She couldn’t deny that having Taylor and London with her as she faced this Craig mess had made the experience easier than having to deal with it on her own. But the swiftness with which this friendship had developed unnerved her. She didn’t have room for new friends right now. Friends required time and effort. FaceTiming and group texts. Meeting up for drinks and dinner and shopping. Having to reply with an actual response to Facebook posts instead of getting away with a simple Like or smiley face. The overall plan for this particular stage of her life left very little room for cultivating relationships.

Establish a career.

Buy a home.

Find a man.

That was the plan. Sure, she’d backed away from that final item in the heat of the moment on Sunday, but after thinking it over, Samiah had started having second thoughts. Why should she allow one scheming con man to derail her from accomplishing those goals she’d set for herself years ago?

And even if she did have time for new friends, she wasn’t sure inviting London and Taylor into her life was the best move. The two were irrevocably intertwined with this Craig debacle, and Samiah wanted to distance herself from that entire episode.

It was a task she was beginning to think would be impossible. Case in point: She’d dipped into the cute shop across the street that sold gourmet olive oils and vinegars to pick up a gift for her high school librarian who she still sent a birthday gift to every year. When another shopper recognized her from the video, Samiah had nearly dropped the bottle of white grape balsamic she’d been holding.

If a random stranger could identify her in her work attire, how much more of a spectacle would she, London, and Taylor be out together on a Friday night?

She’d contemplated ghosting them more than once in the five days since they’d met. It would be easy enough to do. She could make up an excuse for skipping their get-together this coming Friday, and simply start ignoring their texts. They were both smart women. They would take the hint once she started to pull away.

Yet every time she considered it, a surprising realization stopped her. She wasn’t ready to give them up.

The intuition she tenaciously relied on warned her that she didn’t have space for Taylor and London in her life, but something equally powerful told her that she needed them. She didn’t have any close female friends. She didn’t have any close friends. Period. Her existence consisted of her work with a few hours dedicated each week to checking off the final item on her current checklist. If not for Denise and Bradley, she wouldn’t have meaningful contact with anyone outside of her office.