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“I mean, things are still pretty raw. It’s only been a couple weeks.”
“I’m happy for you and Logan.”
“Thanks. I am, too. I’m very excited about moving in with him,” I said.
“He seems excited about it as well. I’ve never seen him this happy before. I’m happy for you both.”
“So, have you and Jeremy done any more wedding planning?” I asked.
“We have. We have our colors.”
“Oh, what are they?”
“Blue, crimson, and silver.”
“That’s an interesting combination.”
“It’s actually the color scheme for the club we’re opening up together.”
“What?”
Camilla giggled as she polished off her wine.
“You two are opening a club together?” I asked.
“Actually, I’m opening a club and he’s the main investor.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I really am. I found this piece of property on the main drag near where all his clubs are. It’s small but set up really nicely. It’s got a small kitchen for food and a bar area. A stage as well as a small dance floor. It won’t be a strip club, but I figured Manhattan could use a good upscale drag club.”
“Oh my gosh. You putting on drag shows. I can see that,” I said.
“I told Jeremy about it on a whim, and he really liked my idea. It would be right in the middle of all the popular clubs, and he thinks it would get a lot of foot traffic. He said he’d been looking at purchasing it, but he didn’t quite know what to do with the small space. So, we decided that I’m going to open my own club to start my own business venture, and he’d fund it. Sixty percent me, forty percent him.”
“That is so awesome, Camilla. I never dreamed you’d open a place of your own. I’m not going to lie.”
“I didn’t either. I was perfectly content being a bartender. But it just sort of hit me when I walked in, you know?”
“And when you know, you know,” I said.
“Cheers to that.”
We knocked our glasses together again before I finished off my wine.
“Want some more?” Camilla asked.
“Might as well finish the bottle. It gives us an excuse not to haul any more boxes.”
“Here, here.”
Camilla emptied the wine bottle into our glasses before we turned our eyes back to one another.
“I’m really happy for you,” I said.
“And I’m genuinely happy for you, Ava. I really am. You and Logan moving in together? It’s just picture perfect for you two. I know you’ve wanted something like this for a very long time, and that it was something you thought your ex took away from you. But look at you now: in love, moving in with him, and starting a new life you can be proud of.”
“Are we still friends, Camilla?”
She reached her arm out and wrapped it around my neck before pulling me into a hug.
“We’ll always be friends, Ava, no matter what.”
I wrapped her up in a hug as we shed some tears. It felt so good to have her back in my life, and the idea that the four of us could all get along one of these days made me hope for the future and all it had to offer. I pulled away and wiped at my eyes, then laughed with Camilla as she did the same. Raising our glasses, we shared one more toast for our futures to come, then chugged back our wine as quickly as we could.
“Should we go relieve the boys?” she asked.
“Can either of us drive?” I asked.
“I forget you’re a lightweight. Come on, I’ve got this.”
Camilla drove me back to Logan’s place, and we caught the guys just as they were coming out of the condominium complex. I got out of the car and ran into Logan’s arms, embracing his sweating body. I kissed him deeply, pressing my tongue through his lips to taste the whole of him. He settled me down on my feet and cupped the back of my head, dipping me backward and not wasting a second of our time together.
“I take it things went well?” he murmured.
I released the kiss and giggled as I nodded.
“You guys got anything else?” Jeremy asked.
“Nope. That’s it,” Logan said.
“Then the two of us are going to get out of here so you guys can enjoy your time together. Ava? Lunch soon?” Camilla asked.
“Oh, yes. Shoot me a text and we’ll see about meeting up somewhere,” I said.
“Does this mean we have to plan something?” Jeremy asked.
“Do you drink whiskey?” Logan asked.
“I drink anything,” Jeremy said.
“Then I think you’d enjoy meeting my friend Hunter,” Logan said, grinning.
The four of us said our good-byes, then waved Camilla and Jeremy off. Then Logan took my hand and led me up to my new place. Our place. The place we would share together. I walked in and looked over the sea of boxes, and an exhaustion unlike any other settled into my bones.
