More Than Friends

Chapter Twenty-One

Harlyn

My chest hurt from the crying I had been doing. I wasn’t sure how I’d made it home, or at what point I had climbed into my bed. I remembered sobbing and telling Janene that she was gutless and that I couldn’t wait to leave this horrible city behind. I wanted her to tell me she loved me, to stop me from leaving her apartment, but she didn’t. She opened her front door and asked me to leave.

My phone rang and I scrambled to answer it before it went to voicemail, hoping it was Janene. Praying to all the Gods that she had changed her mind.

“Hey,” Caitlin said.

I was staring at her cheek.

“You used FaceTime again,” I said.

Even if it was unintentional, I needed that little bit of levity.

“Sorry,” she said. “Let me—”

I turned the camera toward the ceiling as soon as I realized she was shifting her phone but I wasn’t fast enough, she caught a glimpse my puffy eyes and runny nose.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Nothing,” I said through a sniffle.

“Harlyn, look at me.”

I brought my face back into view. “I fucked up,” I cried. I was so humiliated.

“What happened? Did you get fired?”

“No, worse.” I buried my head in my knees to keep from breaking down again. “I fell for my boss.”

“You fell for Madeline? I thought you had the hots for Janene.”

My head snapped up. “How did you know I was into Janene?”

Caitlin had a dimple on her left cheek that only appeared when she was being coy. “I have eyes you know. You were supposed to introduce her to me, remember. When you didn’t I picked up on the way you were flirting with her at your party.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“I figured when she pushed you away in the basement that she was sending a message and you moved on.”

“Pushed me away?”

“Yeah, when the light came back on.”

I should have been able to laugh at that moment. When we were in New York, Janene and I had laughed but it wasn’t funny anymore. The risk I’d taken, the obvious immaturity of my decision.

“We were fooling around while the lights were out. I was in the middle of trying to…” the tears were back. “This is what I do isn’t it? I pushed too hard, too fast.”

“Wait, back up. You were— having sex— while I was right there? Harlyn! Gross! That’s why you said—” she gasped “Oh my god! What the fuck?”

“I know. It was stupid.”

“More like ballsy. Mommy dearest would have killed you if she caught you.”

I hadn’t worried about Renee, not that day. All I wanted was to be with Janene. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her. Replaying the events of that night, after learning all the things I now knew, it made sense as to why Janene had run off to the bathroom as soon as the light came on and why she was now ended things. This was bigger than my mommy issues. I didn’t need Renee’s approval. I needed Janene’s and I had fucked that up.

“How long has this been going on?” Caitlin asked.

“Two weeks after I started my job.”

“Shit! And you hadn’t told me?”

“I’m sorry. It was just supposed to be a fling while I was in town. Nothing serious.”

“But?” she asked.

“I got caught up, and she isn’t the type to ever get caught up.”

“Oh, Harlyn. I’m sorry.”

“It’s my own fault. I don’t think she would have said anything if I hadn’t…” I was trying not to cry. I had been crying for hours now and it wasn’t going to change anything.

“Did you tell her you loved her?”

“No,” I shook my head.

I thought about all the courage it took for Janene to come to me with the truth about her choices and how I had taken advantage of it. I turned it into a game. I didn’t deserve to have her, I deserved to hurt.

“She has these boundaries—”

“Doesn’t seem like it if she sleeps with her interns, but please enlighten me.”

Caitlin’s brow was furrowed she was upset over this for me, but if she understood what I’d done, she’d quickly side with Janene. Anyone with any decency would.

“She’s been through a lot. She lost her partner, Coreen, in an accident while they were serving overseas. I won’t say more than that, but because of that trauma, she has certain boundaries, and I crossed them. I’m so fucking stupid.”

“Oh, honey, I love you but you can’t make anyone do something they don’t want to do. If she agreed to whatever you did and then regretted it afterward, that’s on her. She said yes when you asked. Because you asked, right?”

Her voice was full of compassion for me. I had yet to look at myself in the reflection in my phone but I knew I had to look like a woman who’d been wronged. That was an invalid representation of the monster I had been.

“Of course I asked, but I knew she was just reacting, that she was vulnerable and hadn’t fully thought it through. I should have pulled back. Hell, I shouldn’t have even asked. It was too soon. God, I’m just like my mom! I don’t know when to stop.”

“You are not like your mom.” Caitlin stood up like she was reprimanding me. She started to pace her living room. “There has to be more to this story.”

“There’s nothing more. I went over to her place this morning and I asked her to do the thing. Next thing I know, she says she got a message from work and she had to go.”

She stopped and looked at me. “That’s not telling you things are over.”

“She didn’t go to work. She’d told me to wait for her so I did but when an hour passed and she hadn’t called or text, I called the office. She wasn’t there.”

“So, she’d left already.”

“They’d never called her in.”

Caitlin fell into her sofa as if the news had knocked her over. I took in a deep breath for strength to finish the story.

“When she walked through her front door an hour after that, I was sitting on her sofa, worried out of my mind because she hadn’t returned a single text or phone call. She looked at me like she was surprised to see me there. I asked her about going into work and she admitted that she’d lied. She said she’d taken a drive. That she needed to do some thinking and she’d come to realize that we couldn’t see each other anymore. I asked her if it had to do with how I approached her boundaries and I apologized. She said I wasn’t mature enough for her. That I needed to accept that our age difference was too great to overcome. That I needed to move on. We needed to keep things professional going forward. It was like I was talking to a stranger. She didn’t even sound like herself.”

I cried into my hand. My heart ached but I was the idiot that had pushed until I broke Janene. I kept seeing how pale her face was when I woke up. She was staring at her phone, there was a picture on it but I couldn’t make out the image. It wasn’t until I started telling Caitlin about my morning that I was able to place an emotion with that look. It was regret.

My mom used to have a photo of her and my dad on her phone. One that took her months to remove. She looked at it from time to time when she thought no one was paying attention. I was now sure that Janene woke up, reached for her phone, and sitting there probably as her locked screen image was a picture of Coreen. The realization of what we’d done, of what I had pushed her to do, must have caught her off guard.

“Fuck her,” Caitlin said. “Only a selfish asshole sleeps with their intern and then uses some lame excuse to get out of it. You should march into that office tomorrow and report her to HR.”

I shook my head. “This is my fault. I made the first move even though I knew she was trying to keep things professional. She didn’t do anything wrong. I did.”

“Harlyn, she clearly has issues. You don’t need that.”

“I wish people would stop telling me what I need!” I yelled at Caitlin. “What I need is to have Janene back and I made that impossible.”

She didn’t once look me in the eye. I’d forced her to break her commitment to Coreen. She’d never forgive me for that.

“Maybe it’s better this way,” Caitlin said.

“I love her. I don’t know if I can go to work tomorrow and act like we’re just friends.”

“You will, because you’re Harlyn. You always find a way.”

“I should go,” I said. “Renee will be home from work soon and I need to be somewhere else. I can’t deal with her right now. I think I’m going to get a room for the night.”

“Call me tomorrow? Let me know how things go.”

I nodded and disconnected the phone, all my energy drained.

I walked into the office on Thursday morning and there was complete silence. The only person in our shared conference room office was Colby. He didn’t look up when I walked in or when I took my seat at the table. He was focused on his screen and remained that way. He’d been working the hospital project with us but once we left for New York, there was nothing else to do until we heard back about the proposal so Janene put him to work with Armande.

I had no clue what my day was going to look like. I could be working with Madeline now, taking Colby’s spot, or because Anabelle had been assigned to work with Madeline in my absence, I might be expected to work with Janene.

I had sent her a text the night before apologizing again and asking to talk. I wanted to hear her voice, know that even if I didn’t deserve it, she was going to forgive me. I didn’t get a reply, or a call. If I knew her at all, I knew she’d come up with an excuse to get Anabelle back on her team. That’s why Annabelle wasn’t in the conference room, she was probably in Janene’s office. Soon, Madeline would come find me.

Part of me found some comfort in that idea, I wasn’t ready to face Janene and the pain I’d caused her. I hadn’t seen it in the moment but as I replayed our argument, it was obvious. The ways she looked at the floor, the wall, the ceiling, everywhere but at me. Her eyes were red and swollen even though she had not shed a single tear in front of me. I imagined that meant she’d sobbed the entire time she drove around the city. She kept her hands inside the front pouch of her hoodie like she was trying to keep herself from lunging at me. She had every right to be angry but I knew she wasn’t just angry with me. She was angry at herself for giving in to my request. The way she’d spoken about her love for Coreen, she’d never forgive herself.

I’d done that to her, made her hate herself so, part of me hoped that the reason I was sitting in the conference room without a project was because I was supposed to be working with Janene and she hadn’t come to find me yet. That eventually she’d have to and I’d get a chance to explain my ignorance. To fix my fuck up. She would never love me the way I loved her, not after this, but I might survive that if I could only get her to understand how sorry I was about the entire thing.

I tried not to think about the outcome. Instead, I decided to distract myself with my emails while I waited for her to come find me. I hadn’t looked at them in days and there were several that needed my attention.

When I reached the emails from the day before, I found an email from Krystal. I opened it to find the link to the job posting for Linear Design Group, New York and a short message.

If you send me a copy of your resume and cover letter by end of day Friday, I think I can get you a virtual interview for Monday. Can’t wait to have you back.

She was pretty sure of herself and the pitch she’d given me even after I told her I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to New York City like I had intentionally planned. Stupid, na?ve, and shortsighted, I thought things might work out with Janene and I’d stay a little longer. The email sat there like a sign that New York was where I needed to be.

The RedPrint internship was a paid internship. The stipend wasn’t much but I didn’t have any real bills so I had been stocking most of it away. I could afford to move if I wanted to but I wasn’t sure if running away, again, was the best solution. I at least needed to know that Janene was going to be okay before I made any decisions.

I closed my laptop and decided that I needed coffee. My head was still throbbing from all the ridiculous crying I had allowed myself to do. Eye drops and concealer had never had a tougher job. Janene didn’t make her second cup of coffee until she did rounds on us around ten. There was a good chance I could make it to the break room and back without an awkward encounter. I wanted her to look for me when she was ready, I didn’t want her to feel like she was being ambushed again.

I walked into the breakroom and found Misty at the coffee machine. I almost turned around and walked out except she’d already seen me.

“Well look what the cat dragged in,” she said. “You look like crap! Is that what New York does to you?” she laughed. “I thought that’s why you were MIA yesterday so you could recoup.”

She got a sly look on her face before she lowered her voice and continued. “Or did Janene make you work overtime?” she wiggled her eye brows.

“What? No. Why would you say that?” My voice was a little too high and my reply too quick.

“Oh, come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed the way she looks at you. It’s just a matter of time before she gets what she wants. Trust me, been there, done that.” She laughed again.

It took me a few seconds to fully understand what she was implying. She’d slept with Janene too? How was it possible that I had not picked up on that connection between them?

“Of course, she’s on this trip with Anabelle now, I’m guessing that fruit is much easier to pick. I’ve seen the way Anabelle looks at Janene. She better watch out; Anabelle may very well be the death of her that girl is so young.”

My stomach sunk. “They’re on a trip?”

Misty nodded. “Yeah, and between you and me, if I were Colby, I’d be pissed that Janene took Anabelle and not him. Rumor has it, he brought the client to the firm. Some old hotel renovation in Texas. We never take clients outside of Colorado. We only did the Mount Sinai thing because the facility is actually in the Springs. Something smells fishy about this one. Janene and Anabelle will be gone for at least two weeks. Talk about a love fest.”

The idea of Anabelle and Janene together made me lightheaded. All the flirting and cackling at Janene’s jokes that Anabelle had done. Had Janene finally given in? It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since she kicked me out of her apartment.

“I don’t think Janene is interested in Anabelle,” I said.

“Trust me, Janene is interested in anything with two long gorgeous legs and a you know what in between them. Why else would she swap out Colby? That woman is a force to be reckoned with. Trust me, one day you’ll give in and realize exactly why we’re all willing be at her beck and call. That woman is amazing in bed.”

Misty laughed again and then made her exit. I slammed my fist against the counter and then immediately regretted it when a sharp pain ran all the way up to my elbow. I couldn’t help but feel like I had been played. Was she even upset about the end of us? I wanted to laugh because there was no us. Never had been. It was all in my head. I was just another conquest. The story about Coreen, was it even real? Had she told me those things just to pull at my heartstring and make me do things I might not have done otherwise? I had so many questions now and she was gone. On a trip with Anabelle of all people. She’d lied about her ability to have an orgasm, and that she’d been called into the office, had the puffy eyes and tear all been fake?

“Hey Misty,” I yelled down the hall. She turned and looked at me, excitement brimming with the possibility that I’d give her something to gossip about. I waved her over.

“I’ve heard that she’s a stone butch, is that true?” I whispered.

“Totally,” Misty said. “But that’s what makes it fun. She’s really good and knowing exactly what you want.”

“I don’t think I could do that,” I said. I leaned into her ear. “There’s no point in making a woman wet for me if I don’t get a taste.”

Misty fanned herself. “Talk to me like that again and we might find ourselves locked in the supply closet.”

I licked my lips. “Maybe. But we leave Janene out of it. I know broken when I see it. I don’t need that.” My voice cracked a little at the end but I’d said exactly what I needed to. I knew a juicy version of this little flirtation would make its way back to Janene by means of Misty.

I wasn’t going to be played with. Maybe the no touch rule applied to everyone. Maybe the story she’d told me was true, but the fact that she would just move on before we’d even had a chance to really talk, made one thing very clear. She never cared about me.

“Hey,” Madeline said as she walked up to us. “I was just headed to find you.”

Misty and I both straightened our posture with Madeline’s approach. “I should get going,” Misty said. “We’ll chat some more later.”

“What’s going on?” I said to Madeline in my most pleasant tone. “Hear anything from Mt. Sinai?”

“Not yet. I don’t expect to for at least a week. These big corporations like to drag things out as long as they can. I just wanted to let you know that you’re stuck with me the rest of this week and next. We had a last-minute change in plans and Janene is off to Texas today.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“Misty?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to do with her,” She let out a small laugh. “Anyway, I have some things I’ll need you to look at for a smaller, project I just started. It’s basic stuff. I’m meeting with Colby in about ten minutes, we’ll meet after that.”

“Sure.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if that meeting was about how he’d been pushed out of his own project.

I sat at my laptop and looked at the email I had from Krystal. I clicked on the link and filled out the application, then I replied to Krystal’s email with a copy of my resume and cover letter attached. I had only read two other emails when I got a ping with a reply asking me to confirm that I was available on Monday afternoon for a virtual interview. Something in me hesitated but only for a moment. Mondays could be hectic, especially if something major had happened over the weekend but I knew if I asked nicely, Madeline would let me work from home after lunch.

I confirmed and then tried to put it out of my mind. It was only Thursday and who knew how long it would take for Linear to get back to me when they likely had hundreds of applicants.

My one beacon of light was the weekend. I was planning to hit a club and find someone to take my mind off Janene, who suddenly had no issues using email to keep everyone apprised of the work they were doing in Texas. I wanted to throw my laptop across the room every time her name pinged and her picture popped up.

I was never happier to crawl into bed than I was that Friday, the club would have to wait for Saturday. Being mad at someone you couldn’t yell at or give the stink eye to was exhausting.

“Knock, knock,” my mother said as she stood in my doorway. “I have a surprise for you.”

I looked up from my pillow not sure that I was ready for any surprise Renee was going to spring on me.

“I rented us a cabin in Breck. I thought maybe we could do some shopping tomorrow and then Sunday we can have brunch at that cute little place you like that serves mimosas. Then,” She continued. “We can get a full body spa treatment. What do you think?”

“Who are you and what have you done with my mother,” I said.

“Come on. I think it would be fun. We haven’t done anything like this in a long time.”

“We haven’t done anything like this ever. We don’t do mother-daughter stuff.”

“We used to. When you were little.”

“You mean when I was underage and had no choice but to follow my mother wherever she went?”

“Harlyn, I’m trying to do something nice for the two of us. Please, just this once.”

I blew out a puff of air. “Fine.”

It was better than spending the entire day moping in my room like I had planned, waiting for night to come so I could go out and get drunk. At least that’s what I had thought when I agreed to go. It was on Saturday morning when I found myself in my mother’s car, making the drive to Breckenridge that I realized I had screwed myself. All I could think about were the drives we used to take with Janene. How she always wanted to stop at a random trail and explore it. Luckily Renee wasn’t picking up on my nostalgia and she was not one that normally took a trip down memory lane.

The weekend was full of lots of shopping and that had made me feel better. The treatment was exceptional too but neither had kept me from wondering what Janene and Anabelle were up to. No matter how upset I was, I couldn’t make my heart understand that we no longer cared about her.

We were back home by nightfall Sunday and my anxiety over the things that were happening in Texas was still present. Twice I’d stopped myself from texting Caitlin and seeing if she might drive to San Antonio to do a little spying for me. I knew she would if I asked but it wasn’t necessary. I had ample resources at my fingertips.

When I crawled into bed, I searched for Anabelle’s Instagram account. I needed to see them together. I needed confirmation that they were doing, in real life, all the things I’d imagined them doing. She had posted tons of pictures over the last four days. Boarding the plane at DIA Thursday night, landing in SAT late Thursday night. Her hotel room as she checked in and the view she had of the San Antonio skyline. There was a trip to the Alamo, and the Tower of Americas, different plates of food, a ride on the riverboat. She’d been busy. Then there were a few pictures in a club from the night before. She had on a rainbow tube top and a matching pair of very small shorts. She should have tagged the photo #pridebarbie, because that’s exactly what she looked like. There was no way Janene was still turning down her advances, she was picture perfect. Hell, even I might not turn her down if she approached me looking like that.

I went through all the photos again. Nowhere was there even a hint of Janene. Except that it was obvious that the riverboat picture and the one in the club had been taken by someone else. But neither Janene nor Anabelle were stupid. A picture of the two of them together, on the internet, was a risk, a chance that word would get back to Madeline. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, I hadn’t posted picture of us for the same reason. I just hoped to see a cropped shoulder or the side of her face. I was even sure I’d recognize the beds of Janene’s finger nails if they had been in a photo, but there was nothing. I zoomed into the reflection on Anabelle’s aviator glasses in her riverboat picture but the reflection was too blurry. My search was useless.

I flipped through the pictures on my phone. There were only a few that included Janene. A selfie of us riding the Staten Island Ferry, a ridiculous “Lady and the Tramp” style picture with a hotdog, Janene passed out on my shoulder as we waited to board our plane from Dallas to New York and a few candid shots I’d taken of her around her apartment when she assumed I was messing around on my phone. That was all I had left of her. Pictures. I couldn’t stop staring at her smile. I loved the way she looked at the camera, at me. I didn’t care about Anabelle or the things Misty said. I would take her back in an instant if she gave me another chance.

“Harlyn?” my mom said as she knocked on my door. “Are you okay, honey?”

I hadn’t realized that I was crying again. I cleared my throat. “Yes. I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine,” she said. “You sound like you’re crying. What’s wrong?”

She wiggled the door knob. “Unlock your door, please.”

“I’m fine mom. I’m getting ready for bed. I have a long day tomorrow.”

“Harlyn, open your door,” her voice had grown louder and more concerned.

“Mom, please go away,” I said. “I’m not in the mood to argue with you tonight.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Why would we argue? We had a perfectly pleasant weekend, didn’t we?”

“Yes,” I said. “So, let’s not ruin it.”

She didn’t move. I could still hear her breathing on the other side of the door. I didn’t say anything else and eventually she left.

The next day my interview went as perfectly as planned. I knew it would because I wanted the job and it was becoming apparent that I needed it. I needed to get away from this city and this house that had hundreds of memories of Janene. I couldn’t pass a wall without seeing an image of Coreen which always reminded me of Janene and the things I had done. Renee had started to replace some of the photos with newer ones but it didn’t matter, I still saw her sprawled out on the sofa watching a movie with us or in the kitchen cooking. I hadn’t been down to the basement all week. It was too much to think about.

Before the workday ended on Tuesday, I had an offer in my inbox. It was more than I would ever make if I stayed with RedPrint though it was on the low end for New York living, but it was enough to convince me that New York was where I needed to be. They wanted me there in two weeks if I accepted. Two weeks was perfect timing. I wouldn’t be officially out of my contract by then, I still had three weeks left but if I gave my notice to Madeline without any interference from Janene, I was certain she wouldn’t fight me on it. I’d finish out my second week only having to work with Janene for a few days before I left. If I was lucky, Janene would arrange for her and Anabelle to take the Thursday off after their return to Denver, like she’d done for us, and I’d only have to see her once that week. The thought made my stomach revolt. I wondered how many other interns Janene had done that with. I was a fool for thinking she cared for me as much as, I cared for her. I imagined that was part of the game.

On Wednesday, Colby was a chatter box about the Texas project. I’d never heard him talk so much and I wished he’d go back to being the guy that never said more than three words at a time but he was excited that he’d made this connection and brought the client to Madeline.

In his ramblings, I figured out that Janene and Anabelle were not in Texas to try and land the renovation job, he’d already done that. They were there to do the BIM on site per the hotel owner’s request. The owner was a retired engineer and he wanted to be part of the design process. That made me smile because I knew how much Janene hated it when a client tried to get involved in the design of a project.

Colby also let it slip that Madeline was going to initially give the job to Armande because Janene was working the hospital project but that Janene had volunteered to take it and hand the hospital reins back over to Madeline. All of this was to say that he was hoping Madeline wouldn’t send us on another fieldtrip to get a feel for the property if we landed the project.

After lunch, Madeline poked her head into the conference room and asked me to come by her office in ten minutes. I looked over at Colby for a clue as to what Madeline might want but he was concentrating on his laptop screen, back to not having a word to say.

“Have a seat,” Madeline said when I walked into her office.

“Thanks, I hope everything is okay,” I said.

Madeline laughed. “Why does everyone always assume they’re in trouble when they’re summoned to my office?”

I smiled. “I guess it’s just because you’re the big boss. It’s like being called to the principal’s office.”

Madeline laughed again. “Well, this is not a reprimand. It’s actually time we talk about a job offer. We would love for you to stay on past your internship. Full time, as a junior associate.”

“Me?” I asked. “Why?”

Madeline shook her head. “Why not? You’re an excellent asset to our team. You saved our ass on more than one occasion. Your ideas for the Mt. Sinai proposal were always spot on. All those other big fancy companies that aren’t from around here don’t understand the intensity of the Colorado sun. I think that’s what will give us a leg up. I appreciate your hard work to make this happen. You’re good at what you do.”

“Thank you.”

“But?” I looked up from my hands. The seriousness of Madeline’s stare made her look like she was concentrating on a complicated jigsaw puzzle. “You’re not sure if you want to stay in Denver?” she added.

I nodded. “When I was in New York, I ran into my old boss. She’s been in touch and yesterday she offered me a junior associate position with their New York branch.”

“Remind me to ring Janene’s neck,” she said. “She should have done a better job of keeping those poachers away.” The mention of Janene’s name put all my nerves on edge.

“Did you tell her that you were going to offer me this position?” I asked.

There was a very official looking folder in her hand which meant she’d run this by HR already, this wasn’t just a conversation to assess my interest in staying on.

Madeline shook her head. “I normally would run an offer by her and make sure that we’re on the same page, but she had nothing but praise for you in her reports. I almost feel like she’d quit if I didn’t offer you a job.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything else. I was sure that when Janene returned, the last thing she was going to want was to see me day in and day out for years to come. It was not what I wanted either, not anymore. My throat tightened at the rejection that was still sitting on my chest. I couldn’t endure watching her flirt and take on new partner after new partner. I would never survive that.

“I really appreciate the offer Madeline, but I think I’m going to accept the one from Linear. I am so grateful for everything you have done for me. You didn’t have to give me this opportunity, I still think it may have been my mother’s connection that got me in the door but either way, you took me in and that means a lot to me. New York City has always been my dream though. Before I graduated, I was planning to move there with Linear, the fact that they are giving me a second chance is a huge deal. I think that’s where I belong.”

Madeline nodded. “I get that. You have to find the place that makes you feel whole. Where we are raised is not always where we feel at home. I want you to know if you ever find yourself out this way, you can always come see me about a job.”

“Thanks.”

“So, when is the big move?”

“They’re asking me to be there two weeks from yesterday. I’ll get my resignation in to HR before the end of the day and free you up from spending any more money on me if you’re okay with that timeline.”

“You have been worth every cent. I wish I could get you to stay but I can see that you’ve made up your mind and I don’t want to be that person. I’m not as cute when I beg, ask Julia, she’ll tell you.”

She chuckled at the mention of her partner. That’s what I aspired to have. Not the fling Janene had offered. I was a fool to think it would ever work out. Janene had been right about that part, I deserved better.

“Good luck, Harlyn, I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Can I ask one last favor?”

“Sure, what’s that?”

“Can we keep my resignation between us. I don’t want anyone else to know. I don’t like goodbyes, especially not when they’re drawn out over a two-week period.”

“I was hoping to give you a going away lunch,” she said.

I shook my head. “I’m not good in those situations. I’d really like to handle it privately. If that’s okay.”

“Of course. I won’t say a word to anyone. Shall I let you break the news to Janene too?”

I put on the biggest smile I could conjure up. “Yes, please.”