Charlotte hugs me from the side. “I am so freaking happy for you, Amelia. This is incredible.”

  “Wait until you see the inside.” I turn the key in the lock and welcome my friends into my office. A small table with a marble top and gold legs sits by the door to the left, full of business cards from other local businesses I support or recommend clients to, like the men’s clinic I told my client John about. Next to that are a few chairs with olive-green cushions and a small coffee table full of magazines for people to read while they wait. To the right is my desk, which I’m hoping will serve as a receptionist’s desk soon once I find the time to hire one. And then beyond that is the door to the small room where I actually speak with clients. I have a brown leather couch, two matching chairs, some plants, and my cushioned chair where I sit during each session, all in shades of tan, green, and white.

  Noelle and Charlotte walk around, taking everything in. But then Penelope walks through the door a few minutes later.

  “Where did you go?” Charlotte asks her.

  “I was just scoping out the rest of the complex. Amelia,” she says as she turns to me. “Did you know that there’s a divorce attorney’s office right across the courtyard from you?”

  Noelle and Charlotte turn around so all three of my friends are facing me now with questioning looks on their faces.

  “Ugh, yes.” I move to sit in the chair behind my desk and begin to rub my temples.

  Noelle furrows her brows at me. “I take it there’s a story there.” The three of them take a seat in the chairs in front of me.

  Charlotte speaks up first. “You didn’t tell them about Ethan?”

  Penelope and Noelle spin their heads toward Charlotte. “Who the hell is Ethan?”

  “Ethan is the divorce attorney.”

  “And Charlotte knew about him?” Noelle asks.

  “I ran into him the night before we left for Hawaii. He was pompous and entirely too pleased that a marriage counselor was in an office right across from him. He kept alluding to the fact that I was going to make him rich because my clients would realize what a waste of money therapy is and just decide to divorce instead.”

  Penelope arches a brow at me. “Is this why you were acting weird at the airport?”

  “Yeah. It messed with my head.” I lean forward in my chair, resting my forearms on my desk. “I’ve waited so long to finally have this place.” Waving my arm around the room, I let out a heavy sigh. “The last thing I ever imagined happening was having to worry about someone ruining it for me, making me walk on eggshells and wonder if his presence will affect my business and the mind frame of my clients.”

  “What do you mean?” Noelle leans forward in her chair.

  “Well, it’s like signing up for a gym, and then McDonald’s builds a restaurant right next door. Now every time you walk into the gym, you’re going to smell French fries and be tempted to drive through the drive-thru on your way home instead of waiting to make dinner for yourself, which you know is going to be so much better for you. But McDonald’s is so much easier…”

  “I don’t know if people actually believe that divorce is easy,” Charlotte challenges. “But I kind of see your point. However, you didn’t mention the worst part about him.” The corner of her lips tip up in a knowing grin.

  “What’s the worst part?” Noelle asks.

  I slump back in my chair. “He’s entirely too good-looking.”

  “I believe what you told me is that he’s hot as hell.” Charlotte laughs.

  Penelope snickers. “Of course he is.”

  “Yup. So not only is the man the bane of my existence, but he’s way too attractive, and my vagina took notice. And even the other night, he came into my office after my last client left, scared the crap out of me, insulted my singing, then basically told me to watch my back.”

  Noelle scrunches her nose up in disgust. “Ugh. He sounds appalling.”

  “What do you think he meant by watching your back?” Charlotte asks.

  “I have no idea. But honestly, I’m sure he’s capable of way more than I think he is.”

  Penelope stands up, tapping her finger to her chin. “I feel a war coming on.”

  “What?”

  “Just be alert, Amelia. Don’t let your guard down around him, and make sure that your clients know what a huge step they’ve taken by working with you—keep their eyes on the prize. But if Ethan starts messing with you, you let us know. We’ve got your back.”

  “I don’t know what to expect, but I’m glad I have you girls to lean on.”

  Charlotte and Noelle both stand up. “Always, Amelia. That’s what best friends are for.”

  I walk over to my girls and the four of us share a hug.

  I love these women. They are my extended family. And no matter what happens, I know they’ll be there to catch me if I fall.

  “Look who decided to finally show. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be stood up.”

  I take a seat across from my brother Nick in the booth of Tony’s, a local Italian restaurant that is always busy. It’s Monday night, and every so often, we get together to have dinner, just the two of us.

  “You do realize this isn’t a date,” I fire back as I set down my purse next to me in the booth and unfold the napkin in front of me, placing it on my lap. “So check your ego right now, big brother.”

  He laughs. “Fair enough. Just glad I didn’t have to explain to the waitress that I got stood up by my sister and not an actual date. I’m not sure if she would believe me.”

  Smiling, I shake my head at my brother before reaching out and grabbing his hand. “How are you? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

  He squeezes my hand back. “I’m good, Sis. I’ve actually been really busy.” He bounces his eyebrows.

  “Oh yeah? With what?”

  “Not what, who. And her name is Elena,” he says, rolling his tongue.

  Laughing, I release his hand and lean back in my side of the booth. “And who is Elena?”

  “The woman I started seeing. And fuck, Amelia…she’s gorgeous and smart as hell. She’s a Spanish teacher, and I know it’s early to say this, but I feel really strongly about her.”

  “That’s great, Nick. I’m so happy for you. So is that why you’re in a good mood today?”

  “Part of it, yes. But I’m also just happy to see you.”

  “I’m happy to see you too.”

  “So how’s the new office?”

  Nick is a realtor and the one who helped me find the place. Normally he deals with residential real estate, but if his client—like his sister—needs an office space, he’ll dabble in commercial real estate from time to time. “I love it. It’s exactly what I wanted, and my clients love it too.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “There is just one issue though…”

  “What?”

  “I have a new neighbor, and he’s a divorce attorney.”

  Nick leans back in the booth with a frown on his face. “I know.”

  My mouth drops open. “What? You know?”

  “Yeah, Ethan Fuller is a buddy of mine from college, and he recently moved back to L.A. He needed a new office too, and I knew there was another empty one in the complex where yours is, so I showed it to him.”

  “Nick! Why on earth would you do that?” I sincerely want to pinch my brother’s nipple off right now. I reach across the table to attempt just that, but he bats my hand away and places both of his palms flat over his chest, protecting the goods.

  “I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. It’s not like he’s your competition…”

  “But he is! He’s the person my clients will go to if they feel that I’m failing them. And now, you’ve made him readily available and within a few dozen feet!”

  He runs a hand through his hair. “Fuck, Amelia. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this would upset you this much.”

  “I swear, sometimes I wonder if I got all of the brains in this family.” He rolls his eyes at me. “This is bad, Nick.”

  “I agree it’s not convenient, but unfortunately, these things happen, Amelia. And business is business.”

  “Oh, I could just strangle you, but at the same time, I guess I can’t blame you for giving your client what he needed.” Relenting to the fact that there’s nothing I can do about the situation now, I decide to dig for information. “Well, what do you know about him?”

  “Now? Not much. I know he moved back for personal reasons, but he wasn’t too forthcoming with them, and I didn’t pry. But back then? He was a decent guy, although you have to remember, most of my memories of him involve taking shots at frat parties.”

  “Well, he seems to be quite an ass now, just so you know.”

  Nicks laughs. “He’s always been sort of cocky, but the guy could always back it up.”

  Great, now my mind is wondering how big his cock is.

  Focus, Amelia.

  “I’m just trying to help people so they don’t end up like Mom and Dad, Nick.” The energy between us shifts as we both go back to that night when our parents told us they were separating.

  He reaches for my hand again. “I know, Amelia. And you are making a difference. I know that. But you do know that not all marriages can be saved, right?”

  “I know, but I always want couples to know that they tried.”

  “And that’s why I love you because your optimism always prevails.”

  “Optimism is great, but it’s also kind of hard to sell the idea of a long-lasting marriage when you don’t have one yourself.”

  He gives me an awkward smile. “You’ll find your person. We both will one day. But dating in this day and age isn’t easy. Hell, just finding Elena feels like I struck gold in a mine.”

  “But doesn’t it scare you? The idea of finding that person and thinking you’ll be happy forever, but then one day all of it falls apart?” I ask, knowing that if I’m being honest with myself, my fear of going through what my parents went through is part of why I’m still single. I know this about myself, and that relationships will go through waves, but I still have trouble voicing it out loud.

  “It scares me every day. But then I look at Mom and Dad and what they overcame to save their marriage. You don’t have to accept those low points as the end. If you find someone you truly love, fighting for the relationship is the only option. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but sometimes it does. But you and I both know that what they went through wasn’t easy even if they came out on the other side.”

  I nod. “I do. But I also know that both of them would tell you it was worth it. And I just don’t want the option of divorce literally lurking around the corner for every couple I’m trying to help see that.”

  Thinking back to the night when our parents dropped that bomb on us, I can still feel the devastation. Nick and I cried together that night in his room, contemplating how different our lives were going to be from that moment forward. But the next day, our parents sat down with us again and told us they were planning on going to counseling as one last effort to save their relationship, partly because of my suggestion and reaction to the news. My father still moved out for a while, and things weren’t great for a long time. There were dinners with just one of them, a lot of times I would hear my mother crying herself to sleep, and by the end of my junior year, I wasn’t sure if they would make it. But then, one day, my father came back home. My parents acted like they did before, and part of me was skeptical to believe it. But in my heart, I knew they were going to be okay. And even though they never came out and said it, my mom made comments that alluded to their unsatisfactory love life having a lot to do with their separation.

  Watching them go through a lull in their relationship, hitting rock bottom, bouncing back from it, and seeing them come out on the other side showed me the power of therapy. It showed me the power of love. And it was then that I realized what I wanted to do with my life—I wanted to help other people save their relationships too.

  But when I got to college, I realized that sex wasn’t something that just affected older, married adults. Fellow students and friends went through problems related to sex just as much, if not more. A classmate and friend of mine was raped at a party and struggled for years to overcome it. My girlfriends would complain about their lackluster sexual partners or a lack of confidence in the bedroom pertaining to their bodies or the ability to ask for what they wanted. And even through my own experiences, I realized that women shouldn’t be ashamed of wanting, needing, or demanding more from sex.

  So, I took my experiences and the experiences of others and worked toward a profession where I knew I could help couples and women achieve what they were looking for. And I haven’t looked back since.

  “Well, you and I both know that what Mom and Dad have is rare.” My brother reaches for his glass and takes a sip of his water.

  “Yes, but it doesn’t have to be. Too many people give up because fighting for their relationship is work. It takes time, commitment, and a fear of failure. You have to remind yourself what a life without the other person in it would look like and ask yourself if that vision is scarier than working on repairing what’s broken.”

  Nick sighs. “You’re right, Sis. You always are.” He winks at me. “So if you know this and believe it, then don’t let Ethan’s presence derail you from what you are setting out to achieve. What if I went over and talked to him, helped smooth things out?”

  “This isn’t high school, Nick. I don’t need you to come to my rescue. And I honestly don’t know that it would do much good. Besides, I’m a grown woman. I can handle myself. And I have Penelope in my corner. If need be, I can just snap my fingers, and she’ll take care of him.”

  Nick throws his head back in laughter. “This is true. The girl is next-level crazy. Just let me know if you need any extra backup, okay? I don’t see Ethan being that much of a problem for you.”

  “Oh, I’m not so sure about that. But I want you to be prepared to have to defend me if I need you.”

  “I will gladly punch that fucker in the face if he messes with my little sister.”

  Chuckling, I lean back again in my booth, eager to move on to the next topic. “Thank you. Now tell me more about Elena…”

  “Hey, Charlie.” The nurse practitioner behind the receptionist counter pops his head up once he hears my voice. It’s a Tuesday afternoon and this place was my last errand to run before heading home.

  Stepping into Ageless Men’s Health Clinic always feels welcoming, from the clean and open space to the friendly people that work here, like Charlie.

  “Amelia. What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing in here?”

  “I ran out of business cards and needed to get some more. I was out running errands and figured I’d just pop in. Do you have a minute to help me?”

  Charlie smiles, standing up and walking over to a filing cabinet where he pulls out a cardboard box and lifts out a sizable handful of cards for me. “Of course. No problem. And thanks again for sending people over. Business has been booming, and so many men are leaving as happy customers.” He puts the cards in a plastic bag, sealing it shut, before walking back over to me and placing it in my hand.

  “Of course. You guys are doing good work here. More often than not, women become the scapegoats for problems in the bedroom, when men have hormones and issues as well.”

  “That should be our new tagline.” A voice to my right has me spinning in that direction as Dr. Anderson walks toward me. Brayden flashes his charming smile as he strides across the room in his white lab coat, his light-brown hair perfectly combed back, and his dark brown eyes trained on me. “Hello, Amelia.”

  “Brayden. So nice to see you.”

  “Likewise.” His eyes eat me up as I stand there, my body coming alive from the attention. “What are you doing in here? I’d offer you a shot of testosterone, but I’m sure that’s not what you’re looking for,” he jokes.

  Charlie coughs behind him, stifling a laugh I presume, catching my attention momentarily before I look back at Brayden and hold up the plastic bag of business cards. “I just needed some more cards. I’ve been handing them out to a lot of clients lately.”

  He smiles with pleasure. “I’m aware. They all name you as their reference when they come in. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Well, the feeling is mutual. You’re helping a lot of my clients.”

  “That’s our goal. As you said, men’s health is important too.” Silence rests between us as I glance behind Brayden and find Charlie’s eyes bouncing between the two of us.

  “Okay then. Well, I best be going. This was all I needed.”

  Brayden clears his throat and then nods. “Let me walk you to your car?”

  “Oh, that’s not necessary.”

  “I want to.” He turns back to Charlie. “Hold down the fort for a few moments, will you?”

  “You got it, Doc. Nice to see you again, Amelia.”

  “Same to you, Charlie.”

  Brayden holds the door open for me, waiting to walk through before he accompanies me out to my car. I suddenly feel nervous. He’s never done this before, even though we’ve always remained quite friendly with each other. We met at a conference last year, and when I learned about his clinic, I was eager to recommend his services to my clients. The venture has worked out well for both of us, but besides the casual conversations here or there, he’s never alluded to anything else.

  Flashing me that brilliant white smile of his, he waits for me to unlock my door and put my things inside before I turn around to face him. “So, Amelia…I don’t want to seem too forward, but…”

  “Is everything okay, Brayden?”

  “Uh, yeah.” He clears his throat before continuing. “I actually was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner with me sometime?”

  My hand flies to my chest. “Really?”

  He chuckles, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Yes. Jesus, I didn’t think I’d be this nervous,” he says before taking one hand out of his pocket and fiddling with his tie.

  “You’re asking me out?”

  “Yes, I am. I think you’re stunning, intelligent, and witty. Hell, I wanted to ask you out right after I met you, but I didn’t want to seem too eager, and we had just agreed to work together, more or less, and I didn’t want to cross those lines. Getting to know you a bit over the past year made me realize that I enjoyed your company and found you very attractive, but I couldn’t get up the nerve to do something about it. However, I told myself that the next time I saw you I would take advantage of the opportunity and put myself out there. So, that’s what I’m doing.”

 

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