Page 147 of Relationship Goals

I heave a sigh. “I’m sorry you didn’t trust me enough to tell me that. I am going to try to be a better friend, okay? I want to hear about it if you want to talk to me about it.”

“Oh,” she says again. “Okay. Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

“Good. That makes me really happy, Michelle.”

“Just don’t make me go to that Pilates class with you.”

We both laugh, and then Michelle goes quiet.

“What do you want to do? How do you need me to help?” she asks, her voice serious. “I’m assuming you want to do something at the playoff game, and that’s why you called me.”

“Do you think Luke even wants to see me again?” My voice cracks on his name.

Just asking the question hurts, the thought that maybe this is totally one-sided and unrealistic a thorny vine around my tender heart.

“Uh, yeah. I lied before. Luke’s actually the one who told me why he agreed to the owners’ terms. This morning, in fact. Apparently the team’s been getting on his ass about getting you back, too. He was asking me for advice on how to apologize.”

“Michelle! You couldn’t have led with that?!” I shriek. “Shit, now we have to go big. I can’t let him have a better apology!”

The driver eyes me, then discreetly raises the privacy screen between the front and back seats.

Michelle’s laughing at me. “Well, in my defense, I thought you were being fired and that you were still furious with him.”

“I’m not,” I say, shaking my head. A sob chokes out of me. “I’m not at all. I thought I was still mad, but I was an asshole. I’ve been selfish and petty.”

“How’re your stitches?” Michelle asks slyly.

I ignore her. “I need to fix it. I want to try to make it right.” Jutting my chin out and rolling my shoulders back, I attempt to gather myself. “And my stitches came out a couple of days ago.”

“Good. I would hate to hear they’d left you in a pinch.”

I huff a laugh, but my brain’s too busy to do more than that. “That was a terrible joke.”

“Just a little lobster humor,” she deadpans.

“I want to do something big.” My mind’s racing a mile a minute, picking through a bevy of ideas and discarding them just as quickly.

“What do you have in mind?” Michelle asks. “I’m game.”

It’s not until we’re pulling up to the airport that we settle on a plan. It’s going to be a metric shit ton of work.

“Are you sure?” I ask her for the umpteenth time. “I don’t want to…jeopardize anything for you. Or be a shit friend. I want to be a better friend, too.”

She lets out a dark laugh. “Oh, no. I’m going to enjoy this. Trust me on that.” Her voice softens a little. “I’m glad to help, and I’m glad you want to be my friend.”

We both go quiet.

“I promise not to dress as Gollum with you,” I tell her, breaking the moment.

Michelle snorts. “Please. That was going to be my number one condition. That you do the Gollum voice…to all my exes.”

We both laugh, and then something crosses my mind.

“I have one more favor to ask,” I say slowly, fresh fury rolling through me at the callous treatment Luke’s received from the owners. “Can I be there when you, er, ask them? Both for my own personal enjoyment and for…research purposes.”

“Absolutely,” Michelle agrees, and there’s a vicious edge to it. “What are friends for, if not for taking down the man, right?”

“Yeah!” I agree, fist-pumping.