This was the closest we’d ever come to talking about that night. Once I was discharged from the hospital, I regretted telling her the truth. Maybe it was the concussion, the pain meds, or my broken heart that made me blurt out everything, but it was a burden she didn’t deserve.
“I guess that’s my penance.”
Ashley looked back at the closed door. “Fuck that. You did what you had to.” Her lips thinned until her dimples dipped in her brown cheeks. “Can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“When you went back to him, I was pissed.”
“You never said anything.” But I knew. Of course I knew. What friend and business partner wouldn’t be pissed about being forced into bed with the mob?
“What was I supposed to say?” She shook her head, her eyes on her hands. “I love you, and I want you to be happy.” She looked up at me with shiny eyes. “I know Luca makes you happy. But I can’t help but be scared for you. For the business.”
I reached across and patted the desk until she gave me her hand. “I promise you nothing will happen to me. Or the business.”
“You can’t promise that, and you know it.” She squeezed my fingers, a plea to make the problems go away.
I swallowed, my stomach turning. “What can I do?” An idea popped into my head that would break my heart but ease her concerns. “I could sign over my quarter of the company and become an employee. Then, there are no ties to Moretti Properties beyond vendor contracts. Same as any other business in the area.”
“No!” She leaned her body across the desk, grabbing my shoulders. “No. That’s not—”
“Admit it. You’d feel better. Don’t make this about our friendship. As a business owner, you can’t say this wouldn’t make you feel more secure.”
She sighed and sat back in her chair, her hands twisting together. “I need to think about it.”
“I’d do it. Just say the word.”
Ashley blew out a breath. “Let’s look over these blueprints.”
And like that, we pushed aside the future of our collective dream and started talking open concept and window options. I needed to protect my friends and the company we’d built, and I’d do whatever it took to do it, even if it meant giving it all up for them.
* * *
“Where’d my shadows go?” I asked Miranda when I was leaving the office.
“I don’t know. They left without saying anything. Big surprise.” She rolled her eyes as she shut down her computer.
“Weird.” I eyed Miranda’s dress. “You going out with the guy from your business class tonight?”
She gave me a huge smile. “I am.” Pulling a mirror from her drawer, she freshened her lipstick. “So far, Oscar’s really great. It’s early days, but so far, so good.”
“Fingers crossed he’s not a mouth breather like the guy you brought to New Year’s.”
She chuckled. “Sasha, I respect your business acumen, but before Luca, you were a hot mess when it came to relationships. So maybe you aren’t the best person to be giving relationship advice.”
I grinned. “You’re not wrong.”
“Don’t worry. We went hiking last weekend, and he seemed to do alright.”
Scrunching my nose, I glanced down at my phone as it lit up. “I don’t get how you enjoy doing that. Nature, sweat, and the chilly Midwest spring? No, thank you.”
“You’ve never been. How would you know you hate it?”
We made our way out, waving at Axel as he unloaded wood from his truck. The sky was a riot of color—the sun setting a little later now that it was March.
“It combines so many of the things I avoid. I’m making an educated guess.”
“Well, next time a group of us go, I’m dragging you along.”