An hour later, Cat sat at David and Vivi’s kitchen bar finishing her diet soda while viewing the last batch of honeymoon photos on Vivi’s laptop.
“I’m not kidding, V, your photography keeps getting better. Some of these pictures are incredible.” Cat stared at the red roofs of Florence a moment longer.
“I’m no Peter Lik,” Vivi said.
“You always undersell your talent. Seriously! You should considering starting a photography business on the side, or at least during the summer.” Cat slid the laptop away and turned to Vivi. “How about portraits? People pay big bucks for portrait photography, especially new parents. And then there’s endless head shot work around Manhattan.”
“Maybe someday.” Vivi shrugged. “Right now I’m happy with my hobby. I’m too busy during the school year to take on extra work, and I’d rather spend my free time with David.”
Cat lifted a single brow. “Sometimes I still find it bizarre you and he actually ended up together. But it’s all worked out better than I ever imagined.”
“It’s better than I imagined too, which is really unbelievable!” Vivi laughed and shut the laptop. “So what about you? Ready to start dating again?”
“Not at all, so stop!” Cat considered sharing her diagnosis now that the wedding was behind Vivi. But her friend still basked in the afterglow of her honeymoon. Cat’s news could wait another week . . . or longer.
“Why not?” Vivi took a giant bite of her chocolate-filled croissant, completely ignoring Cat’s request.
“You mean aside from my terrible taste in men?” Cat winced at how she’d overlooked the warning signs with Justin—at what accepting his verbal abuse for so long said about her self-esteem. “I’ve got a demanding career.”
“Now you stop.” Vivi eyed the remaining pastries. “You’re not the only woman in the world who’s fallen for a bad guy. Justin was good-looking, and he pursued you all around the world. I can see how that possessiveness might’ve swept you away at first. But it’s been nearly a year since it ended. Don’t give up on love, or pretend you can’t have both a career and love. That’s just silly.”
“Let’s be brutally honest, V. I’m not good at relationships.” Cat tilted her head. She’d become cynical with age. In her world, most people only looked out for themselves. Somewhere along the way, it seemed smarter to accept and live by those rules. “Outside of my family, you’re the longest relationship in my life. Sometimes I wonder how you put up with me.”
“What are you talking about . . . how I put up with you?”
“Come on, I’m not warm like you. I can be prickly and aloof.” Cat puzzled at Vivi’s incredulous expression. Perhaps her friend clung to the Cat of yesteryear without noticing the way she’d hardened. “Admit it. I’m spoiled.”
“You’re not spoiled.” Vivi twisted her lips. “Well, you’re a little spoiled, but you aren’t self-centered. You stood by me for years when others bullied me. You offered me friendship and a place to call home. You’ve shared your secrets with me since childhood—I know you don’t trust easily, so I’m honored to have earned it, Cat.
“And you’re generous to a fault. Don’t think I don’t notice how overboard you go on birthdays, Christmas, and any other occasion you can invent.”
“You always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but I’ll take what I can get.” Cat let out a short breath and grinned. Choosing Vivi as a friend was one of the best decisions Cat had ever made, and thankfully the feeling was mutual. “Still, I really do suck at relationships, especially with men.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Vivi scrunched her features.
“Am not. Before Justin, every guy I dated was more interested in my VIP passes than in getting to know me. It’s degrading, actually. And pointless. In my current situation, I’m better off alone.” Then, worried she’d accidentally revealed too much, she wiped her expression clean. Fortunately, Vivi missed the subtle gaffe.
“That’s sad.” Vivi stared through Cat, contemplating. “I get why you’re aloof in public, but maybe you should stop hiding your true feelings all the time. No man can love you if he doesn’t know who you are. That’s your only problem with relationships. Just let someone in, like you did with me.”
Cat didn’t like being psychoanalyzed, especially when the words had teeth. She twisted her hair in her fingers as she considered Vivi’s advice.