I laughed. “Well, let me drop some more cash on lunch. My treat for bothering you.”
“No can do. I’m having lunch with Imani and her mom, but I’ll take a rain check. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Yeah. It’s been brought to my attention that I’ve been MIA.”
“I know you think you have to keep your new life separate from your old, but that’s not sustainable. You need to trust us.”
“It’s not about trust. It’s about keeping you all safe.”
Jazz dipped her chin. “Sasha. My father is an elected official. He’s put some dangerous people away. Being your friend isn’t something I’m scared of.”
“But Ashley—”
“Is with Malcolm who does some shady shit, and she knows the truth. You’ve got to stop this martyr shit and let us decide what’s right for us. Ashley had no problem setting a boundary, right?”
“Right.” I fidgeted with my skirt.
“So, maybe, just maybe, we know what’s best for us.” I opened my mouth to speak, and Jazz held up her hand. “And by keeping us in the dark, you might actually put us in more danger. I’ll let you know if it gets to be too much and I need to step back. Until then, stop pushing us away.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”
“Of course you hadn’t. You were too busy ghosting us. No more. I get you stepping back from the business, but no more keeping stuff from us.” She waved the dollar in my face. “I’m your attorney.”
Relief washed over me, and I laughed. “Well, let me get out of your way, and thanks for setting me up with Ka.”
“Anytime. Tell Luca he’s an idiot and could do so much better.”
“Yeah, yeah.” We hugged and kissed each other on the cheek. “Tell Imani if she wises up that I’m just a phone call away.”
Jazz shoved me toward the door, laughing, “Get the hell out of my office.”
“Bye!” I sang, wiggling my fingers
* * *
“Oh! Appetizers. I’m getting the queen treatment.” Ashley sat in the seat across from me with a big smile. “Sorry, I’m late. Axel needed a hand with a client.”
“No problem.”
“I swear, I don’t know how I found his whole stoic thing attractive. He’s annoying.”
I laughed. “Maybe we should stock the conference room with booze. We all know he gets loose enough after a drink.”
“It’s the dancing for me.” Ashley chuckled and took a sip of the fruity cocktail I’d ordered for her, doing a little shimmy. “He has no business being that good a dancer.”
“A total Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde situation. All quiet and brooding, and then you get a few shots in him and, BOOM, he’s the life of the party.”
“Mrs. Kline was less than impressed by his lack of conversation. Good thing I hadn’t left the office.”
“Ashley to the rescue!”
“Always.” Ashley grinned and picked up a piece of bruschetta. “I’m guessing you already ordered?”
“I thought we’d do the chef’s tasting. Is that okay?”
“Perfection. Now, tell me what’s going on with you.”
At her words, I immediately took out the papers. “Promise not to get mad.”