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There was another pause, and Evelyn braced herself for what her best friend might say next. “Wait, you left?” Brooke sounded genuinely shocked. “Like, ran?” Evelyn winced. She hated how easily her best friend could read her, even over the phone. “Ididn’t run exactly,” she muttered, stepping into her bedroom and pulling open her closet. “I simply wasn’t ready.”

“But you really like her, don’t you?” she asked in a softer voice.

Evelyn froze.Do I?she thought. Images of Jo flashed in her mind. Her smile. The way she looked at Evelyn like she was something worth paying attention to. The way she made Evelyn feel wanted.Yes.I liked her.More than I am ready to admit.“It doesn’t matter,” Evelyn said finally, pulling a pair of navy blue slacks off the hanger and laying them on the bed. “She probably thinks I’m ridiculous.”

“Or maybe she doesn’t,” Brooke countered. “You could text her. Call her and explain.”

Evelyn let out a bitter laugh. “I can’t, actually,” she said, selecting a simple white blouse from the closet. “I don’t have her number. I don’t even know her last name.”

Brooke was silent for a beat. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” Evelyn pulled on her pants more forcefully than necessary. “I have no way to contact her. And she has no way to contact me.”

“So unless you’re willing to go toSapphireagain, you’re never going to see her?”

Evelyn swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. “Probably not,” she answered, slipping on her shirt. “And that’s probably for the best.” The words felt heavier than she expected. She had known last night that leaving meant closing the door on whatever was happening between them but saying it out loud made it real. It made it feel final.

Brooke sighed. “Evie...”

“It’s fine,” Evelyn interrupted, smoothing her blouse and reaching for her Apple watch on the dresser. “It was just one crazy night. It’s not the end of the world.” Even as she said it, something inside her twisted.

“Yeah,” Brooke said slowly. “But don’t lie to yourself, okay? If you wanted to find her again, you probably could.”

Ignoring that, Evelyn slipped on her flats and headed toward the kitchen to make coffee. “I have to go to work.”

“Wait,” Brooke said. “It’s Saturday. Why are you going to work?”

Evelyn exhaled sharply. “I’m behind on a project.”

Brooke let out a dramatic groan. “You are such a workaholic,” she said. “This is why you don’t date.”

Shaking her head, Evelyn started the water kettle. “Goodbye, Brooke.”

“Goodbye, heartbreaker,” Brooke said in a teasing tone before hanging up.

Evelyn let out a long breath as she put coffee in the French Press.I am fine. I made the right choice, she thought.I’m not living in some romantic novel.She would never see Jo again, and she simply had to accept it.

The faint sound of classic rock played from the radio in the corner while Jo stood at her workbench, staring at the disassembled carburetor in front of her. Normally, the meticulous process of rebuilding an engine part would be enough to clear her mind. Today, it wasn’t working because her mind was still on Evelyn. She puffed out a breath and shook her head.Get it together, she thought.Let this one go.It wasn’t like her to dwell on a woman after only one night, especially one that ended with her getting left in her own damn house. But something about the way Evelyn looked at her before she bolted, the hesitation in her voice when she said she had to go, stuck with her. Jo wasn’t mad.Confused?she thought.Oh, yeah.Frustrated? A little.But mostly, she wished she had handledit differently.Maybe if I said the right thing, Evelyn wouldn’t have felt the need to run.

The shop door swung open, and Mica strolled in, balancing two coffee cups in her hands. “Whoa, Jo, you look like hell.”

Jo glared. “Good morning to you too.”

Mica grinned, handing her one of the coffees. “I mean, I assumed you’d be all smug and well-rested after last night,” she said. “But you look like… honestly, I don’t know what you look like. I’ve never seen you like this.”

Jo took a sip of coffee, letting the warmth settle into her chest. “Yeah, well, things didn’t exactly go the way I thought they would,” she said. “Not at all.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mica hopped up onto the counter beside Jo. “Wait,” she said as her eyes widened. “Did she reject you?”

Jo groaned. “Can you not say it like that?” she asked, and Mica gasped but then grinned wider.

“Oh my God. She rejected you.”

“She didn’t reject me,” Jo said with a scowl. “She just left.”

“Wait.” Mica blinked. “Like, left left?”

Rubbing the back of her neck, Jo nodded. “Called an Uber,” she said. “Didn’t even let me take her home.”