Page 17 of The Bossy One

“Remember when making friends was that easy?” Molly said. She sounded a little wistful.

“We didn’t know how great we had it,” I agreed, and Molly laughed.

We chatted a bit more until I excused myself to help Catie make her selection. She had me read six different books to her before she finally picked one. We bought the book, waved goodbye to Molly, and headed out the door.

“It seemed like you met someone nice,” I said. “But as a general rule of thumb, maybe avoid food that’s got lint stuck to it.”

Catie nodded but didn’t say anything.

I tried again. “What did you talk about?”

“Lots of things.” Catie shrugged her little shoulders. “Then she asked if I would be her friend, and I said no because I don’t live here, and after that she didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

I felt my heart pinch a little. “You can be friends with people even if you don’t live in the same place. Like you and your uncle Declan.”

“Family has to call you when you don’t live in the same place,” Catie said slowly and clearly, like she was worried I didn’t understand. “But friends don’t. They can forget you.”

Understanding dawned. “Have you moved around a lot, honey?”

She nodded.

“You know,” I said speculatively, “you can be friends for just a little while, while you’re both in the same place. Those kinds of friendships are good too.”

“Do you have friends like that?” Catie asked, curious.

I opened my mouth to say yes, but realized it felt a little dishonest. I’d had so many different jobs in the past few years, at some point I’d stopped making as much of an effort to connect. I’d be friendly with the chefs, gardeners, and cleaning people who made up the rest of the staff of the family who hired me. But I couldn’t remember the last time I’d made friends with someone I didn’t work with.

Catie was still waiting for my answer.

I wanted to set a good example. But more than that, I realized I was tired of feeling so damn lonely.

“You know what?” I said to Catie. “I’m going to go make a friend.”

I turned around and marched us back to the bookstore.

Molly looked up from the graphic novel she was reading. “Welcome to…oh, you’re back. How can I help you?”

I stuck out my hand. “I’m Olivia. I realized I didn’t introduce myself.”

Molly looked at me like she thought I might have been hit on the head.

“We’re working on making friends,” I said. “And I’d like to be yours.”

“Oooooh,” Molly said, catching on. “Nice to meet you. Let’s be friends.”

We shook hands.

Catie studied us with wide eyes. Probably trying to decide if we were for real.

Molly leaned over the counter and offered her hand to Catie. “I’m Molly. Will you be my friend too?”

Catie shook Molly’s hand cautiously. “I’m Catie. I will think about it.”

That surprised a laugh out of Molly. “Good for you, kid. Don’t settle.” She glanced at me like she was making a decision. Then she scribbled something on the back of one of the store’s business cards and passed it to me. She lowered her voice. “If you’re serious about the whole friend thing…”

“I am,” I assured her.

She beamed. “Text me. We can grab a pint.”

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