There was a very good chance she had. “Are you going to let me tell you the story, or would you rather play twenty questions?”

Tani raised her hands in innocence, then made a gesture as if to lock her lips and throw away the key. Zoey told her everything, from that night in the shop a month ago when she and Mike had that weird conversation about her boobs to last night’s adventures on Dad’s desk—although she didn’t provide as many details as Tani would have liked. And then Hazel’s painfully timed comments that morning about wanting Zoey to remain virginal.

Tani snorted. “Ship’s already sailed on that one. Or should I say the desk has already sailed? Damn.” She paused, staring into her mug, then standing as she realized both their mugs were empty. She refilled them, then sat again, still deep in thought. “I know Monique Johnson pretty well. Just because she’s using a dating app doesn’t mean she’s out there going wild with a new man every night or anything.”

“I’m not judging Monique at all. She’s a grown woman and can do what she wants. She deserves to be happy.”

“The same could be said about you,” Tani pointed out.

“Maybe. But when my daughter literally asks me to be a nun when it comes to dating—twelve hours after I had sex with my best friend on my late father’s desk—I don’t know how to wrap my head around that.”

There was a long beat of silence in the spotless kitchen. Tani reminded Zoey a lot of Vickie—stylish, with never a hair, or dish, out of place. But Tani was more laid-back than Vickie—it seemed to come more naturally to her. The style. The wisdom. That’s why Zoey valued her feedback. She knew it would be honest and direct, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. But the longer it took for Tani to answer, the more anxious Zoey felt. Finally, Tani straightened in her seat.

“You’re trying too hard.”

“At what? Screwing up my life? My friendships? My daughter?”

“See—that’s what I mean. You’re not just thinking one step ahead. You’re trying to see fifty steps ahead of every single move you make.” Tani gripped Zoey’s hand and squeezed it. “You can’t control everything. And you shouldn’t try. Let’s start with the basics. You’re a great mom. You have a moderately successful business. Your house is paid for. You’re a smart, attractive woman who, regardless of the opinions of a thirteen-year-old child, deserves to have a man in her life if she wants one.”

Tani dipped her head lower so she could look up at Zoey’s face. “Mike makes you happy? The sex is good? You’re still friends?”

Zoey didn’t hesitate. “Yes. But...”