Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Willow
Katherine, Brielle, and I jump up and down on the plush king-size bed in the presidential suite of the Plaza Hotel and giggle with joy.
“I cannot believe we’re in New York City.” Katherine flops down on the mattress. “And tomorrow we will meet with Sebastian’s friends to pitch our ideas. I’m so excited.”
“I am nervous.” Brielle squeals. “We really need to work on our business plan tonight and our presentation.”
“Yes, we do,” I agree with them before taking a seat on the mattress. “We need location ideas, real numbers, innovative plans as to how we’re going to make our bed and breakfast different from all the others.” Excitement courses through my veins. I really hope they like our idea.
“They’ll love it,” Katherine says. “They’ll absolutely love it.”
“Do you guys think I made the right decision?” I ask, looking at them with a worried expression. “You don’t think that I’m taking advantage of Sebastian, right?”
“Oh my gosh, no! Like he said, his friends are businessmen. We just got an opportunity to present something, and if they love it, they’ll buy it,” Katherine says. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be honest.”
“I know, me too. And it did feel really good sticking it to Charlotte,” I say. “She’s called me like a hundred times already.”
“Me too.” Katherine cackles. “Charlotte has been calling me nonstop. Did I tell you she left a voicemail where she was screaming that she had to cut her trip short?”
I shake my head and laugh. “No, but I guess that’s her problem.”
“Yeah. Now she actually has to work.” Brielle laughs. “Clean some toilets, bitch.”
I start giggling. “She is going to hate that.”
“Well, I guess she’s going to have to start paying a livable wage then,” Katherine says. “Until such time, she needs to work or lose it. She deserves everything that happens to her.”
I nod, and though I feel bad for my cousin, frankly, I think she deserves it.
I’m disgusted that she did this to me. I’m disgusted that she thought it was okay to use my name and have people believe I was doing those atrocious things.
And the fact she knew Louisa was telling people it was me, I can never forgive her.
“I’m so sorry,” Brielle says, reaching out and rubbing my shoulders. “She’s horrible, absolutely horrible. And as far as I’m concerned, if I never see her again, it will be too soon.”
“I agree,” I murmur. “I told you Aunt Mildred said unless I go back to work at the hotel, they’re disowning me.”
“Who gives a shit?” Katherine says. “They were horrible to you anyway.”
“I know, and I’m sad it’s come to this. I’m sad this is what it takes for me to break away—but I should’ve walked away a long time ago.
” I take a deep breath. “I’m finally coming into my own, guys.
I’m finally realizing my own self-worth.
” I look down at my phone. “Sebastian and I are going to meet in an hour. I feel nervous. I don’t know what to expect. ”
I stare at them, feeling almost ashamed of my thoughts. The thought of seeing Sebastian again, alone, has my heart thundering in my chest. As my anger toward him subsides, an ache forms deep in my soul. I miss him.
“Well, what do you want?” Katherine asks. “Ideally, in a real universe, what do you want?”
“I mean, I am in a real universe.” I giggle. “I still love him, guys.”
I make a face, my eyebrows twisting, my nose wrinkling, and I shake my head. “But I just don’t know where we go from here. I don’t know how we can make it work with everything that’s happened.”
“Do you want to be with him?” Katherine prods.
I shrug because I’m almost embarrassed to admit the truth. I feel weak by saying yes.
“She does,” Brielle says, and we all laugh.
“I do, but I don’t want him to think that I want anything from him.
I want us to be on an equal playing field, and I don’t know if that will ever happen—especially not now that I’m in a precarious financial position.
Plus, the fact he didn’t listen to me, didn’t even give me a chance to explain, to try and figure out what was going on—that still hurts me. ”
“I get why it hurts you,” Katherine says, “but it’s understandable that he’s operating on what he thinks he knows. Louisa provided him with receipts, girl.”
“I know, and at that time he didn’t have any reason to distrust her. It just hurts.”
“I get it. He knows you’re not about money, though,” Katherine says, rubbing my shoulders. “He knows that you’re not that sort of person.”
“I know, but it’s still a barrier between us.” My heart sinks. “I don’t want him to think that I’m only with him because I need him. I don’t want there to be any doubts in his mind. And I’m still mad at him. I’m still mad I have to feel this way.”
“Don’t let that feeling fester,” Katherine says softly. “It’s not worth it. You know what I’ve learned from my parents’ marriage?”
“No. What?” I ask, because I do want to know. Katherine’s parents have been together for a long time, and I still see the love between them.
“My mom and dad have gone through a lot,” she says.
“Like, a lot—stuff that would break other couples. But my mom always says she wouldn’t choose anyone other than my dad, and my dad says he wouldn’t choose anyone other than her.
Because in life, we’re always going to face obstacles, and we’re always going to trip up, and we’re always going to make mistakes.
Not one of us is perfect. But if you have the perfect person for you, life is better together.
You can help each other through the obstacles. ”
She grabs my hand. “I guess I just mean this to say that, yeah, he fucked up, and he treated you like shit, and I was the first person who wanted to kill him, the first one who wanted to make him pay. But I still stand by what I said originally. That man loves you. And while he’s been misguided in his actions, he wants to make it right.
He wants to make it up to you. He wants to prove his love to you. And that means a lot.”
“I know. How did you get to be so wise, Katherine?”
“I don’t know,” she says, giggling. “I think I’m wiser for my friends than I am for myself.”
I start laughing. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Look at my ex-boyfriend.”
“Okay, he sucked.”
“He really sucked,” she says. “I think, though, when you meet the right person, you just know.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Because I think if I didn’t understand why Sebastian did this, it would be a different story—but I do understand.
He’s protecting his brother, and he’s already protected me in so many ways.
And I think I realize that the feeling I felt in the beginning—it was real.
I guess it just scares me because it’s such a huge emotion, such great magnitude, I’m scared to allow myself to fall back into that feeling of joy and happiness.
Because what if the rug is swept out from under me again? What if something else happens?”
“You can’t think about it like that,” Brielle says. “Unfortunately, life is about risks—the risks we see and the risks we don’t. Plan anything and God laughs in the face of planners. We can just go by our gut. So, what’s your gut telling you?”
She looks at me. I stare at my best friends and smile at them.
“My gut is telling me I need to see what happens. It’s telling me I love him and that he’s the one.
That there’s not going to be another man I feel this way for ever again.
” I give them a watery smile. “My gut is also telling me you’ two are the best friends I’ve ever had in my life, that I’ll ever have.
You’re my family—my chosen family. I know my parents are looking down and they’re beaming at all of us. They’re rooting for us.”
I swallow hard, hoping to unclog the emotion in my throat that makes me want to cry.
“My heart is heavy, guys, but not in a bad way. It’s filled with love and joy because you know what?
Whatever happens between me and Sebastian—you guys are the loves of my life.
You’ve always been there for me since we were little kids.
You’ve always had my back. You’ve always supported me through thick and thin, and I don’t know how I would’ve gotten to where I am without you.
” My chin wobbles and a tear streaks down my cheek.
“I just want to let you know. I just want to give you your flowers now.”
“We’re in this together. We’re the Golden Girls,” Katherine says.
“Well, not golden yet,” Brielle says, and we all laugh.
“You know what I mean.”
“I know.”
I squeeze their hands. “It’s us—together forever.”
“I mean, hopefully with husbands at one point too,” Brielle says, and we all giggle.
“Even if we all end up single, I know we’ll be okay.”
“I know,” Katherine says. “But you are about to go and get your man. And maybe one day me and Brielle will find someone too.”
“Well, Sebastian does have a number of friends—friends we’re pitching our idea to tomorrow,” Katherine says. “Brielle and I can’t get mixed up with any one of them, though. At least not until someone gives us a deal.” She grins. “Plus, we haven’t seen them. What if they’re fungos?”
“Trust me, they’re not. In fact, Sebastian’s best friend—”
My phone starts ringing. “I guess we’ll have to continue this conversation later. It’s Sebastian. Do you mind if I take it?”
“Not at all,” Katherine says with a smile. “Me and Brielle will work on the presentation.”
“Thanks.”
I grab the phone and jump off the bed. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Hey, beautiful.” Sebastian grins at me as he opens the door to his penthouse.
“Hi,” I say shyly.
I walk inside the suite for the first time since I left and look around. It feels so different now. I’m really able to appreciate the beauty of his home.
“Is Janice here? I brought her some chocolates.” I hold up my hand.
“It’s actually her day off, but you can put them down on the counter. She’ll be happy for them. She asked me how you were doing.”
“Oh, that’s so nice of her.”