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“Let’s see,” Mica said, crossing her arms. “You’ve been weird ever since Evelyn dropped the news about the possible job change. You’ve barely touched your phone. And you’re not talking about the block party you agreed to let her help plan.”

With a sigh, Jo stared at the concrete floor. “She might not help anymore,” she said quietly, and Mica blinked.

“Wait. What?”

“She’s taking it,” Jo said, the words flat. “The job. Sent me a text yesterday.”

Mica’s eyes widened. “Wow, then she’s moving away?” she asked, and Jo shrugged.

“Not exactly,” Jo said. “She’ll still be based here, but she’ll be traveling a lot. Weeks at a time.”

Shaking her head, Mica stared at her. “So what?” she asked. “You called it quits?”

Jo shook her head. “Not officially,” she said. “But I don’t see another option.”

“And that’s it?” Mica asked, her eyes wide.

“Pretty much.”

“Jo.” Mica took a step forward, her voice rising. “You’re telling me you two haven’t talked about this?”

“Why would we?” Jo snapped. “She made her decision.”

Looking at the ceiling, Mica was quiet for a beat. “You’re such a coward sometimes,” she finally muttered.

Scowling, Jo narrowed her eyes. “Easy with that,” she said.

Mica held up her hands as if in surrender. “All I mean is,” Mica said, softer now. “You care about her. Don’t pretend youdon’t. And you’re feeling hurt about it, so instead of fighting for her, you let her go.”

Jo’s jaw tightened. “She’s the one who said yes to the job,” she replied. “I don’t care what you think, but I wasn’t going to beg her to stay. Even if I wanted to, that wouldn’t make sense after two weeks.”

“Okay, okay. I can see that,” Mica said. “But you can’t pretend nothing happened between you. You need to talk. Did she text you?”

Swallowing hard, Jo continued to look away, not wanting to see Mica’s face when she told her the truth. “She sent me some texts yesterday,” she answered. “But I didn’t answer them.”

“Oh my God.” Mica threw her hands in the air. “She probably thinks you hate her.”

“I don’t hate her,” Jo said. “I only…”

“You only what?” Mica asked. “Don’t know how to deal with the fact that someone finally made you feel something real?” Jo’s silence was answer enough. Mica softened. “Hey, Jo, you’ve been my friend for a long time, so I can be the one to tell you that you’re not allowed to shut her out and then act like she’s the one walking away.”

Running a hand through her hair, Jo paced toward the Mustang. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she said. “The block party. The garage. Everything feels like it’s falling apart.”

“Well,” Mica said. “Then let us help you hold it together. I know that’s what Evelyn was trying to do. That’s what I’m trying to do. But you’ve gotta let us.”

Jo stopped, her hand resting on the Mustang’s hood through the tarp. Somehow, it helped her feel steady. She closed her eyes for a second, then turned back to Mica. “You think she’ll still help?” she asked. “After I ghosted her?”

“Honestly? I think she’s probably waiting for you to give her a reason to,” Mica said. “Send her a text.”

“Now?” Jo said as she raised an eyebrow.

Mica rolled her eyes. “Yes, now,” she said. “Something simple. Something honest. You don’t have to write her a love letter. Just let her know you’re still here.”

After hesitating for a beat, Jo pulled her phone from her back pocket. She read Evelyn’s last message. “I wanted you to know that I did accept the job. It starts in two and a half weeks.” Jo stared at it for a long moment, not letting herself react to the words that stung so deeply.

Taking a long breath, she tapped to reply. “Hey. I’m sorry I didn’t text you back. I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t, really.” She paused. Looked at the words. Then she deleted the words and typed a new message. “Hey. I’m sorry I didn’t text you back. I should have.” Another beat and then she added three more words. “I miss you.” Before she could do anything else, Jo hit send.

Sitting at the long conference table, Evelyn nodded politely as her new project coordinator droned on about stakeholder communication protocols. The woman, who was bright, efficient, and very enthusiastic, had handed Evelyn a thick binder full of acronyms and onboarding materials. Evelyn smiled, and murmured, “Thanks,” and tried not to look like her mind was somewhere else. Because it was.