Did they know something? Were they trying to suss her out, getting her to say something about the animosity between her and Lou, which must be palpable to two such observant people, especially to Kristin who watched the goings-on at the Pink Bean like a hawk? But the contract had been signed. They were drinking champagne to celebrate Mia’s official appointment as Pink Bean manager. This was hardly the time to trap her into divulging information that could possibly get her fired.

“I—er.” Mia hesitated, unsure what to say to her employers. Lou had promised that neither she nor Amber would tell anyone. “I’ve been a bit busy,” she said.

“If you find the time to work on their ads, surely you have time to take one of their classes,” Sheryl said, her eyes piercing, her tone probing.

“I guess. I’ll get myself an acceptable yoga kit over the weekend and perhaps go next week.” It was a lie, which made Mia feel uneasy.

“There’s a class most of us take together on Saturday afternoon,” Sheryl said. “Lou teaches it. Why don’t you join us for that one? You can see it as a kind of Pink Bean team building exercise. Jo will be there, along with me and Kristin.”

“Babe, leave it.” Kristin put a hand on Sheryl’s shoulder. “I’m sure Mia has much better things to do with her weekend than doing yoga with us.” She fixed her gaze on Mia. “Please don’t feel as if you need to do this.” She cast Sheryl a stern glance. “I’m going to check on dinner.”

Once Kristin had left the living room, Sheryl leaned in toward Mia and said, “We know something is going on between you and Lou. Something must have happened, but we can’t quite put our finger on it. I promised Kristin I wouldn’t push, that you would tell us if and when you felt the need, but I have less impulse control than my wife, so I’m asking you, woman to woman: what happened?”

A blush crept up Mia’s cheeks. Sheryl’s intense gaze was not one to easily avoid. She would have to give her something else than the lame excuse that yoga was not for her—even though, under any other circumstance, that would be perfectly acceptable.

“Lou and I knew each other in school.” An awkward pause. “We weren’t the best of friends.”

“A feud at university?” Sheryl asked.