I leap without a plan. “But it’s going to be good. I can feel it.”
I sigh and perch on the edge of the bed.
Olivia perks up. “It’s going to be amazing. You’re insanely talented. And now you can work in your pajamas and design from cafes in Italy if you want.”
“That’s the dream,” I say softly. “Right now, it’s mostly designing real estate brochures and logos for dog grooming salons.”
“Hey,” Harper says, raising a finger. “Those dogs need solid branding.”
Laughter ripples again, and for a second, the ache in my chest dulls.
Olivia plops onto the edge of the bed, both dresses pooled in her lap. “We are all starting new chapters next week.”
“Are you ready for your new title?” Harper asks her.
Olivia nods, then lets out a deep breath. “Yeah. No more supervision, no more paperwork hoops. I’m officially full-time at the practice starting Monday morning.”
“That’s amazing,” I say. “You’ve worked so hard for this.”
She shrugs, but her smile is proud. “Thanks. I just hope I’m ready. It’s one thing to be the intern. It’s another to have people fully trusting you with their mess.”
“You’ve been helping people for years,” Harper says, sitting up straighter. “Now you’re just getting paid more for it.”
Olivia laughs. “Spoken like a true teacher who deserves three times her paycheck.”
Harper grins. “Don’t I know it.”
There’s a moment of soft silence, that only happens between friends who’ve grown up and grown close, where no one feels the need to fill the space.
Then Olivia lifts both dresses again with a dramatic flourish. “Alright. Therapy talk over. Now which one of these says I might be a licensed mental health professional, but I also deserve to turn heads on our last night in New Orleans?”
“That silver one,” I say, pointing. “Even though we all know you could make a grown man cry in sweatpants.”
Harper stretches out on the bed, looping an arm around my shoulders with a grin.
“Come on. Let’s put you in a dress that says, I’m definitely not spiraling over a guy I just met.”
“More like, I barely remember his name…even though I’ve replayed every second of that coffee date in my head.” Olivia adds, her lips quirking.
I groan, but I’m smiling now. “You guys are seriously the worst.”
Harper lifts a brow. “Says the girl who’s been overthinking a five-minute hand-hold like it was a marriage proposal.”
I grab a pillow and launch it at her face.
And just like that, the moment shifts. The weight on my chest eases. It’s not gone, but it’s manageable. Maybe I’ll never see Gray again. Maybe that’s okay. Or maybe, just maybe…fate isn’t done with us yet.
But for tonight, I have my girls.
And that might be enough.
Dinner is a blur of laughter, clinking glasses and plates being passed around the table. For the first time all day, I let myself forget. I forget about the way Gray looked at me. The way his touch lingered just a second too long. The way my heart ached as I walked away.
