Ariella smiled warmly when she saw Josie come into the cafe. She wanted to cry but she painted a smile on her face like she had done so many times and stood up slightly when Josie finally made her way over to the table she had grabbed them in the small, dimly lit cafe. She hugged the younger woman and then took a seat again, smoothing out her floor length skirt as though it wasn't already pristine and ironed.
"It's lovely to see you too, dear," she said, genuinely smiling at Josie. She almost felt like she was talking to her daughter, if she were living, but Ari quickly shook that thought out of her head. "That's quite a few patients," she admitted, smirking at the thought. "But at least they're keeping you busy."
Ari waved a dismissive hand at Josie's kind words of thanks. "Not a problem. He's welcome any time, as are the twins." Her smile faded slightly when Josie jumped so quickly to the chase. Ariella looked away from her and took a deep breath.
"Josie," she started softly, "I want you to promise me that you're not going to speak to anyone about this. Adrian, Dale, Toby, Scott.. No one." Her face was dead serious as she spoke. She didn't want to tell Josie if she was just going to run off to tell Toby and Scott. They would find out in due time, but for the moment, she needed another woman to confide in.