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“And it will expand from there,” I picked up. “I want smaller branches all over, starting with Memphis. We created something magical with WCSF and… I just don’t want what’s happened between us personally to ruin it. I could have done this on my own on a smaller scale, but you all helped me make it what it is. I wouldn’t have wanted to do this with anyone else. If you want to leave, I’ll understand, but I’m hoping after you’ve looked over the files and had time to think about it, you will agree.”
“What about personally?” Allegra asked. “Do you think this will help us get back to some semblance of a friendship?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. It’s hard to navigate both because the lines are so blurred. Maybe once we completely detach professionally and adjust to how things are going to be, there will be clarity on that. I can’t completely overrule that because I do miss you both, but for right now, the water is too murky for me to see.”
“That’s fair,” Nova said. “So, how will this work? Are we buying y’all out of the partnerships or what? I get the whole we work through our teams thing, but if Allegra and I are going to be running things here, you’ll be getting a new team, right?”
“Yes. This will be yours, that will be ours. We’ll have a new team. I figure the buyout should be like the buy-in, so one dollar?” I said, looking at Jeremiah for confirmation, and he agreed.
“Nah, if we’re going to do this, I want to change the buyout terms.” Nova sat up in his seat, resting his elbows on the table. “I’ll buy y’all out if you both can promise me once we’ve all done some work individually that we can try to be friends again. I don’t care if it takes one year or ten, I want this back.”
I looked over at Jeremiah, wanting him to speak first. I could understand how our relationship may have made Allegra and Nova feel some type of way. To some, I’m sure it was a bit taboo for us to be together. Even though he and Nova weren’t friends when it happened, they were friends for quite some time.
The mirage of being loyal to standards invented by society instead of doing what was right for you had a lot of people stuck in unhappy friendships, relationships, and work situations. Lord knows I hated how things played out between Allegra and Nova, but Ava was a blessing for them that they’d have for the rest of their lives. My blessing? My Jerry.
“What do you think, Angel?” he asked, taking my hand under the table.
“If you’d be comfortable with that, I think I am.”
“I can agree to that,” Jeremiah said, and both Allegra and I released quiet whimpers in exchange for the squeals bubbling up within us.
He and Nova stood, shaking hands across the table. Allegra and I did the same.
This felt good.
This felt right.
29
That Weekend
Imaginemy surprise when I made it to my favorite restaurant and saw my family, Jeremiah’s mom, a few of our close cousins, and Nova and Allegra waiting for us. It was Jerry’s bright idea to celebrate us starting an imprint under WCSF. I appreciated the consideration and the gesture, and we ended up having a great time. There was no drama, which I was grateful for.
I couldn’t help but notice how cozy Allegra and Nova seemed. At one point, he had his hand on the small of her back as she whispered something in his ear. I wondered what they were up to. If they were giving a relationship a go. Who was I to judge them if they were? I was sure when they were comfortable telling us that they would.
For a brief moment, bitterness and anger crept in. I felt myself thinking about how one woman’s trash could be another’s toxic situation, but that wasn’t fair to either of them. If they were trying to give Ava a healthy family while building a romantic relationship, I would genuinely wish them well. I wasn’t bitter enough to want them single and suffering while I experienced being loved better than I ever had been before by Jeremiah.
By the time we left the restaurant, I was full—physically and emotionally. I smiled the whole time Jerry drove. Several pictures had been taken to remember the night, and I was sure I’d be looking at them repeatedly over the next few days. It was the first time in a really long time that I enjoyed myself with my family and old friends and nothing went wrong. If that was a sign that I’d made the right choice, I was excited to see what else there was to come.
I went back to Jerry’s place. That had become my norm. I’d spent more time at his home than my own. It was big enough for us to have space from each other when we needed it, but we enjoyed each other’s company enough to have a healthy routine. When we walked in, I had no expectations, so my eyes immediately watered when I saw what he’d done for me in the living room.
Thick stacks of cash were resting under a large red bow along with the listings for several buildings from Noah’s commercial company.
“Pooh, what is this?” I had to laugh after asking because it was clear what it was, but I still needed to hear him actually say it.
Jeremiah wrapped his arms around me as he said, “That’s the down payment you’ll need for the commercial building. Depending on which one you choose, I’ll take care of the rest. Those are a few commercial listings that Noah has available that I think you’ll like. I made an appointment with one of his agents to go and have a look at them tomorrow.”
Turning in his arms, I resisted the urge to fight my tears. They flowed freely as I hugged and kissed him.
“You really have my back, huh?”
“Back, front, and side.”
“You’re the best life partner ever. I love you so much, pooh.”
“I lo—”
Kissing the words off his lips, I lifted my leg, so he’d pick me up. I didn’t need to hear the declaration; I felt and saw it every day that I spent with him.
