PROLOGUE
* Becca *
*** Two Weeks Ago ***
Settling up our bill at Julian’s Pub and hugging everyone goodbye was bittersweet. After a
dozen promises to call and text like crazy, Kim and Laura went to catch the subway, and
Kate and I turned east to the streetcar stop.
“Hey,” Kate said, her thoughtful green eyes seeming even warmer in the light of the street
lamps. “You’ve been even quieter than usual. Is everything all right?”
I nodded, staring down at my shoes for a moment. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“It’s okay if you’re not fine,” she said gently.
I knew that she meant it with kindness, but it made me laugh a bit. “You know me too well.
Okay.” As we reached the stop, we automatically stared into the distance to see if the
streetcar was coming, but the red lights were nowhere to be found.
Taking a deep breath, I figured I might as well be honest. “Being friends with you girls has
helped me learn how to open up and talk to women. But talking to guys is still totally
unnerving. It makes me feel awkward, and I hate that.” I paused, then managed to spit it
out: “I just feel like a complete loser sometimes.”
“First off, you’re not a loser in the slightest,” Kate said. “But I know what you mean. It’s
gross feeling so uncomfortable and…” She rolled her eyes. “Icky.”
“That’s it, precisely!”
“You’ve been talking with the lawyers at your brother’s firm. Has that helped at all?” Kate
asked.
“A little,” I said. “But I always have work to discuss. Or silly bits of office conversation like how strong the coffee is or whether it’s going to rain later. What do people say to a
stranger?”
Kate nodded, obviously thinking as she smoothed back the wisps of hair that had fallen out
of her braid.
“One of the tricks to small talk is asking questions,” she said. “You can usually start with
whatever is right in front of you. If you’re at a party, ask them what they think of the wine.
Or how they know the host. If you’re at a restaurant, ask them what their favorite thing on
the menu is.”
“But that seems so frivolous.”
“It always is at first,” she nodded. “It’s not really what you say, it’s how you say it. It’s more about getting to know someone’s energy. If someone asks you a question and you barely
answer, you’re obviously not in the mood to talk. But people who can chat about anything to
anyone usually have a big, warm energy, and that makes others want to be around them.”