I watched as Barnett scooped a bite of the Spanish almond cake into his mouth, smiling at Julia. My blood boiled. I could not believe that Barnett had gone to dinner with that she-devil, just because he and I had had another disagreement.I all but leapt to my feet and charged over to their table. I would not let this afront go unanswered.“Anna, where are you going?” Arthur called after me, but he did not dare follow me.At the sound of my name, both Barnett and Julia raised their heads. Julia smirked around a bite of Tarta de Santiago. Barnett lowered his fork back to the plate.“Anna, what are you doing here?” he asked as he wiped cake away from the corner of his lips.“I could ask you the same question,” I replied, my hands on my hips.“I’m just having dinner and a little dessert,” he said. “Nothing wrong with that, is there?”“There is when you’re eating with the ex that you swore you had nothing to do with anymore.”Julia swallowed and huffed at me.“I don’t think that’s any of

“I love you, Anna,” Arthur repeated.He stared at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. His eyes widened, and they reminded me of the doe eyes that my brother Michael used to give me when we were children and he wanted to get something from me. It made my stomach churn, and I almost vomited all over again.How was I to respond to that? He saw how I responded to Barnett being with Julia the night before; did he think that my feelings could be changed so easily? Or was he really so blind to what all that had meant?I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Arthur was not just my boss; he was one of my closest friends. I didn’t want to lose what we had.At the same time, I couldn’t lie to him and say that I returned his affections. I loved him, but like a brother—like the brothers that he reminded me so much of. I couldn’t lead him on.I could tell by the way his brow furrowed that my hesitation was already causing him doubt and upset feelings. I had to give him an answer, and quickly. I plac

The rest of the week went by, and I didn’t see Barnett once. I even went to Stand Up a few times, but he wasn’t there and the man at the desk said he hadn’t been around in a while. I hadn’t heard from Lily either and I couldn’t help but worry. What if she somehow dug up the truth, even with doctor-patient confidentiality? I knew she’d tell Barnett what she found, if he even still cared to know, and I didn’t want that.I knew they’d be mad at me for not telling them, but even if they couldn’t see it, I had a good reason. I didn’t want them to worry about me, and I didn’t want my last weeks and days to be concerned about my cancer. Time was already running out for me, and I wanted–no, needed–to make the most of every second I had left.The day of my appointment arrived, and I woke up nauseous from the nerves. The feeling followed me as I dressed and got everything together for my clients. I took my Corolla for the added privacy and drove to the doctor’s office.I was a little early, but

I knew I needed to find Barnett as soon as possible. If I put it off too long, I’d never get up the nerve to tell him the truth. I tried to find him at his apartment building, but no one answered the door when I knocked.I went down to the front desk, thinking I could leave some sort of message for him. The man behind the counter looked up as I approached. “Hi, Mrs. Leonard,” he said. “What can I do for you?”“I’m looking for Barnett, but he isn't here. Can I leave him a message?”“Oh, Mr. Cogsworth hasn’t lived here in a while. In fact, he rarely stays here. I think he’s been staying at one of his other properties.” Other properties? How many did he have?“Oh, okay. Never mind, then.”He gave me an apologetic smile before turning back to his computer. I trailed back across the lobby, my thoughts all over the place. If he hardly ever lived here, why was he around the whole time I stayed in that apartment? Was it just to be near me? Could Lily have been right about his intentions this

 Arthur put me in touch with his producers the next day, and I spent part of the morning on a business call with them.“We really want you on the show,” Mr. Cooper, the creator of the show, said. His co-producer, who introduced herself as Irene, nodded along with him. “Arthur has said wonderful things about you, and your work with Freyja has impressed us.”“Thank you,” I said.It felt weird to hear their compliments, and I had to remind myself to just accept t