Tara turned to face her, her blue eyes iced over and her movements precise. “Well,” she began, her drawl like molasses, “I would say that since all these people already know our business, it could not possibly hurt to discuss it in front of them, as I am clearly the only person who does not know what’s happening, but I would not want to put them in the situation of feeling uncomfortable, since I suspect they have done nothing to deserve that.”

Tara’s tone was cold enough to freeze Miriam over. She deserved it. Cole scooted out of the booth to let them out, grimacing at her behind Tara’s back.

As soon as they were outside, Miriam began talking before she could lose her nerve. “Cass left me a quarter of Carrigan’s,” Miriam said in a rush of air. “At first I thought I’d give it to Noelle and Hannah, but Tara…I really want to stay here. I want to set up a shop, and help them get the business back on its feet, and lure tourists here to sell them art. I can’t stop wanting it.” She had wrapped her arms around her, both for warmth and in some misguided attempt to protect her from Tara’s response.

They stood in silence. The dam inside Tara that kept her from yelling in public remained unbreachable.

Finally, she spoke. “You couldn’t have told me this over the phone?” Her voice was quiet, and Miriam strained to hear. “Before I made excuses to everyone in my life about where you were? Before I looked a fool? What about the store, Miri? What about our life? Was I so impossible to talk to that you couldn’t tell me this thing that’s upending our entire future?!”

“I talked myself out of telling you because I was scared. I should have trusted you more,” Miriam said, chewing on her lip. “My head was a mess, and I handled all of it poorly, and that wasn’t fair to you. To our deal with each other. I was a really shitty co-conspirator.”

“Did you do this so I would keep paying the lease on your studio?” Tara accused.

“No!” Miriam said immediately, horrified. “I promise, no. It wasn’t that mercenary. I just didn’t know how to make you understand where my heart was.” Miriam ran her hands through her hair, and wondered how Tara managed to look completely, perfectly polished in the middle of a breakup fight. Probably another sign that they were wrong for each other, the fact that she couldn’t ever fluster Tara.