Page 105 of The Hookup Plan

“First, tell me you arenotserious about that dance class.”

“Of course not.Maybenot. It was a joke, but you didn’t respond, which makes me nervous.”

“Same,” Samiah said. “You’ve been unusually quiet tonight. I don’t trust it.”

“I’m fine,” she said with a sigh. London pitched her head back and stared up at the ceiling. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Work, family, or the fuck buddy?” Taylor asked.

She scrunched up one side of her mouth. “Honestly, all three.”

“Oh, shit.” Samiah added more sangria to London’s glass, using a big wooden spoon to scoop fruit out of the glass pitcher. “Which one do you need to start with?”

“They’re all intertwined in a way,” London said. She ate a chunk of wine-soaked apple, then repositioned herself on the sofa, tucking one leg underneath her and bending her other knee so that she could rest her cheek against it.

“I guess the easiest to explain is Drew,” she started. “He has moved far past fuck-buddy status.”

“Has he now?” Taylor asked with a smug lift of her eyebrows.

“I am not in love with him, so don’t even go there,” London said. Yet, the moment the words left her mouth, she felt as if her nose would sprout a branch like Pinocchio. She groaned, tapping her forehead against her knee. “This is ridiculous. It’s way too early to even contemplate being in love with him, but what the hell do you call it when the thought of not seeing someone every day makes your chest hurt?” She pressed a fist between her breasts. “And I’m not talking figuratively here. It literally hurts when I think about him going back to New York.”

“Oooh.” Samiah winced. “You got it bad, girl.” She hitched her head at Taylor. “You know that blend of uplifting essential oils she gave us? I start diffusing it two days before he leaves for an assignment,” she said, pointing to Daniel’s office. “And I still wait around for his text messages and phone calls like I don’t have other shit to do with my day.”

“What’s up with that?” London asked. “A simple ‘how are you?’ text from Drew has me smiling like a damn fool.”

“You aresoin love,” Taylor said. “It’s adorable.”

“Shut up.” London squeezed her eyes shut. “It just seems so dramatic. And extremely inconvenient. I have too much on my plate right now.”

“When does Drew leave for New York?”

“Trident is wrapping up their work. He hasn’t said anything yet, but I doubt he’ll be in Austin by this time next week. But this is about more than just Drew,” she said.

She looked at her two friends. These women who she’d met only six months ago, who were already like sisters to her. She wouldn’t be leaving just her family—she would be leaving them.

“I got a job offer,” London said.

“What! Congratulations!” Samiah screeched.

“Yes! Girl, gimme some!” Taylor held her hand up for a high five.

“In Chicago,” London finished.

Taylor dropped her hand. “Chicago?”

Her words had sucked all the air out of the room, replacing it with a pregnant silence that hovered over them until Samiah finally said, “Umm…okay. Wow.”

“Are you taking it?” Taylor asked.

“I don’t know.” London hunched her shoulders. “I would be a fool not to. This is one of the most competitive fellowships in the country, and I would work with some of the top doctors in my field, including one of the first Black women doctors to ever perform open-heart surgery on an infant. She’s a pioneer in the field of pediatric surgery and my idol. I can’t even describe how amazing this would be for my career.”

“Why is it even a question?” Samiah said. “Go!”

“But she has a house here,” Taylor said. “And friends.”

“Her house isn’t going anywhere if she doesn’t want to sell, and this isn’t the Dark Ages. We can have our girls’ night from anywhere in the world. That’s what FaceTime and Zoom are for.”

“It’s not that simple,” London said.

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