They clinked their glasses together, the wine sweet on Cora’s tongue as she took a small sip. She’d forgotten how good the wine in this bar was.

Around them, women chattered and laughed, the sounds of clinking glasses and other bar sounds settling over Cora.

“How do you not condemn me?” Cora asked, surprising herself.

All day she’d been melancholy. Avoiding Frazer’s texts, guilt gnawing at her for missing the first two days of training. She was going to go tomorrow; or rather, that was how she made herself feel better anyway. The first two days, Frazer could cover alone. But eventually, Cora was going to have to talk to Frazer. But each time she’d tried, she remembered the searching look in Frazer’s eye as a bruise was blooming over her skin or the way their breath mingled between them. Cora wanted to blame Frazer for that, but it was Cora who had moved forward ever so slightly.

Pushing her glass away, Lisa put her hand over Cora’s. “Why would I condemn you?”

“I had an affair, Lisa. That’s not… That’s not a good thing.”

Lisa gave her a gentle squeeze. “No, it wasn’t. But it’s not black and white. You were…”

“What?”

“It’s not my place. I can’t know what you were doing.”

“It’s your place more than most.”

“I don’t know, Core. You were burying yourself in something else so you didn’t have to deal with what was happening with Alec. Was it a good thing? No. Should I condemn you for it? I don’t think so. To me, you wanted out either way. And now you’re out. The rest is just…semantics.”

Cora took a long sip of her wine. She stared at the glass when she put it back down. “Thank you.”

Lisa smiled. “Shut up.”

A laugh pulled out of her chest, easing some of the constant anxiety and Cora dropped her head in her hand. It was nice to be out, to be distracted. It was strangely freeing. She didn’t have to explain herself to Alec. The feeling that she was going home to a fight, or to a guilt trip about why she was spending time with other people, didn’t sit in the back of her mind. There was no raging affair to cover up, just her and her best friend.

“So, do you see her?”

Cora straightened and tried to pretend she hadn’t been lost in thought. “What?”

“The woman. Do you see her?”

With a groan, Cora slumped back down. “No. Not really. I mean, we work together, so sometimes. I’m avoiding her.”

“I thought you wanted to be friends.”

“I do.” She did. “But it’s harder than I thought.”

“Still want sexy time?” Lisa asked, a glint in her eye.