“You’re right, Mom,” I say, squeezing her arm. “I’ll just sleep on it and call Sloane back tomorrow to tell her the good news. But you can’t say anything, okay? They’re really strict about that. I’ll have to sign all kinds of NDAs…”
“Alright, honey, alright.” Her smile turns misty. “Oh, Nikki-Belle, it’s all just so exciting. The idea of you finding someone who makes you happy—well, that would mean the world to me.” She glances toward the house, where Cooper and Cara are practicing their first dance on the lawn. “With everyone else paired off, I can’t help but hope you’ll find your match.”
I swallow. “I hope so, too, Mom.”
20
REASONS TO SAY YES
THENEWYORK SKYLINEis like no other—but beinginsidethe skyline was something else entirely. From Emma and Sybil’s rooftop, high-rises rose up around us, and the buzz of traffic in the streets below sounded distant, dim. It was early September, the city evenings were still warm, holding the last of summer in them. Sybil, Emma, Willow, and I were gathered together for what felt like the first time in ages, with cartons of Thai takeout scattered between us, reaching over each other to grab pad see ew and crab fried rice as the last rays of sun disappeared from the streets of Manhattan. We were in our early twenties, and by that point, the four of us were spread across three time zones and two continents. I’d missed all of them so much. With Willow passing through New York on her way home from Europe, now was the perfect time for a visit.
“Sybs… stop hogging the panang,” I teased.
“She’s worked up an appetite,” Willow said before crunching into a spring roll. “All that,youknow.”
Emma groaned. “Please, do we need to talk about Syb’s sex life while we’re eating? I literally keep noise-canceling headphones by my bed now.”
Sybil started laughing.
“Whatisgoing on in Sebastian land these days?” I pressed. “I feel like I’ve missed a million updates.”
“That’s because the updates keep changing,” Sybil admitted. “He’s hot and cold… but mostly”—she paused for effect—“hot.” She opened her eyes in mock innocence as Emma groaned again.
“I’m happy for you,” Emma said. “But I do wish he’d actually get an apartment in the city where you could… locate your… time together. The man is so itinerant, I’d be surprised if he’s actually paid rent anywhere in years.”
“He’s a free spirit,” Sybil said with a shrug.
Willow laughed. “Don’t be jealous, Emma.”
“Oh, she’s not,” Sybil blurted out.
“Wait, what?” I swiveled to face Emma, realization registering. “Is it…”
Sybil had a huge grin on her face and was nodding.
“Yes,” Emma said, blushing. “It’s Finn. He came to visit Sybil, honestly. I wasn’t planning on anything happening with us. It’s… it’s nothing serious.”
“The pair of ripped tights I found up here last weekend would suggest otherwise,” Sybil said, taking a satisfied bite of pad
see ew.
I grinned, happy for Emma. I’d only met Finn in passing, but Sybil always said he and Emma were soulmates.
Emma slapped her hands, causing Sybil to drop her chopsticks.“Hey! You can’t blame me,” Sybil said. “You’re the one who left hard evidence.”
I practically spit out my spring roll. “Hard evidence. You’re hilarious.”
“He was just helping me… with… something,” Emma said, blushing.
The three of us let Emma’s excuse hang for a moment.
“Okay, babe,” Willow said. “We’re here when you want to talk about it.” She sat with her legs crossed, her wrists settled on her knees, giving Sybil a stern look that clearly conveyed it was time to leave Emma alone. As much as Sybil and I were willing to tease Emma about her love life, neither one of us wanted to push Willow too far about hers. Her own romantic roller coaster had hit some truly heartbreaking turns that summer, and despite her open nature, we knew when to give her space.
“Well, I don’t care who y’all are or are not sleeping with. I just love you guys,” I said, feeling a little tipsy and sentimental. “And I’m so happy to be here.” I took a sip of wine in a juice glass and enjoyed the background banter of Sybil and Emma. The three of them had known each other for years, and it was times like these that I felt lucky I’d found my way into their circle. I’d spent my teen years constantly batting away remarks from Mary Moore and my other pageant friends, worried that one misstep would mean being iced out for weeks at a time, but I’ve never had to do that with these girls. They’d welcomed me with open arms, and I’d never once felt like I was in competition with them. I trusted they’d always have my back, and never with an ulterior motive.
I was having these thoughts when my phone rang. An LA area code.
“Hi, is this Nicole Bennet?” an unfamiliar voice asked when I picked up.
