“When we have kids—”

Here we go. “If we have kids,” she said.

His glare was enough to make her wish she’d left it alone. “When we have kids, Cora, you have to quit your job.”

She stared at him. The words still shocked her even though she’d heard them before.

He splayed his fingers over the top of his desk, the knuckles white. “It’s not like I can quit mine.”

At university, they’d read Plato together in bed, reciting their favourite parts and then tracing the words over each other’s skin with their tongues.

Eyes still on his, she blinked. He didn’t falter.

Turning on her heel, she walked out. She knew they would have to talk about it later. Knew they needed to speak about what she’d said to him last night, before that glass had shattered everywhere.

Sometimes, when she was near him, she felt as if all the air went out of the room and only he had the ability to put it back.

There was nothing more that Cora wanted right then than to be at her best friend’s drinking wine, even with the hangover.

It was Friday. Alec had late meetings and didn’t go home until late. Tonight she could do what she wanted. Outside her office, her phone in one hand, she almost shifted from foot to foot at her indecision.

Part of her wanted to ask Frazer out.

Yesterday she’d wanted to be anywhere else but walking into that meeting in Frazer’s office. And now she was considering asking Frazer for another drink?

The woman would think her insane.

Last night had been almost fun. Distracting. For the first time in a long time, Cora had felt like herself. It was as if parts of her were buried, and then last night those parts of her had crawled their way back out, trampling over patterns Cora hadn’t even known had been stomped onto her insides.

But then, Cora had already been too friendly. Hugs between new friends weren’t supposed to go on so long. They didn’t cling like that. Most likely, Frazer was creeped out and wouldn’t want drinks anyway. While she’d been friendly in the hallway, Cora had gotten no indication that Frazer wanted to hang and chat.

It was probably safer to go to her friend’s and overeat while watching bad television.

* * *

“And where were you last night?”

That voice had Frazer dropping her head against the table top. She’d just wanted sushi. Quiet, tasty, uncomplicated sushi. After the day she’d had, she was craving California rolls. Work had been insane, and a breech birth Frazer had been asked to advise on had taken too long, which meant there had been no lunch. In the state she was in, Frazer had simply given some advice to the midwife. But, there’d been screaming and yelling and then tearing—yeah, she just wanted a quiet, easy dinner. Of sushi.

“I can see you, Frazer.”

That didn’t mean she would look up. In fact, Frazer kept her head on the table and clutched her chopsticks, praying the voice would go away.