Her tears still falling, Keira left the bathroom and threw her phone onto the couch. Bryn, who was standing at the breakfast bar brewing coffee, flinched with surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Bryn asked. “Are you crying?”

Ignoring Bryn’s questioning, Keira grabbed her fall itinerary off the side table—glancing briefly at the list of events she’d planned for her and Shane, places where they were supposed to make precious memories to tell the grandchildren—and ripped it clean in half.

CHAPTER TWO

Bryn scooped her arm around Keira’s shoulder as the younger of the two sisters wept bitterly.

“You’ve done the right thing,” Bryn soothed. “I know it won’t seem that way right now, but trust me. You were getting in way too deep. You’re twenty-eight, Keira, it’s not time to settle down.”

Her words did little to comfort Keira. Who exactly was Bryn to talk? Her life had been a series of disastrous relationships. She had no idea what kind of love Keira and Shane had found, and now lost. Sobs made her whole body shake.

“Come on,” Bryn added, “Let’s go get a coffee. I’ll call Mom. You know how great she is with all this stuff.”

Keira couldn’t disagree more. Her mom, unlike Bryn, seemed to be in a rush to get her to settle down and have babies. She’d gone so far as to say that there was little point in Keira putting so much energy into her career when she’d be giving it all up in a couple of years anyway to have kids.

She shook her head. “I can’t, I have to get to work.”

Bryn pulled a face. “Babe, you are a wreck. They won’t want you there in this state. You’re no good to anyone.”

“Thanks,” Keira muttered. “But I can’t not go in. First day back after a break. New senior position. Elliot’s going to be in the office. He’ll be expecting me to step up my game.”

While she was speaking, Bryn reached over and plucked Keira’s phone from her hands.

“Hey!” Keira protested.

Bryn tapped some buttons and then triumphantly placed the cell on the coffee table. “Done.”

“What?” Keira cried, horrified, snatching it up. “Did you just request a sick day for me? I’ve never taken a sick day! You’re so unprofessional. I can’t believe you’d do that.”

But when she scrolled through the most recent actions on her phone, she saw that it wasn’t work whom Bryn had contacted, but instead Nina, Keira’s friend and editor at the magazine. She read through the message that Bryn had sent her.

Shane dumped me. My life is over. Help.

Keira rolled her eyes, unimpressed, and fixed a death-glare at her sister. Bryn just shrugged cheekily. A second later, Keira’s phone buzzed with an incoming message from Nina.

It’s going to be okay. I’ll tell Elliot we’re having a meeting outside the office. Coffee in ten?

Keira’s expression softened. Maybe Bryn had some uses after all.

“Nina’s going to come and meet me,” she said, stowing the phone away. “Happy now?”