Page 46

OLIVIA

T he drive back from the beach was a bit somber.

We were all in reflective moods—at least I was—and by the time we dropped Loren off, Vanessa and I perked up a bit.

As predicted, Zayne showed up with takeout for the three of us. We watched a movie, ate ice cream, and then I wished them both a good night so they could have some time to themselves.

And yes, he spent the night.

Quietly.

Ash and I talked like we always do, but I was more tired than I thought, and it was a brief conversation for the first time ever.

Sunday morning, Zayne ran out on a bagel run and we had a nice brunch with just the three of us again. He left around two so Vanessa and I could have some time to ourselves before Roxie and Loren showed up.

I got to use the shower first, and when I was done and back in the guest room, I saw I missed a text from Ash.

Ash: Have fun with the girls tonight!

Ash: Eat all the food!

Ash: And maybe have some cheesecake for me!

He’s adorable and I’m smiling as I text him back.

Liv: Hey! Thank you! We’re getting ready now.

Liv: I’m already thinking of all the things I want to order. Lol!

Liv: I have a feeling, there’s going to be more food than any of us can realistically eat.

Liv: But I am going to have zero regrets!

Liv: What’s your favorite kind of cheesecake?

Ash: There’s more than one? New York Cheesecake. What else is there?

Liv: Oh, you sweet, silly man. Have you never been to the Cheesecake Factory?

Ash: I’m afraid to answer that.

Liv: LOL! That means no.

Liv: And for the record, they have 36 flavors of cheesecake.

His response is a line of wide-eyed emojis.

Ash: Yeah, um…then I’ll just say have whatever flavor you want and just maybe think of me while you eat it.

Liv: I actually prefer their chocolate cake. It’s to die for!

Liv: Cheesecake really isn’t my thing.

Ash: Then why are you even going there? Isn’t that all it is? A dessert place?

Liv: OMG! No! It’s a restaurant with a full menu of all kinds of amazing food AND desserts!

Liv: We are totally going there together when I move back.

Liv: Like…night number one. We’re going there.

Ash: Deal.

Ash: Now go and have fun and if you’re not too full, call me later.

Ash: Love you!

Liv: Love you too!

I know I’m getting ready to go out to eat with the girls—and I’m super excited about it—but I’m already looking forward to taking Ash for his first Cheesecake Factory experience.

It takes at least an hour for Vanessa and me to fully be ready. Roxie texted that she’s meeting us there and will secure a table, and we remind her to ask for an extra-large one so we can spread out.

And order an obscene amount of food.

When Loren arrives, it’s like we haven’t just spent an entire month together.

We’re all laughing and talking about what we’ve been doing, and it makes my heart feel happy and full.

And it’s the exact last little push I need to tell myself that I’m making the right decision by moving back.

If I had a little more time before I was flying back to Seattle, I probably would start doing some apartment hunting.

Of course, I can do all that online, so…

“I love that we’re doing this!” Loren says as we make our way out to her car. “I swear, it’s never the same going to the Cheesecake Factory without you, Liv. We say it all the time!”

“It’s true!” Van agrees. “We tell the same stories every time we go because we just used to have the best time there.”

It was our go-to place to eat from the time we could drive on our own, and I think it’s easily been five years since we’ve all been there together.

Naturally, we tell goofy stories on the way there and I swear I’m laughing so hard my entire body hurts, but it’s worth it. This is the perfect ending to my vacation. Nothing is going to ruin my mood.

Parking is a bit of a nightmare, but we finally find a spot and then pile out and make our way to the entrance. Roxie’s still in line, so she waves us over.

“We’re on the list and should be called any minute,” she assures us before giving us each a hug. “Remember the time they totally forgot us, and we ended up eating at the bar?”

“And drinking!” I add. “The bar tab was astronomical!”

“Martinis and cheesecake,” Loren says with a laugh. “I think that’s all I ate! But mostly it was the martinis!”

“Roxie, party of four! Roxie, party of four!” the hostess calls out and we quickly step up to the podium.

“That’s us!” Roxie responds as we fall in line behind the hostess to our large corner booth.

“Enjoy your meal,” she says before walking away.

Sliding awkwardly into the booth, we’re all laughing for almost no reason, but we don’t care. It’s like we’re already expecting a great night.

Within minutes we’ve got baskets of bread on the table, our drink orders in, as well as our first round of appetizers ordered. We’re discussing what else we’re going to order—should we each get dinner or should we pick stuff to share or…

“Oh my goodness! Is that Mrs. Serrano waving to us?” Roxie asks around a mouthful of bread.

We all turn in unison and, sure enough, Mrs. Serrano is slowly making her way across the very crowded Cheesecake Factory dining room.

So much for the perfect ending to my vacation.

We left the beach house yesterday afternoon after having the most amazing week. My heart felt so full, and we made so many memories that I knew I would always think about them and smile. I had completely forgotten about the initial reason I was here in North Carolina, and now, here’s my reminder.

“Dammit.” What are the freaking odds?

I sigh and notice three pairs of eyes watching me. “What?” I ask.

“Nothing,” Vanessa says, shrugging. “You just said dammit, so we’re just making sure you’re alright.”

“I didn’t think I said that out loud,” I murmur, but can’t say anything else because Mrs. Serrano is suddenly beside our table and awkwardly stretching and giving us all hugs.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked over here!” she gushes before putting her focus on me. “I thought you would have been back in Seattle by now, writing your next book!”

I smile at her because…well, because she’s a wonderful person who I admire. “The girls and I went to the beach for the month. We just relaxed and I’ll probably start the next book when I get back home.”

“How fun! And it was just the four of you?” She looks at Vanessa. “Your family has a house in Cape Breeze, right? Matteo used to talk about it.”

And for a moment, we all go quiet.

“That’s right,” Vanessa tells her. “It was just the four of us for the entire month, but the first half, Mike, Zayne, and Ash were with us.”

Her eyes light up as she turns to me and smiles. “Oh, finally! You and Ash met! How wonderful! Matteo had been trying to introduce the two of you for years!”

“What?!” we all say in unison, and I know I’m wildly horrified.

“Oh, yes! He knew almost immediately after meeting Ash in college that the two of you would be perfect for each other,” she goes on like she hasn’t just dropped a ginormous bombshell. “Tell me, do you like him? Are you going to see him again?”

“Um…”

“I can’t tell you how many times my son tried to concoct these situations where the two of you would be at the same place at the same time! I’ll bet he’s smiling down right now knowing it finally happened!”

She looks so happy, and I don’t know why I’m hesitating—like…why don’t I just say that Ash and I are wildly happy together and I’m moving back to be with him? Why are those words stuck in my throat?

Loren, Vanessa, and Roxie are all staring at me in confusion and it must become obvious that I’m inwardly freaking out because Vanessa finally answers for me.

“You know what? They completely hit it off! We all couldn’t believe it either! Matt never mentioned it to any of us before.”

“Oh, he wanted all the credit,” Mrs. Serrano explains.

“I only wish he could be here to see it for himself.” Her expression softens and then turns a little sad.

Then she looks over at me. “I know I didn’t get to tell you that day at the funeral, but your eulogy was beautiful.

Perfect. I knew you were the right person for it. ”

Somewhere in the distance, someone calls her name, and she turns and waves before facing us again.

“You girls enjoy your dinner. I’m here with my women’s ministry group and our table’s ready.” She blows kisses to all of us. “Take care of yourselves!”

As soon as she’s swallowed by the crowd, the girls are all staring at me.

“Are you okay?” Roxie asks.

“The ick is back! The ick is back! The ick is back!” I chant, and I swear there’s a squeezing sensation in my chest.

“Okay, okay, okay,” she assures me as she scoots closer. “It’s going to be alright. We’ve been through this before and you clearly got over it.”

“What’s the ick?” Loren asks.

“First it was the fact that Ash was friends with Matt,” Roxie tells her. “And now…this.”

“Ah. Gotcha.” Loren turns and faces me. “First, breathe. Second, come on. There’s no reason for there to be an ick. You already know that Ash is the one for you. You need to just look at this as another confirmation. There’s nothing bad about that.”

Technically, she’s right. I just… ugh . I just want a relationship with him that doesn’t involve Matt in any way, shape, or form. Is that too much to ask?

Which is what I say to the girls.

“In a perfect world, that would be the case,” Vanessa gently tells me.

“However, we don’t live in a perfect world.

But you also need to remember that Matt isn’t here anymore.

He’s nothing but a blip on the radar of this relationship.

What you and Ash have has nothing to do with him.

Not really. Don’t let this ruin anything. ”

“Yeah,” Roxie agrees. “Stop being so dramatic and looking for an out.” Her eyes go wide as she gasps. “Wait…is that what you’re doing? Are you looking for an out? Are you having regrets? Are things moving too fast for you?”