Page 26

“Yeah, obviously,” I scoff. “Weren’t you, dude?”

“That’s not the same and you know it.”

“It is, though!” I lean my arms against the table. “You settled for a job you knew you’d hate, I know that, and you figured out a way to make it work. I’m staring at a future that I want, but I have no guarantee it’ll even work out. And, if it doesn’t, I’ll take my best friend and his girlfriend down with me. Two people who moved halfway across the country to do this with me.”

“Take us down with you?” Bryce’s tone is incredulous, eyes wide. “Carter, what the hell are you talking about?”

“You and Josie, obviously!” I wave my hand in front of me as if I can manifest his girlfriend to be here, too. “You guys gave up everything to come do this with me—what if it fails?”

“It’s going to work out because we’re all determined as fuck, Carter,” he insists. “Besides, what do you mean we gave up everything to do this with you? I’d already sent my resignation when you called, and Josie was about to do the same; the only thing the two of us did with this was change locations and get fresh starts. Both as individuals and as a couple. That’s something we’ll always be grateful to you for.”

“You say that now, but will that still be true if this whole thing goes up in flames?”

“Flames? You better be talking metaphorically, Carter. Listen to me, it hasn’t even started yet, and you’re already worried about this? That’s ridiculous. We’re not going to have immediate success. No one does, but we know what hard work does and we’re willing to make it happen. Answer me this: Do you want to do anything other than what we’re doing?”

“No,” I admit. It’s true. There’s a reason I asked him to do this with me. There’s a reason I found myself up late at night looking at cheap places we could remodel. I wanted this when I bought it and I want it more now.

“Me neither,” he promises. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that we all make choices. I chose to do this with you, Josie chose to come with me, and Mia chose to take the opportunity we’re giving her. If it fails, we’re all equally responsible for the impact it’ll have on us. It’s not just on your shoulders.”

I take a deep breath, looking across the table at him. I don’t get the chance to say anything more, though, as the server brings our food. We’re momentarily distracted as he makes sure we have everything we need, offering another round of beers and disappears for a moment before returning with them.

We’re both several bites in when I break the silence again. “I’m sorry for just throwing all that out there, Bryce.”

He swallows the bite he just took, reaching for his beer to wash it down. “Don’t apologize, Carter. Just talk to me, okay? Or Josie. Literally anyone. You don’t need to be a ball of anxiety over nothing. We’re here for you.”

I nod, picking at the fries on my plate. “And it’s not going to fail.”

“Not a chance in hell.”

Somewhere, deep down in me, I believe him. I know the people involved in this are willing to do the work, to put in the long hours, and make this happen. Something in me says that ten years from now, we’ll wonder why it was ever a question. We’ll be loving our lives and it’s all because of the choices we make now. It’s hard to let yourself see the future when so many things can go wrong in the present. With the right people to lean on, maybe it doesn’t have to be so scary.

February2024

I hear the excited squealing before I have the chance to round the corner and enter the lobby. Once I do, I have no question as to what’s going on. Across the room, Josie is embracing a taller woman while jumping up and down. This could only mean one thing: Mia Sheridan has arrived.

Off to the side, Bryce is rolling his eyes, but there’s a fond smile on his face. His gaze drifts over to me as I approach from the outside pool I was just checking on. “You would think they haven’t seen each other in years, right? We were literally in Charlotte last weekend helping her pack.”

“Oh, my god! You must be Kat!”

With a slight jump, I glance over at Mia to see her smiling at me. Her bright and welcoming smile is almost a contradiction to the rest of the woman standing before me. She’s tall, with long legs encased in dark, torn jeans, and a cute top exposing tattoos scattered along her arms and collarbones. Her dark brown hair is in a messy pile on top of her head, and light, natural makeup highlights her pale skin. Her lipstick is a deep, vibrant shade of red. And it’s perfectly applied.

I’m instantly jealous of her makeup skills.

“Hi.” I grin back when I remember she had spoken to me. I extend my hand toward her. “Yeah, I’m Kat. Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she beams back, shaking my hand. “Josie has been keeping me updated on the construction—things are coming together beautifully.”

A faint blush creeps up my cheeks. “Thank you, but it’s easy to follow a plan.”

She scoffs. “Oh, please. It’s easy to come up with a plan, and hard as hell to execute one. Plus, we all know Bryce wouldn’t be able to pull any of this off without you.”

“Awe, I love you, too, Mia,” he sasses back.

She pays him absolutely no mind. “From what Josie’s told me, I think the two of us are going to get along great.”

Stepping up behind Josie to wrap his arms around her, Bryce groans. “Oh god, there’s two of them now. Why didn’t I see that coming?”

Josie laughs, patting his arm. “I think you’ll be fine.”