“She wants me to sign the contract for the consulting firm tomorrow morning,” he said. “She’s hosting a dinner party to celebrate it.”

“Are you going to sign it?” I asked.

He looked at the keys in his hand.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“If you sign it, you are giving her the remote control to your life,” I said. “She will hold it over you forever.”

Derek stood up suddenly, his chair scraping against the tiled floor.

“I need to go,” he said.

“Derek,” I said, reaching out to touch his sleeve.

He pulled back, but not angrily.

“I just need to think, Sarah,” he said.

He turned and walked quickly out of the shop, the bell chiming behind him.

I sat in the booth alone for a few minutes, watching the steam rise from my untouched water glass.

I knew I couldn’t force him to make the right choice.

He had to find the courage on his own.

I walked back to my car, the evening air turning bitterly cold.

When I got home to my small apartment, I couldn’t sleep.