Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Nori
My best friend is married.
Hayden King has officially been Mrs. Jasper Perkins for a full twelve hours. She’s also on her way to Maui with her brand-new husband for their two-week honeymoon. Meanwhile, I’m the opposite of married.
Or in Maui.
What I am is curled up on the window seat in our apartment—my apartment, now—watching the sunrise over the buildings across the street. Alone. I was the last one to leave the reception. Well, Keeley and I were. Even Andrew took off before we did. He was tired, and I offered to drive Keeley home, so he wouldn’t have to stick around.
After Andrew left, we danced a bunch more with Hayden. We took a million pictures and ate our weight in cake. And the whole time, I pretended I didn’t just get my heart ripped out by Violet. I couldn’t bring myself to tell Hayden or Keeley about Serendipi-Tea.
I wasn’t ready to admit defeat.
Even now, the person I want to confide in most spent the night at Worcester Medical Center not texting me. I suppose I’d better get used the lack of contact, though. Cash is about to move thousands of miles away. He’ll be busy adjusting to his new position. So it’s really unfortunate that over the past month he’s become the person I turn to in times of need.
The one I lean on when things go wrong.
The one I share good news with too.
Although, to be fair, there hasn’t been that much good news for me lately. Still, my most-recent best moments have all been with Cash. With no planning or expectations, he became a whole hand for me. And yet, that same hand has to wave goodbye to him. Soon.
And Hayden’s already gone.
Well, not entirely. She started packing up the day after school got out for the summer, but she gave up and decided to wait until after the wedding. Still. As soon as she’s back from her honeymoon, she'll be moving into her new home with Jasper.
Mixed emotions flood my body.
I’m so happy for Hayden. And so sad for me.
When Keeley and I got back to the building at two o’clock this morning, I didn’t try to sleep. I didn’t even change out of my dress. Instead, I kicked off my heels, put on slippers, and settled into the window seat.
Since then I’ve been watching the sky shift from inky black to gray, then purple, and finally pink with orange streaks. As silly as it sounds, I was kind of hoping I could slow daybreak with my mind. I mean, why not? If the mirrors here can reflect all these visions of Cash and me, I figured I might as well try to work some magic of my own. I just wanted to make time stop.
Or make him stay.
Not gonna happen, Nori.
As it turns out, I couldn’t freeze the clock. The sun came up without my permission, and now I’ve got no plans for the future. Zero goals to achieve. I’m officially out of ideas for the rest of my life, and the silence here is just so … loud, it’s impossible to think. I can’t just sit around waiting any longer. Not when I know nobody else is coming home. So I yank a blanket off the back of our couch—my couch—and wrap it around my shoulders to head out to the courtyard.
I’ve just reached the bottom of the grand staircase, my blanket trailing behind me, when the front doors open and Cash steps into the lobby.
He’s got his suit jacket slung over one shoulder, his tie is off, and the first three buttons on his shirt are undone. His hair looks like a wild thatch of wheat. And yet, he’s never looked more handsome.
He spots me and tilts his head, surveying me from my fallen bun to my wrinkled bridesmaid’s dress. “You’re awake.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” It hits me again that two things I want most in the world are slipping through my fingers. My nose begins to sting, and I blink back tears. Do not cry, Nori . “I was just heading to the courtyard to think.”
His brow creases. “I guess that means you saw the video.”
“What video?”
“Oh.” His jaw shifts. “Your face … I just assumed.”
“What’s wrong with my face?” My voice cracks.
“Nothing.” He takes a hesitant step toward me. “You look beautiful, actually.”
“Actually …” I repeat. Then I burst into tears.
“Hey, hey, hey! Nori. Oh, no.” He closes the space between us, folding me into his arms right there by the lobby desk. “It’s going to be all right,” he murmurs into my hair. Then he begins to stroke my head so tenderly, for a moment, I feel almost okay. In fact, this is the most okay I’ve felt in hours. Which only reminds me of what I stand to lose when he leaves.
And how little I’ve got to gain .
“Violet’s selling the shop to someone else,” I finally sniffle into his shoulder. “I lost Serendipi-Tea.”
“Oh, man, Nori. No.” His chest expands with a long breath. Then he exhales deeply. “I’m so sorry.” He pulls me in closer, securing me in his arms. “What can I do?”
“There’s nothing anyone can do,” I groan. “Thanks to Glen.”
He takes a beat, a low sound humming in his throat. “Who’s Glen?”
“Larry’s friend.”
Another beat of silence. “Who’s Larry?”
“Violet’s boyfriend.”
Cash slides his arms down to squeeze my hands. “Sounds like we’ve got a lot to catch up on,” he says. “Come with me.” Still holding my hand, he gently leads me through the archway out into the courtyard. In this moment, being taken care of feels good. We drop onto a lounge chair, side by side, and he pulls the blanket back up around my shoulders. “Warm enough?”
I snuffle and nod. “Yes.”
“Okay. Tell me everything.”
Like a dam bursting, the story flows out of me, along with a healthy dose of tears. All except the part with the mirrors. No need to embarrass myself even more. Cash just listens while I fill him in on Violet’s conclusion that I’ve been too stressed out lately, and that buying the business must be the cause, so she’s decided to go ahead and sell the place to Larry’s friend.
“Glen Cottage’s stupid son is getting everything I’ve ever wanted,” I sniff.
Well, not everything , I think. But everything I’d convinced myself I could control.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that guy’s face on a bench somewhere.” Cash squints. “Do you think Cottage is his real last name?”
“Who knows?” I choke. “He should be called Glen Dream Killer.”
Cash pulls a face. “Not quite as catchy for real estate, though.”
As sad as I am, I huff out the world’s tiniest laugh. “I shouldn’t have unloaded on you like that.”
“I’m perfectly happy to be your … unload-ee.” He brushes a loose strand of hair from my face. “That’s not a word, but I figure you know what I mean.”
“I do.”
Saying those words snaps me back to Hayden’s wedding. From there it’s a quick hop over to remembering Cash left early because his sister-in-law went into labor.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurt as heat floods my cheeks. “I’ve been rambling on about my problems like the most selfish person ever, and I forgot to ask about the baby!”
Cash shakes his head. “You’re the least selfish person I know. And Matilda is … she’s completely perfect.”
“Matilda?” I press a hand to my cheek. “That’s the most adorable name I’ve ever heard.”
“They’re calling her Tilly,” he adds. “Seven pounds, four ounces. Ten pink toes. Big blue eyes. Little tuft of hair.” As Cash rattles off his niece’s stats, his expression goes soft. Like an uncle in love. “She was screaming like a banshee when I left.” He drags a hand over the top of his head. “I miss her already.”
“When do you get to see her again?”
“I came home to shower and change, then I’m headed right back to the hospital. My parents are meeting us there.” He drops his gaze. “But I was talking about missing Tilly once I’m in LA.”
Needles of pain ricochet around my insides, pricking me like I’m a human pincushion. “So you’ll spend as much time with her as you can while you’re still here,” I say. “And visit her a lot afterward.”
Even as I say this, I find myself wishing Tilly wasn’t the only person with ten toes Cash might want to visit.
“You’re right.” His gaze drifts back up to mine. “Thanks for the reminder.”
I draw in a shaky breath. “What are whole-hand friends for?”
Cash is quiet for a moment, then his Adam’s apple bobs. “For the record, I’m really sorry about Serendipi-Tea.”
My internal pain needles only increase. “Same,” I say. “I was hosting a decent-sized pity party for myself when you showed up. And honestly? I have no idea what I’m going to do next.”
“Maybe it’s not a done deal.”
I shake my head. “Violet was expecting to sell the shop to Glen and his son in the first place, so they’re just reverting to the original plan.” I blow out a breath. “I think she only gave me a shot because she didn’t think I could find the money. And I came so close.” My shoulders sink. “Only one more date, and I get the rest of my Swipe Rite money.”
“Yeah. About that.” A strangled noise comes from the back of Cash’s throat.
I swipe at my nose. “About what?”
“Your Swipe Rite contract.” He pulls out his phone. “We’ve got a problem.”