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The ding of the elevator has me turning around. The doors open, and Tatum, dressed in a giant panda onesie, comes toward me. I cover my mouth, but the bark of laughter is still audible and echoes through the lobby.

At least she’s not wearing the hood, but I’m not sure why that’s where she drew the line. She says, “Ignore my outfit. I was in for the night, and trust me, this thing is not only comfortable but cozy.”

She still makes no apology for it, though. You have to appreciate that about her. She stops just a few feet shy of me and leans against the side of a large leather couch. “Natalie’s not here.” The irritation I expected to hear from a defensive friend crossing her arms over her chest isn’t found.

“She’s heading out of town?”

“To be with her family.”

I don’t know why I feel so awkward. It’s nothing Tatum’s done to make me feel this way. She’s done quite the opposite, actually. So much so that I dare to ask, “How is she?”

She nods toward the sitting area and moves around to claim the couch. I take a chair, resting forward on my legs. Glancing at the street through the windows, she replies, “This is tricky, Nick.” Her eyes return to mine. “I’m not sure what I should reveal to you. I’d hate to betray my friend.”

“I wouldn’t ask that of you.” Sitting up, I inwardly sigh, not sure where to go with this. I figure I have nothing to lose, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll gain some insight if I’m lucky. “I love her.”

Sympathy runs through her expression, turning the corners of her mouth down. “I know.” Unlike me holding my feelings in as much as possible, she doesn’t bother. “I like you, Nick. I like you for Natalie. I mean, even your names are cute together—Nick and Natalie. What’s not to like?”

I remember my mom saying the same—Nick and Natalie like Corbin and Cookie—as if that could determine our destiny. For a too brief time, I believed in small signs like that, but I’ve started to lose faith.

Appreciating the reminder of these little coincidences, I smile. “I like Natalie and Nick as well.” I sound like a kid, but Tatum makes it easy for me to feel sane with those admissions. “Is it a lost cause to hold on to hope?”

She tucks a leg under her and leans forward. After making sure the doorman isn’t eavesdropping, she says, “I will always take her side. No matter what, I’ll have her back. But being a good friend who’s loyal also means telling her the truth, even when it’s not what she wants to hear.” She sits back again as if the secrets are all on the table. “I told her to talk to you.”

“Thank you.” The words rush out when a wave a relief comes over me.

“Not so fast, Nicky. I don’t know the dirty details of what happened. All I know is her side. Let me just tell you—that side of the big picture doesn’t look good for you. I’m not asking you to explain yourself to me, but I hope that if you ever have the chance to tell her your side of things, you tell her the truth.” She stands and comes a little closer. “Plenty of guys have lied to her. Be the man who tells her the truth.”

She walks around the couch but stops with her fingertips still on the leather. “Go back to California. Live your life, the life you’ve built. If you’re still missing her in a few weeks or even months, you come back to see me, and I’ll make sure you get to speak to her.”

Bolting to my feet, I ask, “You want me to live life like she hasn’t already altered it forever?”

“I want you to know for sure that you can’t live without herbeforeyou drag her back into this mess.”

“She’s already in it, Tatum.” And I hate that for her. I hate this whole situation, that I didn’t look closer at the contracts that affect Christiansen’s bottom line as well as other’s. And right smack bang in the middle of this is Natalie.

I’ve spoken to Andrew and my dad about these contracts numerous times, and it was alwaysjust business.Yet Natalie thinks it was personal, an attack on her family and her company. Bottom line? I fucked up as an attorney and her boyfriend . . .fiancé.

“But she can find a way out.”

“And you think she needs to do that alone?”

A self-assured grin covers her face. “She’s not alone. She’s got me and her family. We may not be you, but we can help her heal the way she needs to.”

I want to argue, to keep talking so she tells me more, or feels sorry for me for the pain I feel, but as she made clear, she’s Natalie’s friend. Though, under the hood of her words, Tatum is also an ally of mine.

The elevator doors close, and I look at the doorman. He’s shaking his head like he’s heard this sad story before. Since he doesn’t seem to be making a move to open the door, I head there and push it open. “Hope is only as strong as the heart that wields it,” he says to my back.

I twist back with my hands still on the door and look at him. “I don’t understand.”

“That’s the problem, son. Listen to Ms. Devreux, and you’ll come to your own conclusion.”

“Why can’t anything be easy?”

“Most things are easy, but those aren’t the things you want.”

“Now there’s something we can agree on. Have a good night.”

Just before the door closes behind me, he says, “You too, Mr. Christiansen.”