“Oh yeah.” In a big way. Mouthing off didn’t even come close. The ride on the Tube had calmed her down. And now that she was feeling saner, she realized she’d said things that would be beyond the pale for a lowly assistant giving sass to her boss.

Vivian had deserved every word, but still.

“What did you say to your boss?” the bartender asked, sounding hopeful for good drama.

A whole lot. “Um, I don’t want to go into it. She said some bad stuff, and I got upset, so I said some stuff back, and then I walked out on her.”

“Sounds more like a lovers’ spat to me.” The bartender set out two bowls of water crackers.

Jules couldn’t even rise to the bait. Too depressing. She took a cracker and let it sit on her tongue for a second, flat and tasting of nothing. Then she started chewing and said around her mouthful, “Not exactly.”

“Well, you’ll find something else.” The bartender looked over Jules’s shoulder and smiled. “What can I get for you, sir?”

Jules took the hint and edged out of the way for the guy behind her to order the cocktail of the night. It was something called a Lavender Haze, made with vodka, soda, fruit liqueur, and actual lavender. It sounded good, honestly, and Jules ordered one.

As the bartender moved on to other customers, Jules reached for her clutch to get out her phone. Along with a drink, she could drown her sorrows by scrolling social media.

Or I could see how many times Vivian’s texted and called to rip me a new one.

Jules yanked her hand back as if her clutch had caught fire. Hell no. Not now. She could have a couple more hours of blissful ignorance before facing the music.

She knocked back her second drink. Then she put the brakes on and tried the hors d’oeuvres so she wouldn’t be completely sloshed. Not that she couldn’t use the buzz, but on the off chance that she hadn’t just torpedoed her career in the industry, she wanted to be able to look these people in the eye later.

You’ll find something else. The bartender had said it with such confidence. She fought the urge to go back and beg him to say it again.

The problem, of course, was that she didn’t want something else. She wanted what she had, only more of it. She wanted to be at Vivian’s side, bowled over and besotted. She wanted all of that, and she wanted more. She wanted to see her own desire reflected in Vivian’s face. Wanted those hard eyes to soften, those stern lips to curve in a slow smile for Jules and Jules alone.

Dummy! She’s not worth it. Remember everything she said. You want more of that? What’s wrong with you? Grow a spine!