you. And I am counting on you.”
Rosie’s expression softened at the last part, and then she rounded the island to stand next to Liv’s chair. She reached over and smoothed an escaped knot of hair back from Liv’s forehead, a gesture that brought another sheen of tears to her eyes.
“I’m counting on you to finish what my generation started, Livvie. What generations of women have started but couldn’t finish.”
Liv snorted, grateful for a reason to do so. “Let’s not go overboard here. I’m just a pastry chef, Rosie.”
“History was built by thousands of women who thought they were just housewives or just secretaries or just seamstresses until the day they got fed up and decided to fight back.”
A memory brought a smile to Liv’s lips. “My Gran Gran used to say something like that. There’s no force on Earth as strong as a woman who is good and fed up.”
“Your grandma was a wise woman.”
“Yeah, well, she also used to believe that if all the cows were lying down in the field, it meant rain was coming, so . . .”
“See? Wise woman.”
Liv sucked in a shaky breath. “I’ve made such a mess of things,” she said after a moment.
Rosie nodded. “Nothing that can’t be fixed.”
“I need to apologize to Alexis.”
“Yes, you do. We need our female friends. Royce has destroyed enough. Don’t let him destroy that too.” Rosie nodded crisply. “Now, I have something for you, and this seems like as good a time as any to give it to you because you need a boost of confidence.”
Rosie crossed the kitchen and went into the living room. Liv turned and watched as she opened the drawer to her desk and withdrew a thick envelope.
“What’s this?” Liv asked as Rosie returned and handed it to her.
“My will.”
The air escaped her lungs in one panicked exhale. “I swear to God, Rosie, if you tell me that you’re dying right now, I will kill you.”
“I’m not dying. I’m going on vacation.”
Liv sank into her chair. “Thank God.”
“I wanted to get this taken care of before I left.”
“Get what taken care of?”
“I’m adding you to the will.”
The tiny bit of oxygen Liv had managed to suck back into her lungs once again rushed out. “You can’t,” she stammered, shaking her head. That emotional cliff was tugging at her again. “You can’t.”
“It’s done. I met with my attorneys last week.”
Liv could only form one word. “Why?”
“Because I’m old. I want to retire, travel, have more sex with Hop before he can’t get it up anymore.”
Liv winced.
“And because the day you showed up here was the best day of my life.”
Liv gave up and just covered her face with her hands. What was the point of fighting tears at this point? Rosie’s hand settled on her shoulder, warm and reassuring. “I gained a daughter that day. A daughter I didn’t even know I needed.”
Liv wiped her nose with the back of her hand and hiccupped. “I thought the day Neil Young threw a sweaty T-shirt at you from his tour bus was the best day of your life.”
“You’re right. Your showing up here was the second-best day of my life.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Liv whispered, staring at the envelope on the counter.
“You don’t have to say anything.” Rosie smoothed her hair again. “Just be the woman I know you are. A woman who makes me proud.”
But could she be a woman who made herself proud? Liv stood on shaky legs. Rosie was only the second person in her entire life who had ever said those words to her. She backed away, but in every direction was that fucking cliff. Her arms were helicoptering, and the fear of falling was draining her muscles. “I’m scared,” she finally whispered.
“Of what?”
“Disappointing you.”
Rosie let out an incredulous noise. “That’s the second-dumbest thing you’ve said today. You couldn’t disappoint me if you tried.”
Liv looked at her feet. The floor wavered in her watery vision. “Alexis was right about me. I am judgmental. I’m so scared of my own weaknesses that I punish other people for theirs. I . . . I don’t make it easy for people to trust me. To love me.”
Rosie made a sympathetic noise. “Whoever made you think that, they don’t deserve you.”
Liv didn’t realize she’d closed her eyes until she felt the warm pressure of Rosie’s hands on her cheeks. “Look at me, honey.”
Liv obeyed and lifted her gaze. Rosie’s eyes were warm, loving, proud. “Whatever was broken in that person, it was their