“Actually, I do have some news,” Samiah said, dabbing her lips with a napkin. “Remember when I said I was going to find a hobby during this six-month dating hiatus? Well, I’ve decided to use my time to work on something else. It’s something I’ve been toying with off and on for a few years now.” She turned to Taylor. “And I have you to thank for bringing it back to my attention.”

“You are very welcome,” Taylor said. “Now what am I taking credit for?”

Samiah surreptitiously sucked in a breath before saying, “I’m developing a phone app to help facilitate platonic friendships for people moving to new cities.”

There. It was done. After years of keeping it to herself, she’d spoken the words out loud to other humans. There was no turning back.

“Well, not just for people moving to new cities,” she further clarified. “It’s for anyone really, but the concept first popped into my head after I moved to Austin. You mentioned how hard it has been for you to make friends since moving here, and it reminded me about this idea I’d had. I think it’s time I see it through.”

“I’d use it,” London said before popping a fried gnocchi into her mouth.

“Umm…” Taylor held up her phone, a grimace twisting her lips. “Sorry to burst your bubble, babe, but there are a bunch of apps like that already.”

Samiah shook her head. “Not like mine.”

She expounded on the commercial element her idea would bring to the friend finder app market, using Taylor’s personal fitness venture as an example.

“Holy crap, that’s phenomenal!” Taylor said. “I am so in! I want to be your first vendor!”

“Give me a minute to actually create the app first,” Samiah said. She was damn near giddy at their enthusiasm.

Her hesitancy at sharing her idea with anyone, even her sister, was twofold. Samiah knew once she broadcasted her plans, she would feel compelled to follow through with them. Not only to follow through, but to succeed at the highest level. She would not tolerate anything less than world domination. But there was so much more to it than that.

Divulging the premise for the Just Friends app made it susceptible to being poached by anyone with a working knowledge of software design—or with enough money to hire someone with the knowledge. She’d built up a healthy measure of mistrust over the years, due in part to having her ideas usurped by coworkers like Keighleigh Miller. She counted every painful stab in the back as a hard lesson learned and had vowed never to let it happen again.