Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Whitney texted William as she walked to the car to see if they were still awake. Instead of a text, her phone rang back.
“Hey, hello.” It was William and Carina in stereo. “Come over,” Carina said. “We want to hear everything.”
“Would you rather talk about it in the morning?”
“No,” they said. “It’s early. Get over here.”
“On my way.”
She drove to Carina and William’s. It was hard to believe how everything had worked out. She parked in the driveway and jogged up to the front door.
Carina stood in the doorway holding the storm door wide open.
Whitney ran up the stairs.
“It was a big day, lady. I missed you. I wanted to be there for you so badly. Come here, you.” Carina hugged her.
“I know, but it was for the best. You know it was. We discussed it.”
“You were pushy.” Carina stepped inside, and William hovered nearby.
“You’re always pushy,” Whitney said. “I was pushy once.”
“Right, but we expect it from me,” Carina said.
William jumped in. “She has a point.” She loved how William teased Carina. It was true, but they accepted each other, faults and all, and that was so beautiful.
“See,” Carina smiled. “He knows me.”
“And loves you,” William said. He dropped a kiss on her lips and then walked into the living room and flopped on the couch. “I think Dad knew about the show, but he wasn’t saying a word. Probably knew I’d tell you.”
“He did know.”
Carina looked surprised. “And…”
Whitney told them the whole short and anticlimactic story.
“I can’t believe after all the pushback he gave us that he actually apologized, in his way.” Carina shook her head.
“He also said that a lot of the firm’s ideas are antiquated and may not change. If we want to separate from the firm, he’d support that move. He came right out and said he was proud of all we’ve done. Can you believe it, Carina?”
“We’ve been working so hard for that little acknowledgment.” Carina sat down on the front edge of the couch in front of where William stretched out.
“I’ve been thinking about working the way we want to. And balance,” Whitney said. “You know that’s hard.”
“It is,” Carina agreed.
“Well, they know everything now, and the last thing he said to me was if we want to practice outside the firm, he’d help make that happen. We’ve got decisions to make, sister.”
“We do,” Carina said. “I can’t believe it. This is so good.”
“His reaction shocked the heck out of me. I didn’t expect that.”
“We could do this, and we have time to plan and do it right.” Carina pushed on William. “Do you hear that, baby? We do have options. You’re with me on that, too, right?”
“Absolutely,” William said. “I’m always on Team Carina Whitney.”
“And Matthew?” Carina said. “All is well there?”
“Better than ever. He went with me to the television station. He was with me every step of the way. I feel so much stronger when I’m with him.”
Carina’s look conveyed it all. “I’m not surprised. You deserve this. A good man, with a good work ethic. A good person.”
“What are the chances of two people meeting in the pouring rain over an umbrella incident?”
“One in a million, at least,” Carina said.
“I guess we’re doing better at trusting the journey than we realized.”
“Yes, and thank goodness getting shishkabobbed was not part of the plan!” Carina made a face. “I’m so glad my path was just to fall in love with your big brother. Way less dangerous.”
“I’m dangerous,” William insisted.
“Sure you are, baby.” Carina rolled her eyes. “Well, Whitney, you’ve had a tough couple of weeks. I don’t even know how you had the energy to fall in love through all of this, but I think you did.”
“It feels like it. I guess only time will tell.”
“Go home and get some rest.”
“Oh, wait, there’s something else that I’m dying to tell you. William, your dreams came true today.”
“Mine?”
“Yep. Mom gave us the no questions or discussion speech, but Dad’s billboard is coming down this week. Apparently, someone said something about it at that event. It got back to him.”
William fist-pumped. “Yes!”
“I knew that would make your day. I love y’all,” Whitney said. “William, walk me out.”
William got up, and they walked out to her car.
“Thanks.” Whitney looked back. “Oh good. Carina’s not watching. William, I need your help. I have a surprise for Chloe’s birthday, but I kind of wanted to surprise Carina too.”
“Sure. What do you need me to do?”
She whispered the details in his ear to be sure she wouldn’t hear.
“She’ll love it. Yeah, I’ll take care of that for you,” William said. “And Matthew is coming to the party at the lake house, right?”
“Dad insisted upon it.”
“Things are going your way, Whitney. I hope this guy is the real deal.”
“We’ll see. Hopefully, Dad won’t bring a shotgun.”
“If you’re happy, Dad will be happy. As a father, I can say that with some confidence now.” William laughed. “It’s all good.”
Whitney got in her car and headed home, but instead of turning into the parking garage of her condo, she drove right on by toward the office. She pulled along the curb in front of the ice cream shop.
The mural was pretty, and she was proud of Matthew’s work. She could imagine him going through the motions, making it look so easy to transform the whole side of a building into a work of art.
She wanted to see him tonight, to thank him again, to lay in his arms and relax together, but she didn’t want to push too fast either.
Home was where she needed to be this evening.
A long shower did her good, loosening the tight muscles, and allowing her to, finally, really relax.
She slipped into a nightshirt and stretched out on the couch. Staring out the window at the clear night sky, she wished that Matthew was looking at the same stars with her tonight.
She lay in bed wide awake, so grateful for the turns her life had taken.
She couldn’t wait to take Matthew to the lake house. It would give him a chance to really get to know the most important thing in her life. Family. He could be a part of it.
Memories from the last few weeks danced through her mind as she snuggled against her pillow.
As she woke up the next morning, she bolted upright in bed when she realized it was June 5th. “It’s Matthew’s birthday.”
She jumped out of bed into a pair of jeans and a My Weekend Is Booked T-shirt and grabbed her purse. The Fifth Street Bakery made the best cakes in town. She hoped they had a chocolate one they could doctor up quickly for her.
Luck was on her side when she got there and could park at the end of the block. She hurried inside to the counter. “Please tell me you have a chocolate cake,” she said out of breath.
“If a small one will do there are several in the case.” The woman in the bright pink apron showed her what they had.
“Perfect.” She stepped up to the glass case filled with desserts. “They all look so good.”
“Is this for a man or woman?”
“A man, and it’s just the two of us, so one of the small ones would be perfect.”
“Well, we have the six-inch, four-layer chocolate cake on the top shelf. It’s filled with chocolate mousse, chocolate cream cheese frosting on the top, and as you can see, the chocolate ganache dripping down the sides. Makes your mouth water just looking at it, doesn’t it? Or we could do a couple of cupcakes. I’ve got chocolate and red velvet.”
“The ganache. Could you maybe pipe something on it really quick?”
“Sure.”
“How about ‘Happy Birthday, Mural Guy.’”
The woman laughed. “Sounds like a story there. Give me a minute.” She pulled the cake from the case and put a box together for it, then carried it to the back to work her magic. It didn’t take long.
Whitney paid for the cake, then carried it back to her car and set it in the passenger seat.
She drove back across town and texted Matthew at the stoplight near his house.
WHITNEY: In the neighborhood. Can I stop by?
MATTHEW: Perfect timing.
Contentment flooded over her. Thank goodness she hadn’t forgotten completely.
Finding a parking spot on this block was no easy feat. She finally parked on the next block over and walked.
Matthew stood talking to someone in the lobby when she pushed through the spinning doors.
He threw his hand in the air. “There she is now. Talk to you later.” He walked toward her with a surprised look on his face.
“Hey, what are we celebrating?”
“Your birthday, of course.”
He cocked his head.
“It’s June 5th today.” He’d forgotten too. “Surprise.” She lifted the cake box into the air, balancing it on one hand like one of those waitresses at the five-star restaurants who can balance multiple plates with ease. Only she was no five-star wonder-waitress, and the cake threatened to topple.
He saw it too. “Oops.” He caught the box as it tumbled and before it hit the floor, but not before it completed the one-eighty.
“Oh. Sorry. Hope you like upside-down cake.”
He righted the box. “My favorite. Come on up.”
They got on the elevator, the smell of chocolate immediately filling the air. They stepped off the elevator, and he led the way to his kitchen.
“Happy Birthday.” She raised her arms for a hug.
He held her close. “This is the best surprise.”
“Good. Let’s see how bad the damage is.” She lifted the lid. “That used to say ‘Happy Birthday, Mural Guy.’” She pointed to the blue frosting. “See it. Sort of?”
“Cute. It’ll still taste great.”
“Got any ice cream?”
“Only my favorite, and I don’t know if you’ll think it goes with chocolate cake or not.”
“What doesn’t go with chocolate? Bring it!”
He pulled a carton of black cherry ice cream from the freezer and set it on the counter, then got two plates out of the cabinet and set them next to it.
“Stop. I can’t believe this. Black cherry is my favorite ice cream too. I’ve never met anyone else who liked it.”
“We are soulmates.” He took the scooper from the crock on the counter.
“And it is perfect with chocolate.”
“You’re stealing my heart now.” He rolled a scoop of ice cream onto each plate.
She opened the box and cut two pieces of cake. “It ain’t pretty, but hey, it looks sort of like you did the first time we met.”
“Is that right?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it might even look better.”
He picked up the slice of cake from his plate. “What do you think of me now?”
“I like the way you look now.”
He held the cake to her mouth. “Take the first bite.”
“Can I trust you?”
“You won’t know until you try.”
She leaned forward and opened her mouth, sinking her teeth into the sugary frosting. “Mmm.”
He pushed the cake ever so slightly against her mouth and then leaned forward and kissed the chocolate from her lips, leaving her weak-kneed. “So that’s the way you want to play, huh? Remind me not to share wedding cake with you.”
He kissed her again. “Is that a proposal?”
“No, way too soon for that, and I’ll leave that to you.” She smacked her lips.
“I have to tell you something,” he said.
“What?”
“It’s not my birthday,” Matthew said with a laugh.
“But—?” She clearly remembered he’d played the five and six that night at roulette. “I thought…”
“I never really answered you. It was May 6th. I’m a bullheaded Taurus.”
“Not a Gemini. Huh. It’s the perfect art guy zodiac sign. So? Cake just for cake’s sake? Happy Wednesday Day?”
“I’ll eat cake with you any day of the year, Whitney.”
He led the way, and when she sat on the couch, he scooched close to her. “This is my first surprise party.”
“Bringing cake a month late is a pretty easy way to surprise someone.” She whirled her fork in the air.
“It’s still nice.” He draped his arm around her shoulders.
“Speaking of birthdays, do you think it’s possible to have the mural project ready to install for Chloe’s birthday by July 25th?”
“Sure. Can’t see why not.”
“Good.” She braced herself. This was a big step, but it felt right. “We’re celebrating Chloe’s birthday that weekend at the lake house. Mom and Dad would love for you to join us.”
“What do you want?”
This was not the time to hold back. She pressed her hands together. “I want you to be there more than anything.”
“Great. I’d love that too.”
“You don’t need to check your calendar?”
“Nope. I’ll rearrange it if I have to. I’ll be there. Family first.”
He was quickly feeling like part of her forever family.