“My stomach muscles are Grumpy Cat today. Just like me. We hate everything.”

“You’re in a fun mood.”

“Oh, sorry. I meant to be more chipper, but I had my heart slaughtered.”

Her eyes widen as she crunches. “See? I knew you really liked him.”

I groan. “Of course I really like him. I told you everything. He’s wonderful, and amazing, and incredible, and this situation is absolutely like some ridiculous curse of the universe. It’s like my cursed wedding dress. Like Ray leaving me for no reason.”

She crunches as she talks, and it’s impressive. That must be some Guinness World Record feat, akin to contortionism or pulling off twenty-four hours’ worth of jumping jacks. “It’s kind of crazy that you finally met somebody who makes you feel like you can take a chance again, but you feel like you can’t take a chance with him.”

I sigh and drop down on the mat, my entire body going floppy and flat. “I can’t take a chance with him.”

Courtney shrugs as she cycles her legs. “Maybe you can.”

“If there was a way, I would’ve found it. I swear I would have.”

“This isn’t the Lost City of Atlantis, Sabrina.”

I shoot her a look. “I’m not saying it is.”

She hums. “You kind of are.”

I sigh heavily. “So, what are you saying, Courtney?”

“I’m saying that taking a chance with him isn’t some great secret mystery to unlock. It’s not a code to crack. It’s making a choice.”

I arch a brow. “It’s that easy? Just choose the dish from the appetizer list and have him for dinner?”

Courtney quirks her lips. “I suspect you’d like having him for dinner every night. Which is my point. You can choose Flynn. No one is holding your feet to the fire except you.”

I open my mouth to protest, but she holds up a hand and shakes her head, still crunching. “What are you going to do? Give up perfect guy after perfect guy?”

“He’s the only perfect guy I’ve ever met,” I grumble.

“Exactly,” she says triumphantly. “And you’re letting him go because you think you don’t deserve it. Because you can’t make time for it. Because you’ll never find another job again. Because of your brother. Because of, because of, because of. Jobs come and go, Sabrina. But good men?” She stops mid-cycle and sits up, ceasing crunching. “They don’t come around often. More like once in a blue moon.”

“He is pretty amazing,” I concede.

“Maybe it’s time to take care of yourself. Maybe this time, do what you want because you deserve it, not because it’s the ‘right thing to do.’ Do it because this is the only thing that makes sense to your heart.”

I inhale deeply, processing her advice, then narrow my eyes at her. “Stop being so wise.”

“I can’t help it. It comes naturally to me. Like crunches.”

And just like crunches, following her advice will be hard.

But what if it’s worth it?