Alba: Greedy! Thanks for helping Mami. Luh you.

“All set?” asked Julia, who had been patiently waiting behind me while I took care of family stuff. After more than fifteen years of friendship, she knew the drill.

“Yep.” Finally I turned back toward the monitor. “I would be pissed if this was how my assistant decided to end her time working for me.” Without needing to turn around I knew Julia’s scoff probably came with a matching eye roll.

“You gave that man your all for the entire time you worked for him, Alba. You don’t owe Theo Ganas a damn thing.” I didn’t. I really didn’t, then why the hell was I was hesitating? “Babe, it’s okay to feel conflicted.”

“It’s not that,” I immediately retorted, shutting down what I knew would come next.

Julia was convinced that I had feelings for the man. I mean, obviously I had pants feelings for him. Who wouldn’t? Theo was physically perfect, but just because I occasionally had fantasies of him licking me until I cried for mercy on that pool deck, didn’t mean I had feelings. Because falling for a man who couldn’t remember my name and barely looked me in the eye would be fucked up and sad. Truly dumb. And I was a lot of things, but I was not dumb.

Click. Send.

“Done,” I announced, rushing to stand up before I was tempted to hit the undo button.

“Yes, bitch,” Julia cried as she wrapped me up in a bear hug twerk combo. “Fuck, I’m so excited for you, babe. Bookish Boudoir is going to be the biggest thing in interior design.” I was still a little dazed and the nausea just would not quit, but seeing Julia this happy for me did let excitement for the future edge out the ball of anxiety lodged in my gut a little bit. My best friend let go of me after a couple more squeezes only to cup her mouth with her hands and bellow out, “Latinas in the motherfucking house. Bookish Boudoir is about to put Insta Karens on notice.”

“You’re a mess!” I cackled as we grinned at each other.

“I’m happy for you, friend,” Julia said, more soberly, as tears clogged my throat. “And I’m a little selfishly glad that I get to have you here for a couple months.”

“Dammit, Julia, you’re gonna make me cry!” I blustered, now feeling that little spark of excitement roaring to life and burning off the nervous jitters in the process. Who knew what else Dallas could have in store for me? “And speak for yourself, only having your bossy ass to hang out with is going to be exhausting,” I lied, and she gave another kiss on the cheek as we walked to her living room.