“No buts! Our business is thriving, but even if it wasn’t, the most important thing is us. Our firm is not the important thing here, our firm is not a person. You and I are what matter. Olivia and Ellie are more important than Monroe and Spencer any day. Never forget that, okay?”

Olivia closed her eyes for a second, and took a deep breath.

“You’re right. I did forget that, for a … while. I’m just not used to prioritizing Olivia over Olivia’s work product.”

Ellie pulled her out of the chair and into another hug.

“I know. But you’ve got to do it. Because I want to be working with you for a long damn time, and that’s not going to happen if you turn your own damn self into a robot.”

Olivia held on tight to her friend.

“I’ll try,” she said in a small voice. “Ellie, I love him so much.”

Ellie squeezed her hard.

“I know you do. Damn that man.” She pulled back and dabbed at Olivia’s face with one tissue, and her own with another.

Olivia took the tissue from her.

“I’m sorry about all of the crying.”

She hadn’t cried at work—at least where anyone could see her—since her third year as an associate, when a terrible partner had yelled at her. Other terrible partners had yelled at her after that, of course, but she’d never let them see her cry again.

“Like I say to Sophia, it’s okay to feel your feelings,” Ellie said.

Olivia made herself laugh.

“I felt enough feelings this weekend to do me for the rest of the year, thanks. Actually, no, for the rest of the decade. I’d like to stop feeling any feelings for a while.”

Ellie gave her one more hug.

“Oh, honey. I’ve been there.” She stood up. “Now, this is what I’m going to do—I’m going to go to that bakery on the corner and get two of the most delicious-looking pastries they have, and make you choose which one you want, even though I know you’re going to hem and haw and in the end I’m going to cut them in half so we can each have both. And I’m going to get you another coffee, because I bet that one sitting in front of you is cold by now. And then I’m going to book us a spa day this Saturday, and neither work nor my husband nor my child will keep us away from it. And then I’m going to check on you every few hours and see if you need me until you yell at me and tell me to stop. Does that sound good?”