We spent the next hour slipping back into each other like no time had passed at all.
“Do you remember that summer at Nonna’s?” Mara laughed, tucking her legs beneath her on the couch. “When Dillon swore he was gonna run away because she made him eat callaloo?”
Dillon scoffed from across the room. “That’s not how it happened.”
“That’s exactly how it happened,” I said, laughing. “You acted like you were being poisoned.”
“I was,” he muttered, grabbing his phone as it buzzed. “Excuse me for a second.”
He stepped away, his voice fading as he answered, leaving Mara and me alone in a quieter pocket of the room.
She looked at me then, softer this time. “I miss this, you know.”
“Me too.”
Her eyes drifted, like she was somewhere else for a second. “I’ve been thinking… I really want to visit Italy again.” She smiled, but there was something deeper behind it. “I wanna take Isaiah to explore.”
“You should,” I said instantly. “You’d love it. It’s slower there, but in a good way.”
“Exactly,” she said, leaning forward. “I miss the food too.”
Dillon’s voice carried faintly from the other room, still on his call, and Mara shook her head with a small laugh. “Some things never change.”
“Yeah,” I smiled. “Including him disappearing mid-conversation.”
By the time Dillon came back, we were already deep into another story, laughing like we hadn’t missed years in between.
Eventually, I glanced at the time and sighed. “I should probably head out.”
“Already?” Mara frowned.
“Yeah. Busy days ahead. I’ll see you guys soon, yeah?”
“Don’t make it too long this time,” Mara said, pulling me into a quick hug.
“I won’t.”
I headed out, the warmth of them with me, and made my way to the meeting at Eminence.
“Welcome, Nina,” greeted Julia, extending a firm handshake. “We’re thrilled to have you here. Is everything set for your boutique hunting?”
We dove into the details, brought our lawyers into the conversation, and finalized everything.
“Perfect,” I said, a sense of accomplishment flooding through me as I handed over the signed contract. “Giulia will be in touch for the final contract signing.”
Julia nodded approvingly. “Excellent. We’re excited to start our partnership with you.”
After the meeting, I left feeling motivated and got back to the hotel. I settled onto the plush bed in my suite with my laptop, researching potential neighborhoods for my boutique. Hours flew by as I immersed myself in the possibilities. Eventually,fatigue caught up with me, and I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke, sunlight filled the room, and I realized it was late evening. I slept longer than I intended. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I sat up, feeling refreshed and ready to plan my next move in this vibrant city.
“This better be worth our money,” Inaya remarked as we entered Peak NYC for dinner, and I rolled my eyes. After about an hour of debating, we decided to make the most of our two weeks and dine out at a fancy restaurant.
“My cousin recommended it, so I’m pretty sure it’s up to scratch.”
A live pianist played softly, adding sophistication to the upscale vibe as the staff, dressed in sharp uniforms, welcomed us with genuine smiles and led us to a cozy table by the window. The waitress took our orders—seafood salad for me and chicken pasta for Inaya.
“You remember that line we had designed for Shukr Clothing last year? I think it was?” she asked, breaking the silence.
