was too exhausted to do anything but flop on the sofa. She hadn’t fallen asleep until after three o’clock in the morning.
She didn’t want to talk to anyone, didn’t want to see anyone. She didn’t even want to be awake today. She pulled the covers over her head and prayed for oblivion.
A steady pounding pulled Maddy awake. She turned her face into the pillow. Sleep. She just wanted to sleep. But the noise was relentless. Someone was pounding at her apartment door.
“Go away,” she mumbled.
She wondered if it was Nick, coming with some lame apology. As if “sorry” could make up for what he’d done.
Her phone buzzed an incoming call on her nightstand. Why couldn’t everyone just let her be? When the buzzing stopped the pounding resumed.
“Argh!” She tossed back the covers and checked her phone as a text buzzed in. Her best friend, Holly: Open the door.
Before she could put down the phone it buzzed again. I know you’re in there.
Maddy let loose a sigh that had been building awhile. She pushed off the mattress, realizing she’d fallen into bed in the same yoga pants and T-shirt she’d gardened in. Gardened was such a tame word to describe her treatment of those poor weeds. She hated to think of the sight she must’ve made, tearing through her zinnias like a crazy woman.
A glance at the hall mirror also told a sad tale. A bedraggled ponytail captured only half of her hair, and dark smudges underlined puffy eyes.
She walked to the door and pulled it open, interrupting the loud banging. “All right already. Jeez.”
Holly’s brown eyes widened in surprise, whether at Maddy’s sudden materialization or her disheveled appearance, she didn’t know.
Leaving the door open, Maddy retreated into her living room, seeking the comforting embrace of her overstuffed sofa. She grabbed a fluffy yellow pillow and pulled it into her stomach.
Holly dropped beside her, the smell of fresh soil and flowers emanating off her. They’d met three years ago at the nursery where Holly worked, bonding over their love of all things green and growing.
“What happened yesterday?” Holly asked. “Noelle said there was some squabble at the restaurant and you tore off.”
Yesterday’s scene at Pirouette played out yet again in Maddy’s mind, making her eyes sting.
Holly set her hand over Maddy’s. “Honey, what’s going on? Did you lose the promotion? It’s not the end of the world. You’re still assistant manager of Charlotte’s most prestigious restaurant. There’ll be other opportunities for—”
“I caught Nick and Evangeline together.”
Holly blinked. “Evangeline, the owner? What do you mean, ‘together’?”
“I mean exactly what you think I mean. They were all over each other.” The image of it made her heart crumple up like a wad of trash.
Holly’s eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. “That jerk.”
“But it’s worse than that. I heard him accepting the promotion.”
“What?” The indignation on Holly’s face was like salve on a raw wound.
But his words still haunted her. You made the right decision . . . Maddy’s a terrific girl, but she gets frazzled . . . Wouldn’t be able to handle more responsibility . . .
Was there a nugget of truth in what he’d said? Had she been deluding herself all along?
“Did they see you?”
Maddy gave a harsh laugh. “Oh yes, they saw me. I stood there like a guppy, my mouth just working.”
“Who could blame you? You were blindsided, you poor thing.” Holly’s eyes pierced hers. “How long do you think it’s been going on?”
“I don’t know, but when I saw them together . . . I ran. I just ran away. Oh, Holly, he planned this, didn’t he? He played me like a fiddle.” Tears seeped out the corners of her eyes.
“I could just throttle him.”
It almost brought a smile to her face, trying to envision petite, pacifist Holly doing any such thing. She’d never cared for Nick, not that she’d said as much, but Maddy could tell. She should’ve trusted her friend’s instincts since, apparently, she couldn’t trust her own.
“I thought I was a shoo-in for that job.” Pirouette’s general manager was retiring and, as assistant manager, Maddy was next in line. “I feel so stupid.”
Nick, the restaurant’s beverage manager, had pursued her for months before Maddy finally went out with him. Holly had been encouraging her to put herself out there, and six months ago Maddy decided to give Nick a chance.
One date led to another. He was easy to talk to, he shared her faith, and since they were both passionate about the restaurant industry they