Tully stood there, her hair dripping wet, wearing nothing but a towel. “I almost called the cops last night. Where—You’re wearing the suit from yesterday.” A slow, knowing smile crept across her face. “Did you spend the night with someone? Oh, my God, you did. You’re blushing.” Tully laughed. “And I thought you were going to die a virgin.” She grabbed Kate’s arm and dragged her over to the sofa. “Talk.”

Kate stared at her best friend, wishing she’d come home after Tully had left for work. This needed thought, planning. Tully could ruin it all with a word, a look. He’s mine, her friend could say, and what would Kate do?

“Talk,” Tully said again, bumping her.

Kate took a deep breath. “I’m in love.”

“Whoa there, Penelope Pitstop. Love? After one night?”

It was now or never, and though never sounded good, there was no point in putting off the inevitable. “No,” she said. “I’ve loved him for years.”

“Who?”

“Johnny.”

“Our Johnny?”

Kate refused to let the pronoun wound her. “Yes. Last night—”

“He slept with me, what? A few months ago, then wouldn’t stop calling. He’s on the rebound, Katie. He can’t be in love with you.”

Kate tried not to let the word rebound find purchase, but it did. “I knew you’d make it about you.”

“But . . . he’s your boss, for God’s sake.”

“I quit. I’m starting a job in advertising in two weeks.”

“Oh, great. Now you’re giving up your career for a guy.”

“We both know I’m not good enough to make it at the networks. That’s your dream, Tully. It always was.” She could see that her friend wanted to argue the point; she saw, too, that any argument would be a lie. “I’m in love with him, Tully,” she said finally. “I have been for years.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was scared.”

“Of what?”

Katie couldn’t answer.

Tully stared at her. In those dark, expressive eyes, she saw everything: fear, worry, and jealousy. “This has disaster written all over it.”

“I didn’t trust Chad all those years ago, remember? But I put it aside because you needed me to.”

“Speaking of love disasters.”

“Can you be happy for me?”

Tully stared at her, and though she finally smiled, it wasn’t the real thing and both of them knew it. “I’ll try.”

Rebound. The word, like the image it represented, kept springing into Kate’s mind.

He slept with me, what? A few months ago . . .

. . . can’t be in love with you . . .