Chapter 17
Itop off our wine glasses and hand one to Grace with a beleaguered smile. The cozy carpet is soothing under my freshly pedicured toes as I lean back into the plush sofa Aunt Viv insisted we retrieve from storage during our move to the city, seemingly ages ago.
So much has happened since.
“To girl”s night,” I say, clinking my glass against Grace”s.
She grins. “I”ll drink to that.”
I take a long sip, letting the cool Pinot Grigio wrap me in its crisp embrace. We picked well for our little soiree. The rich smell of Chinese takeout fills our living room.
My gaze roams over the familiar furnishings mixed with the apartment”s more modern fixings. Mom”s antique cabinet houses our TV across from Dad”s old recliner. But splashes of bright accents and trendy metallic touches bring our inherited decor into the twenty-first century.
As luxurious and comfortable as Jack’s brownstone is, I miss living here. There is simply no amount of comfort that can replace the feeling of being loved.
I breathe out shakily. Some tension dissipates, now that I have gotten used to his cold shoulder.
“Where’s Aria, anyway?” I ask, leaning back.
“At Daragh’s house, just a block away. She’ll be home before seven.” She takes a container of dumplings and stuffs one into her mouth. “So, give me a quick rundown on what’s going on with you and the mountain man. We have to PG-13 everything once our baby sis is back.” She tucks her feet under her. “You seem kinda down.”
I take a sip of wine before answering. “We were doing so good. He took me on a romantic overnight trip on his yacht last week . . .” I trail off, thinking back to the evening.
Grace perks up, swallowing her food. “Are you telling me this dude has his own boat?”
I nod, dejectedly. “With a captain, a private chef, the whole nine yards.”
“Sounds like some amazing romance under the stars.”
“Oh yeah, lots and lots of it.” I roll my eyes. “Scorching hot, hard, steamy.”
“And then?” she asks, breathless.
“We ate dinner, did some other activities,” I air-quote the last word, smirking. Grace’s eyes widen like saucers. “Eventually, we decided to go inside the cabin. You’ve never seen anything like it. The bedroom was outrageous. Shiny mahogany furniture, chaise longue looking out a big ocean-view window. And the activities,” I air-quote again,“just went on and on. We couldn’t get enough of each other. I felt sore for days after.”
Grace giggles, covering her mouth like a schoolgirl. “Oh my, you are making me blush, M.”
I wave at her, dismissing her pretend embarrassment. “It felt like we broke through whatever walls he had up, you know? I thought he finally accepted the difference in age and experience between us, and that we could be lovers regardless.”
I pause, my heart heavy, wishing that things would be that simple with Jack.
“At some point, we fell asleep. And then the next thing I know, I’m awake and his hands are wrapped around my throat. He was in the middle of a flashback, drenched in sweat and staring right through me.”
I shudder at the traumatic memory, tears prickling. Grace gasps, covering her mouth.
“He came back to himself pretty quickly, but it was terrifying. Then he bolted out of the room without a word, leaving me stunned and heartbroken. He didn’t even look back.”
“Jeez, I”m sorry, Mads. No wonder you need some girl time to process that shit.”
“He’s been icing me out ever since. Now I’m not sure anymore if I was imagining that we had a connection in the first place, you know?” I take another long sip of wine, reveling in the giddy lightheadedness while tears flow freely down my face. “He is clearly doing all of this just to please his father.”
My sister wraps me in her arms, and I sob on her shoulder for what seems like a long while.
“So . . .” Grace pulls back, hesitating as my breathing becomes steadier. “Regardless of how things stand right now between you two, did you happen to, uh, take care of birth control like we talked about? Things with Jack have been very,” she pauses, smirking, “intense at times, it sounds like. Little sis is still too young for the obligation of motherhood.”
I roll my eyes affectionately. “Yes, Mom, I”m staying safe and healthy, don”t you worry.”
Grace nods in approval. “Good. As your wiser older sister, I have to ask. But no judgments from me in the romance department. I haven’t been putting my arm implant to good use anyway,” she says, almost wistfully.
I recall Grace”s blush at meeting Cade. Though judging from her deflated reaction now, I gather no hot Navy SEAL action occurred there.
“Cade is smoldering hot, isn’t he? I noticed the looks you two were exchanging. Has he tried contacting you?”
Grace smooths her hair self-consciously. “He is more than smoldering hot, little sis. Blazing is the word you’re looking for. But kind of pointless. I don’t want to get attached again, like I did to Rick. And then, a relationship would kill my writer’s drive and inspiration. Remember? No, no, this shop is closed for business.”
I wave aside her excuses. “The thing with Rick went down more than a year ago. And not everyone is going to be as soul sucking as he was.”
She swats me with a throw pillow. “That ship has likely sailed anyway.” She sighs. “I haven”t seen McSteely since he came by to help you move your things downtown.”
Just then we are interrupted by the front door bursting open and a bubbly Aria bounding inside, grinning ear to ear. Her dark hair is wildly disheveled from the blustery fall winds outside.
“Hey, you guys!” She waves cheerily, dropping her heavy backpack stuffed with textbooks and immediately makes a beeline for the takeout.
Grace nudges the containers her way. “Just in time for some wontons, baby girl! How”s the BFF?”
“Ugh, Daragh is the best!” Aria enthuses through a stuffed mouthful. “We were studying cellular mitosis stuff for our bio test next week.” She rolls her eyes dramatically. “I swear Mr. Ford gives us college level work, it”s crazy hard! But me and Daragh motivate each other, and she lives just a block away, which rules.”
I smile softly at her glowing happiness in this new friendship and the challenging academic environment she thrives in.
“You seem to be loving Stuyvesant so far, busy workload and all,” I remark.
“Oh my gosh, yes! The classes move so fast, but they’re super interesting,” Aria bubbles, launching into excited descriptions of specific lessons and teachers. Grace and I share amused, affectionate glances at her signature rambling enthusiasm.
“Okay, so get this,” she continues, breathless. “Daragh just told me about this amazing study abroad opportunity called the Swiss Semester. It”s a program where sophomores live and attend school in the Swiss Alps for, like, twelve weeks.”
I raise my eyebrows, intrigued despite knowing such elite academic programs don”t come cheap.
“You stay in Zermatt, get to do your normal subjects, but also go skiing, rock climbing, snowshoeing. Then to top it all off, visit Milan and Paris!” Aria bubbles enthusiastically. “Can you even imagine? The rolling mountains and ski chalets look straight off a postcard.”
“The Zermatt in the Swiss Alps, close to the Matterhorn? That sounds incredible,” Grace agrees. “How much does this cost, you think?”
“I’m afraid a whole lot,” Aria deflates. “Daragh told me it’s close to forty thousand, when all is said and done.”
“Like, dollars? Are you serious? That might require some serious budgeting magic on our part.” I smile, patting her hand.
Aria”s face falls momentarily before rallying stubborn optimism. “I know the price tag is excessive. But there is financial aid too. Maybe then it won’t end up being as much.” Her pleading eyes dart between us. “Just let me apply, and then we can decide. Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky?”
I tamp down the sticker shock, not wanting to discourage Aria’s enthusiasm. “This sounds like a potentially life-changing opportunity,” I say carefully.
Grace shoots me a subtle look. “And who knows, my book might end up selling like hot cakes.” I hear the unspoken “how on earth” in her tone too.
“Well, hey, my social media brand collaborations are ramping up nicely, even without me creating content full-time,” I add, my wheels turning and looking for possibilities. “Between Whitesnake Cosmetics wanting me as an ambassador and Mountain Mike’s merch store about to launch, that income stream may keep growing. Who knows, baby sis.”
I ruffle Aria’s hair, affection swelling at her eagerness. “Let’s take this goal piece by piece. Do the application first, and we will manifest the rest.”
Aria squeals excitedly and tackles us with fierce hugs. “You guys are the actual best!” Laughing, we get swept up in her infectious enthusiasm.
Her mission accomplished, she attacks the takeout, seemingly ravished. Finally resurfacing from the food long enough, she catches her breath. “So, Grace, tell Maddie all about your book deal. How cool is that?”
Grace”s face instantly lights up. “You guys, I still have to pinch myself. Crimson House, you guys. It’s a dream come true.”
“My sister rocks!” Aria throws her arms around a laughing Grace as I squeeze her knee.
“I know, right?!” Grace exclaims, eyes sparkling brightly. “The story concept resonated big time. But there will be major edits ahead before it”s ready for release in the spring.”
She takes a sip of wine, a smile tugging at her lips. “Let”s just say my motivation to keep chipping away at manuscript revisions has never been higher!”
I loop an arm through hers. “I”ll still be your biggest fan, screaming from the front row on release day. Me and baby girl, obviously.”
Aria pops up behind the couch making jazz hands with accompanying sound effects.
Grace shakes her head at our antics but grins wider. “You know, having support and inspiration from you two means everything.” She gazes into her wine glass thoughtfully. “With how rewarding it feels seeing this first story come together, I”m more determined than ever to start on my next manuscript.”
“We should hype up your book launch on TikTok!” I suggest excitedly. “BookTok is huge right now. Your thriller would attract major views.”
Grace looks thoughtful. “Having an author platform does seem important. Maybe I should start figuring that out.”
“I will give you a crash course on content creation!” I gush. “You need to hook readers in early, and that fanbase will rocket your novel to the moon. I’ll show you the ropes on different platforms, teach you some posting strategies, even help you draft videos.”
Grace taps her chin, an idea dawning. “Actually, sis, why haven”t you ever considered social media consulting as a business before?”
I pause, my wheels turning. “You really think people would pay for my expertise to run their accounts?”
“Um, yeah!” Grace says. “So many authors nowadays need help navigating BookTok and Instagram. With your own follower count and engagement, you”d come in way more credible than some random marketing person.”
My mind starts racing with the seed of a plan. “You”re right, I could totally help writers, bloggers, or entrepreneurs use social media to grow their brands! And not just posting. I could offer coaching on content strategy, aesthetics, analytics . . .”
I grab a notebook and a pen laying on the coffee table, feverishly scribbling thoughts. “I”d need to set up an LLC for the legal and tax aspects. Build a professional website highlighting my services and rates . . .”
Grace smiles encouragingly. “See, you”re already crossing the t”s! Leverage your insider knowledge. I”d hire you in a heartbeat, even if you didn”t give me the big sis discount.” She winks.
Aria makes fake publicity posters with her fingers. “I can see it now . . . MadeYaLook Media Consulting: Catapulting Clients’ Content to Virality!”“
We all laugh as inspiration strikes me. Why not start a business? People do it all the time.
My mind spins, already planning next steps.
“So, you”re off to some tropical island with Jack soon?” Aria jolts me back to the present.
“St. Maarten, next Friday.” I had almost forgotten about the awkward family trip.
“Oh, là là,” Grace teases with a mock French accent.
“I”ll need to figure out what to pack,” I contemplate. Jack insisted I use his credit card to prepare for the trip. I smile impishly, whipping it out. “Well, if the mogul insists on bankrolling this outing, who am I to argue?”
My sisters cackle. After more giggles over what to pack for the trip, Aria yawns loudly.
“Welp, I gotta rest up for some more mitosis facts over the weekend.” She air-kisses us goodnight before shuffling off.
I turn back to Grace, grinning. “In influencer terms, I”d say this shopping spree counts as a business write-off. Shall we plan a little retail therapy tomorrow?”
She clinks her wine glass to mine. “I like how you think, M!”