by Alexa Davis
“But I have to admit it’s been weird without you. It’s just a lot quieter. Anyway, enough business, let’s hang out. What are you doing today?”
“Actually, I’m going out on Landon’s fishing boat, if you’re interested? I know it’ll be a bit unusual, but I thought it could be fun for us all?” Milo wanted me to come along, but I wouldn’t if Laynee didn’t want to come. I was far more interested in spending time with her.
“Sure, anything,” she gushed, obviously having the same idea as me. “We have so much to catch up on. I want to hear all about Nevada. I need you to tell me everything.”
It would be perfect – we could chat, and I could lay everything out for her while the guys sorted out whatever it was that they were doing. I knew Milo had been in meetings about the investment, but I wasn’t totally sure where things were going. Onward and upward, I assumed. I was interested in what he was doing, and I thought it was great, but right now I had my own stuff to be dealing with.
“Will do, now let’s get going! I’m sick of the airport.”
We chatted all the way to the boat, with Laynee driving and Milo sitting in the backseat, but not about anything serious. She caught me up on all the gossip that I’d missed out on, and I told her a little bit about our fun trip to Vegas, while also making plans for a girly weekend there, but we hadn’t gotten into any of the gritty stuff yet. That would happen on the boat…
***
“So, what did Laynee think when you told her?” Milo asked quietly, wrapping his arms around me, making my heart flip out with excitement. Ever since we’d told one another that we were in love, everything felt incredible between us. We were so solid now, I didn’t think anything could ever tear us apart. We were still out on the ocean, but all the business side of things were done. Now we were just hanging out as friends, enjoying the cool sunshine.
Okay, I was just hanging out. Landon was fishing, Milo had been catching some things, and now Laynee was getting some tips. I just didn’t feel up to it, and it wasn’t something that particularly grabbed my attention. I was enjoying the lazing around far too much.
“Oh, God, she was over the moon,” I gasped happily, growing animated with excitement. “She doesn’t want me to go, although she is happy for us, but she’s so happy to actually be able to do something with the salon. I think she’s going to do an incredible job with it. Better than me, at any rate.”
“And have you decided what you’re going to do?” he asked me curiously. He’d already given me the idea for opening up my own place on the strip, but I wasn’t totally sure. I felt like this was an entirely fresh start, so maybe it was time for a brand new career, too. I loved doing hair, and it was the one thing I’d always focused on, but considering I hadn’t managed to make much of a success of things, it might be time to look for something new.
“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “But I’m excited to figure it out. I’ve always had my life so figured out. I always knew exactly where I was going next, so in a way, it’s fun to have no clue. I feel a bit like the world is my oyster.”
“Well, while I’m investing, I’ll be traveling about a lot. I’d love for you to come with me. Maybe seeing some more of the country will help to inspire you.”
He was so supportive; I knew that he’d be happy to wait patiently for me while I figured it out. It made me feel so damn lucky. It hadn’t been easy to get where we were, but we’d made it, and that made me feel so positive about the future. “I would love that.” I held his hand, enjoying the softness of his skin against mine. “Thank you.”
We sat back for a moment, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I was mentally scanning possible ideas, and I guessed that Milo was thinking about where he was going next. Things were so up in the air, but this time in the best way possible.
“Hey.” I nudged Milo and pointed over to where Laynee and Landon were sitting, talking very closely. “Am I going crazy or is there something there between them?”
They didn’t seem to be flirting, exactly. I’d seen Laynee flirt far too many times to know that wasn’t what was going on here. But there was definitely something, a sizzling, undeniable chemistry between them.
“Oh, no, I knew there would be,” he replied simply, shrugging his shoulders as if it was obvious. “I’ve been wanting to get them together ever since I first met them both. They seem to have similar personalities. I didn’t know for sure that it’d work, but I guessed there might be something.”
“Oh.” Why didn’t I ever find anyone for Laynee? She is my best friend; I should have been the one who matched her up. “Oh, right, okay. I see. And… Landon is a good guy? You think he’ll treat her well?”
“Oh, I do. He’s great, but he’s focused so much on the business that he hasn’t had time to meet anyone. I think if something ever happens between them, he will take amazing care of her.”
“Yeah, good.” I cocked my head to one side, hoping that Milo was right. After the crap Laynee had been through with Marc, she needed a good guy in her life. “Okay, I suppose I can let it happen.”
Milo chose that moment to pull me in for a kiss, reminding me of just how incredible things were. His arms snaked around my waist and my body curved into his. I felt on top of the world.
It was crazy to think that we’d only found our way to one another because of Laynee’s suggestion to put my grandma’s cabin up for rent. If that one thing hadn’t happened, there wasn’t any way that our lives would have crossed, and we’d never have made it to one another. I would have had to live my life with a guy who didn’t make me anywhere near as happy.
It had to be fate. I wasn’t one to necessarily believe all that, but now it seemed obvious.
“So, I still have some nights booked at the cabin. I assume that’s where we’re staying tonight?”
“Oh no,” I told him in mock anger. “You blew that the second you walked out on me. I already have someone else staying – you don’t get to defer or refund your days.”
“Damn it.” He smirked. “I guess we’ll be staying at your waterlogged apartment instead.”
“Ha ha, it might not be waterlogged today! Although, I do want to use this time to get all my stuff out of there. I don’t trust it one bit. Then the sketchy pipes and the crappy landlord can be someone else’s problem. Poor sucker!”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged playfully. “Those pipes brought us together, so they can’t be all bad.”
“I guess you’re right there.” I kissed him once more lightly on the lips. “Maybe I will let you stay in the cabin, after all. I can’t resist such an eloquently put argument.”
As we lay back on the deck, wrapped up in one another’s arms, I tried to imagine what it’d be like if my grandma was still around. What would she think of Milo? Would she like him? Would she think that he was right for me? Would she support my move to Nevada or would she think I was crazy?
I felt like she would like him, that she would appreciate how strong and manly he was. I hoped she’d think he was a protective guy who could take care of me. She’d never really liked anyone that I’d dated before, but then Milo was the total opposite of all them, so I had to assume that she would like him.
“Hey, Eliza, come here! I caught something!” Laynee boomed across the boat, probably scaring off all the fish in the process. “Come here; you have to see.”
As I wandered across the deck to my friend, whose face was so shiny that she had to be falling for Landon, I felt my heart glowing happily in my chest. This all felt so nice, so positive, and so different from the start of the year. Of course, my New Year’s resolutions hadn’t panned out in the way I expected them to at all, but that was okay.
This was even better. I had Milo, my debts were at least paid off, I might not have had a business anymore, but I would do something good with my future, and Laynee was happy, too.
“You have to try this!” She handed me the fishing line. “Look what I caught; you can do it, too.”
Okay, I wi
ll give it a try, I owe her that much. She’d been there so much for me when Milo and I were working things out, so I could do the same for her. She’d listened to me complain, given me advice… The least I could do was give fishing a go. “Okay then,” I told her doubtfully. “Show me what to do.”
Luckily, at that moment, Landon walked back to speak to Milo, giving us a much-needed moment alone for her to tell me exactly how she was feeling about the whole thing…
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Milo – Three Months Later
“Oh, my God, they make such a cute couple,” Eliza hissed excitedly to me. “I can’t believe how much has changed in three months!”
Laynee and Landon looked to be a fully-fledged couple now, flushed with the early signs of love. She’d told Eliza as much during their endless phone conversations and video chats, which I’d been there to overhear, but seeing it in front of us in real life was something very different. It somehow felt that much more real. I had guessed something could develop, and it seemed that I was right. The chemistry between them was obvious.
As they stood in front of the factory, showing off the expansion and new equipment that Landon had purchased with my investment, Laynee had her hand hanging loosely in his, and every time they thought someone wasn’t looking, she kept giving him sneaky kisses. They seemed amazing together, and Eliza seemed happy with their relationship, which was all I needed. I liked the both of them, and I was glad to see them happy now.
“I know, they suit each other, don’t they?” I was so pleased with my matchmaking skills; I couldn’t believe how good I was at this. Maybe I needed to start matchmaking some of my other friends… “They look great together, and it seems like the salon is doing amazing, too.”
Laynee had a new employee these days, Rae, and they did the whole tanning booth and party thing that had been her idea all along. I got the sense that Eliza was a little jealous, that she was acutely aware it could have been her, but I also knew that she was happy with her life.
She hadn’t actually taken my advice to open her own salon on the Vegas strip, but she’d taken a job in a school teaching hairdressing, which actually suited her much better. I knew she enjoyed the creativity that came with it. Students and people willing to have their hair done by students were much more willing to do wacky things with their hair than the older people she’d become accustomed to in Florence.
“I’m so proud of Laynee for what she’s achieved,” Eliza continued with a big, beaming smile across her face. “Landon, too; this is incredible. And you helped them do this – you must be proud of what you’ve done.”
Of course, I was proud. This actually felt worthwhile, like a very good use of my money. It was like watching children grow, seeing businesses I’d helped progress into something amazing.
“He’s got some new fishing boats, as well, if you’re ever up for it.” I nudged her playfully. It had quickly become obvious on that fateful day that fishing wasn’t for Eliza, and every now and again when the topic would come up, I’d tease her mercilessly about it. It was a nice memory, really, one that made us both laugh.
“Yeah, maybe,” she replied snootily, choosing to ignore my jibe. “We’ll see, maybe this whole fishing thing will be so much easier if I’m not lost in gossip. You forget that Laynee was telling me about her feelings for Landon at the time.”
“Sure, that’s it.” I nodded seriously. “It isn’t that you suck at fishing at all.”
“Oh, stop it! Look, the drink tent has opened!” Landon was using the day of showing off his new projects for the future as a chance to throw a party for the whole town, and by the looks of it, everyone had turned up. Eliza kept getting dragged away for conversations with her ex-customers; it seemed that they all they had for positive words for us. They all seemed over the moon, which strengthened her resolve in us.
“Okay, I’ll go and get some drinks.”
I jumped right to the front of the line and got back quickly, just in time to hear Eliza having a conversation with someone I quickly realized was a very important person in our lives. She might not have realized it, but Mrs. Edwards’ romance story, which Eliza had then shared with me, had given her the courage to take the plunge with me.
“I heard all about your big move to Nevada. How is that going?” I stood back so I could hear, but not so that I was in the way.
“It’s great! I mean, it was scary at first, but I feel like I’m finding myself, spreading my wings. And, it’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t told me your love story, I don’t think I ever would have been brave enough to take that step.” I felt a sense of pride that she’d felt happy enough to share that. I knew how much she wanted to extend her gratitude.
“Really?” Mrs. Edwards clutched her chest and tears filled her eyes. “I never thought that my story could impact anyone else. I just did it for me, but to know that it’s helped you is amazing. Oh, and here he is…” She spotted me, the jig was up, but all that meant was that I could join in the chat now, too.
***
The rest of the day passed in a fun haze. I loved the community spirit that came with Florence, and I did miss that during my time away. I knew that if I felt that way, and I’d only been there for a while, then Eliza must be feeling it, which was why I felt glad that I had a surprise waiting for her.
“We will have to come more.” Eliza wrapped her arms tightly around me from behind, seemingly reading my mind. “Florence is awesome. I keep forgetting that. Life is crazy in Vegas, and I love that, but I do miss it here, too.”
“Yeah, it is,” I told her seriously, spinning around to face her. “I agree, we should come more, and I actually have a little surprise for you. But I can’t show you until we get back to your grandmother’s cabin.” I was teasing her, winding her up, but I hoped that in the end, it would all be worth it.
“What?” Eliza’s eyes shone with happiness. “What do you mean? Can we go now?” She glanced around the rest of the party. “The party is winding down anyway, and Laynee won’t mind if we skip out a little early. We’ve been here all day.”
“Yeah, go on then; let’s do it.” I couldn’t wait to get her alone anyway, so what more could I ask for? “Let’s say goodbye.”
Finally, we hopped into a cab and rode along the road to the cabin, my excitement level growing the whole time. I couldn’t wait for Eliza to see what I’d done with her grandma’s cabin.
I’d hired maintenance people and cleaners to do the place up, and now she was about to see that. I wasn’t totally sure what had happened, since I’d been doing my part of it all over the phone, but as we pulled up, I could see that I’d made the right choice. Even from here, it looked amazing. Nothing had been damaged exactly, but it was all a little out of date and now it was the sort of place that could certainly be lived in.
“What did you do?” Eliza exclaimed excitedly, slipping out of the cab with awe in her eyes. “This is crazy.” It was all worth it, just to see her so happy.
“I’ve fixed the place up,” I told her with pride. “I hired out some people and got it all fixed up so it’s in much better condition for you.”
“So now we can rent it out more?” she asked, missing the main intention behind my plan completely.
“Well, actually...” I turned to face her with a question in my eyes. I knew she might not want to go for my plan, and if that was the case, I’d just have to accept it. Whatever I’d done, it wasn’t my cabin.
“I thought that we could keep it just for us. To me, it feels like a special place, and I guess I don’t want to share it with anyone else,” I admitted, hoping that she felt the same way. “I mean, money isn’t an issue now, so you don’t need to. If you’d prefer to, I understand.” I was happy to support her financially, even if she wasn’t totally comfortable with me doing so, especially if it meant we could get this place to ourselves.
“No, I love that idea,” she told me with tears filling her eyes, emotion totally getting the better of her. “That’s amazin
g. I just cannot believe that you would even think about that, never mind do it. Especially not just for me.”
“Well, it is for me, too.” I smiled, holding her hand. “Shall we go inside? I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to see the place.”
I unlocked the door and pushed it open, my heart leaping into my throat as I saw what lay ahead. Luckily, the people I’d hired had done exactly what I’d asked for, which I hoped would keep Eliza happy, too.
Mostly, it still looked the same, which was what I was going for. Nothing had changed, so the essence of Eliza’s childhood was still there, but everything had been fixed up and improved, a sheen added to it.
“This is incredible!” Eliza clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“And, of course, I kept the coffee pot.” I grinned, moving into the kitchen. “I could never get rid of that. Since most of our memories are in the damn ancient thing!” I flicked it on and turned to glance at Eliza curiously. “Is this okay? I mean I know I took a big leap here, so I hope you don’t mind.” She could have been mad. I was suddenly acutely aware of that, and I just wanted to check that she was totally fine with me meddling with something of hers.
“I love it.” Relief flooded me as she announced it with an air of finality. “It’s so nice.”
“And now we have a home away from home, too. I know you miss it here, and I do, too; so we can come and visit more,” I gushed, excitement getting the better of me. “You can take time off work when you want, maybe rearrange your hours to be part-time. We can split our time between the two places, just like we originally discussed.”