In the shocked silence, Kat let her glass hit the table hard. “What?”
“He told me last night.”
“But…your birthday. He…”
“Yeah, he didn’t want to ruin my birthday. Wasn’t that sweet of him?” Sarcasm gave her voice an edge.
Kat pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to wrap her mind around the surprising news. She searched her friend’s face. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Honestly, it’s weird, but when we were talking about you and Nick, it got me wondering if Jack and I were together because it was easy, comfortable. Then when I saw you and Nick yesterday…Well.” She let out a deep sigh. “I’m not sure Jack has ever looked at me the way Colorado Man looks at you.”
Kat’s heart skipped a beat. She’d love to see that look. But it would be insensitive to ask more now. “Well, damn. Are you sure there’s someone else?”
“He said so. Wanted to be honest and up-front, you know. Hopes we can still be friends.”
Mia rolled her eyes, and Kat knew that wasn’t her style.
She reached out and rested a hand on Mia’s arm. “Give yourself some time. It’s okay to feel bad for a while. It might be a positive in the long run, but right now it feels like a loss.”
“So, I will now live vicariously through your love life.”
Kat pushed back her chair. “This situation calls for chocolate.”
“Bring it on, lady.”
Kat pulled a bag of caramel sea salt chocolates from a drawer and dumped the contents on the table. “This is crazy. Why can’t we ever have a man at the same time?”
“It’s annoying for sure.” Mia reached for a chocolate and let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Guess it’s not our time.”
“I’m thinking it’ll be good for you to go to that Loft show next weekend after all.” At least Mia wouldn’t have to worry about ditching Jack to join Kat at the event. “Remember, you agreed to be my date?”
Mia raised a brow. “Agreed? My arm still hurts where you twisted it out of the socket.”
With a light laugh, Kat pushed candies toward Mia. “Here. More chocolate will make it feel better. She looked across the table to see Mia studying her cup, deep in thought.
The break-up probably hit a little harder than she’d let on. “Hey, let’s have a fun dinner somewhere on Saturday before the Loft event. Maybe China Rose? We haven’t been there for a long time, and we deserve a treat.”
Mia laughed. “Guess we might as well make our own date night of it.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ve got another crazy week starting tomorrow. Not sure I’ll get a chance to eat a real meal.”
Mia lifted her cup. “Cheers to friend dates.”
Kat tapped her mug to Mia’s. Sure, they could laugh. They’d deal with the change. They’d move on. Still, the whirlwind of activity—the uncertainty of the events—happening in her life left her feeling unsettled. There could be so many bumps along the way.
* * *
At nine o’clock Thursday night, Kat turned off the desk light in her cubicle, slipped into her coat, and headed for the elevator. Working late every night had made for a long week. When she came to Cassie’s office, she paused. “Goodnight,” she called.
“Hey, Kat?”
Kat took a step back and hovered in the doorway of her boss’s office. “Yeah?”
“Do you have lunch plans tomorrow?”
She had to be kidding, right? Kat hadn’t left her office for lunch in two weeks. “Uh, no. You need something?”
Cassie barely glanced away from her computer monitor. “Let’s go to the cafe around twelve-fifteen.”
