Page 32 of Love Out Loud

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Fiona grabbed another donut from the box. Chocolate filled, her favorite. Jane crossed her arms and sat back in the metal bistro chair outside their favorite coffee shop, brow arched.

“Gonna tell me about it?” Jane asked.

Fiona shook her head and chewed, certain that her friend had waited to ask until her mouth was full to give her time to work out what to say. It’s something Jane had done since they were kids. She’d always seemed to understand Fiona better than anyone. She also understood that donuts were the perfect bribe or payoff, depending on the situation.

“I’ll wait,” Jane said, picking up her coffee cup and taking a sip.

Holy cow, it was a great donut. Dream Fiona had worked off a billion calories with dream Jake last night, and real Fiona was feeling the effects. At her feet, Otto and Daisy had given up begging and had settled down. She had a strict no-people-food policy, but they never gave up hope. That was something she loved about dogs: they were eternal optimists.

Once the last delicious bite was gone, Fiona knew her time was up. She’d requested the breakfast meetup with Jane, who no doubt knew there was a reason other than donuts.

“I’m confused,” Fiona said, wiping the chocolate from the corner of her mouth with a paper napkin.

“That’s not like you,” Jane said.

She was right. Fiona usually had a good sense of direction and purpose.

“He confuses me.”

“Jacob Ward.”

“Yes.”

Jane nodded. Before they’d opened Animal Attraction, Jane had been a successful divorce attorney. She was a master at listening and asking the right questions without pushing.

“He makes me feel…conflicted,” Fiona said.

“What’s at issue? What is the conflict?”

“My brain knows he’s not right for me, but my emotions and body keep telling my brain to go to blazes.”

Jane smiled. “Been there, done that.”

Ah, here came the join-the-happily-ever-after-club speech. Fiona folded the box closed and waited for the now-familiar diatribe in which her friend encouraged her to take a leap into the warm, sparkly waters of happiness, bliss, and sexual gratification.

Jane put her coffee cup down. “If you have reservations, maybe it’s not right. You should examine the issues.”

Wow. Well, that wasn’t what she’d expected. “He’s my opposite.”

Her friend leaned closer. “If he were not, you’d both sit around and read and never talk to anyone outside your close friends. I can’t imagine anything more boring. Can you?”

She had a point. Some of her most interesting times had come from Jane’s and Caitlin’s antics. Heck, Animal Attraction was a result of their very extroverted efforts and schmoozing. The business’s success, though, was due in part to Fiona’s veterinarian practice and behind-the-scenes philanthropic endeavors. The three of them worked great together. Maybe the opposites thing wasn’t a detriment after all.

“I’m not sure he’s interested. It’s like he’s thinking about it but then talks himself out of it.”

Jane nodded. “He’s been hired to coach you. Maybe there is some business conflict with dating clients.”

Huh… Fiona hadn’t thought of that. Maybe his holdup wasn’t about her as a person at all. Maybe he’d left right after kissing her because he was trying to be professional.

“Do you like him?” Jane asked.

So much. Too much. “Yes.”

“Oh, well, it’s easy, then.”

“It is?”

Jane stood and picked up her trash from the table. “Sure. Find out where he stands. If he’s into you, and there’s a rule at his company preventing him from dating you”—she pitched her cup and napkin in the trash, then handed the box of donuts to Fiona—“fire him.”

Fiona’s jaw dropped open. After a moment, she pulled herself together. “Fire him? What about the speech?”

“Fire him and give the speech anyway. Come on, Fee. You, more than anyone, know that a woman can have it all. Do it all.”

Jane leaned down and kissed her cheek, then headed down the sidewalk. Fiona stared after her, slumped in her chair with a box of donuts cradled to her chest.

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