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over themselves and made someone choose between their family and her. In

a very roundabout way, that would have been what she was doing.

“Okay. We’ll talk after work, then?”

“Yes.”

“Not date night, though. You could come over if you wanted.”

June wanted to be on neutral territory when they talked but having a

kind of personal conversation in public just didn’t feel right. She nodded.

“Did you tell Summer?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Did you want to?”

“Kind of.”

Arabella sunk down in her chair and let out a massive sigh. She swiped a

few tendrils of hair off her forehead and June realized it was damp. Very

damp. Those strands were wet. “I’m glad you decided to hold back until

you heard me out.”

“How do you know I wasn’t just too busy, or she didn’t answer her

phone?”

That earned her a shaky smile. “Because I know you. So, thank you. I’ll

see you tonight. Whatever time works.” Arabella twisted in her chair to face

the boxes she was going to have to unpack, then abruptly twisted back. “I

spent a lot of years being really shitty and basically cowardly. I want to be

better, but I’m not even halfway there.”

“I think you’re more there than you think.” June pointed to the boxes.

“You better unpack your plants. It’s nice that you’re a plant person. Most

people don’t have them in their offices. I’d really miss seeing them when I

came in here.”

She left when Arabella nodded. She knew what June was trying to say.

That really, she would have missed Arabella a heck of a lot more.

Chapter 22