AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wish I had her confidence. “But what if it doesn’t work? What if I put all this money into it, and it flops?”
“Then you go back to wardrobe. Or try something else.”
“I’m too old for all this,” I grumble. When I was twenty, when I should’ve been open to risks, I didn’t have the resources. Now that I’m in my midthirties, I’m too afraid of losing everything I’ve worked for. It’s wildly unfair.
“I’ll email you everything,” Charlotte says, sensing weakness. “You have a couple of weeks to think it over.”
“I’ll think about it,” I promise, “but I don’t think it’s the right time.”
“Is this because of Timothy?” Lexi asks. “He’s from somewhere out here, right? Maybe he’d be willing to move home? He might consider investing too. It wouldn’t hurt to have a partner.”
No way. If he left, I’d lose my home, half my business, and my heart all at once. I won’t risk it. Except…he might be willing to move. Before his accident, I don’t think anything would’ve taken him away from LA, but now…maybe.
We’re taking things slow, so I’m not going to talk to him about it until I figure out what I want to do. I’m 99 percent certain I’ll pass on the lease anyway. But right now, it doesn’t hurt to indulge in the daydream.
Chapter twenty-two
Timothy
Lifeisgreat.
I haven’t had a headache in a while, the sun is shining, Mina’s already up, and I get to spend the day with her, which makes this the best day. I love it when every day is the best day. After our talk in the kitchen last week, I’m feeling a lot more relaxed about not scaring her off.
But I know about the shop.
She lets me use her laptop anytime I need to—as long as I don’t close any of her ten million tabs or use it to look up anything that might land her on a watch list—and one morning it’s on the table while my phone is still upstairs and I want to order her some of the chocolates she likes.
And there it is. A building for lease in Connecticut.
I don’t tell Mina everything, and she doesn’t tell me everything. That’s not how our friendship has worked and it hasn’t mattered because we know each other on this deeper level. She’ll tell me when she’s ready, and the fact she hasn’t yet might mean she’s not seriously considering this opportunity. Or she’s too scared to ask me to go with her. Which I will happily do.
It doesn’t help I have all this pent-up energy. Fucking like bunnies was a good outlet, but we’ve slowed down, and now that excess energy fuels my doubts, turning it into some frantic Whac-A-Mole game in my head.
We’re fine. I know we’re fine. Better than fine. I’m not going to let it get to me. There’s nothing cagey in Mina’s actions or words. She’s figuring things out on her own and I’m not going to pressure her.
I wish she’d tell me, though.
A slight breeze wafts into my room, carrying with it the scent of some flowering shrubs in my garden and the soft splash of someone in my pool.
Mina.
I get up, ignoring my glorious morning wood, and pull on a pair of lightweight gray sweatpants in case it’s Nic. He doesn’t share my belief pants should be optional in one’s home and I’m feeling generous this morning.
I stride out onto my balcony, and there she is.
My pool isn’t huge—about twenty feet by ten. It’s not ideal for laps but it’s been great for physical therapy and recovery. Same with the small hot tub at the end of it.
Somewhere I have some pool floaties, and only one is an alligator because I’m an adult. Maybe I should dig them out and we can spend the day in the pool. Or maybe I’ll lean against the glass balustrade and watch her swim for a while.
Either her swimsuit is the same color as her skin, or…
I don’t pause to think. Mina might be naked. I needed to be down there five minutes ago. I swing one leg over the glass, then the other, my back to her as I use the gap between the panels to lower myself, letting my legs hang as I move to grip the concrete edge of the balcony. I’m disappointed to discover I’ve lost some strength, but it’s to be expected given how little I’ve been able to do while I recover. Still have plenty in reserve, though.
Mina screams.
I ignore it and drop, landing softly on the cool concrete. When I turn, she’s hauling herself out of the pool, water sluicing off her body. Dammit, she is wearing a swimsuit. Not much of one, though. It’s a bandeau bikini two shades darker than her skin and it’s nearly as hot as being naked.
She stomps up to me, but it’s all in slow motion and I’m gaping at her because she’s gorgeous. She has my whole heart, and she’s so fierce and—
