“Objection, mentioning the number of fucking fish in the sea is against the best friend’s rules for supporting dating friends.” Cassie laughs at my feeble lawyer’s joke, which I appreciate.
“Fine, fine. But if you ever need some help I know a lot of single guys…” Right, let me accept help from my happily dating best friend. Plus, the single guys she knows now all run a club—and an illegal fight night— with her boyfriend. “Just don’t forget what a catch you are.”
I glare at the contract in front of me. It’s a music deal for a client I already represent. A rock band Mathias found headlining one of the clubs in the area. They’ve been pretty successful and were my first major client, so I’m going to make sure this contract is on the up and up.
There’s a post-it note from Rob on there saying Mathias has a new artist for me to hear. ‘A country music artist?’ The world shrinks to pin pricks and I lose track of Cassie’s voice.
It could be nothing. Country music is basically one-third a part of Southern blood, the other two being church and sweet tea. Triton has millions of clients, and there are millions of people looking to be the next big thing. It’s probably nothing.
“Savannah…Savannah?”
I slam the folder shut. Nope. No fucking way. Not right now.
“Savannah. Don’t make me come over there.”
“What, sorry? Sorry, trying to do two things at once.” I stare at the wall and try to forget the feel of guitar string-calloused hands. For once in my life, I’m happy there’s a phone line between me and my best friend.
“Oh come on, Savannah. I know you better than that. Out with it.”
“Fine. Yes, I have a date tonight, and let’s hope he’s one worth taking home.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” I guess even a phone line can’t stop Cassie’s ESP. “You think that line will distract me? Wrong. Where is the Savannah I know? You are a take-charge girl. You can have any man dancing at your fingertips. This string of bad dates is not you. What happened? What’s got you so shook up?”
“It’s nothing.” I want to curl up around a tub of ice cream and eat the whole thing while bawling my eyes out and watching The Notebook. But that’s not how this works. You have to keep pushing to act like the best. Time to pull it together—he’s not worth it. “It’s just my stupid ex, is all. He just…broke my heart. And sometimes it feels like I’ll never be okay again.” My voice hitches, but I steel myself and clear my throat, pushing the memories away. “Anyway, no big deal. I’ll be fine. Really.”
“Savannah.” Her voice softens, and even the joking tone is gone. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
A lump forms in my throat and I reach for my latte to wash down the memories. If only it was permissible to drink whiskey before noon. “Because I’ve been busy,” I say. Not quite a lie, but far from the truth as I can possibly get. “There’s just this promotion at work, and the dates, and you’re so happy…”
“I don’t care if I’m walking down the aisle, if something throws you off this much you object to the marriage and we get to the bottom of it,” she says, her words built on five kinds of steel. Sometimes I forget that no matter how much Cassie’s been through, it doesn’t break her. She can rebuild her life from the rubble.
“I’m not interrupting your fucking wedding,” I laugh.
“You most certainly will.”
“Fine, but when we finish, we’ll walk you down that damn aisle.”
“After we figure out your situation. So let me in, let me help. I didn’t move all the way back across the Atlantic to still be cut off from my best friend.”
It’s that emotional punch to the gut that makes me feel about five inches tall. I was keeping this all in because I wanted to protect her from my stupidity. Besides it was in the past, and I was firmly going to leave it there. Done. Gone. Buried. No one needed to ever know about my bitch of a broken heart.
“Cass,” I start, and don’t know how to make the words come out. This is why I don’t tell people, because then they think less of me. They take on that tone that means I’m to be pitied. But I’m not. Honestly, I have it together—mostly. I will not let one man take me down. I will get through this, if it’s the last thing I do.
“You want me to get someone to beat him up for you? I know a guy.”
I let out a hoarse laugh. Leave it to Cassie to put the topic back in a familiar funny court.
“No, that’s okay. He probably wouldn’t survive, and then we’ll have a big lawsuit on our hands.”
“I know it’s hard to talk about rough stuff, but if you ever need to, Savannah, I’m here. No judgment. Promise.”
And that right there is why Cassie is my best friend. She knows how far to push me and when to wait.
I try to make my voice light. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s fine. Besides, I have high hopes for my date tonight, and I’d like to not go to jail for premeditated assault.”