Its a widow thing never.., p.18
It's a Widow Thing (Never Too Late Book 3), page 18
The doorbell rang. Michael got up from the couch, but did so slowly, hoping Brian or Alyshia would appear and he wouldn’t have to talk to whomever was at the door. “Bri? Alyshia? Do you guys want to get this?”
“We’re busy,” Alyshia called. “You can answer it.”
Michael reached for the knob, more than a little annoyed, only to be greeted by a vision he could not believe—a sight that made his heart stop. In a good way. “Sabrina.”
Her gorgeous face lit up. “Surprise.”
“Wow. I’d say so.” He reached for her hand, wondering if he was in a dream. “Please. Come in.” He turned toward the kitchen. “Brian! Alyshia! Sabrina is here.”
Sabrina wrapped her fingers tightly around his. “They know.”
“I know!” Alyshia reappeared. “Glad you made it,” she said to Sabrina. “Michael, Brian and I are going to bed. You two feel free to take the living room. Sabrina, I put out extra towels for you in the guest room.”
“Thanks, Alyshia. You’re the best.”
“My absolute pleasure.” She unleashed a self-satisfied grin, then scampered down the hall.
Michael turned back to Sabrina. “Guest room? Are you staying?” This was the best news ever. Well, maybe not ever. Better news would be that she was taking him home.
“It’s late. I didn’t want to drive back to the city tonight. Plus, you and I have a lot to talk about. And the last time we had a serious conversation while driving, it didn’t turn out the way either of us wanted.”
“Did you bring pajamas?”
“I grabbed a few things from my apartment before I hopped in your car. Don’t worry, I left the flannel back at home. Not that you should concern yourself with that. The doctor said you need to avoid excitement.”
“I’m excited you’re here, so it’s too late.” His brain was still racing to catch up with all of this. “What made you come tonight? We could’ve talked on the phone. I know your work schedule is crazy. And this whole thing has already been a total bummer for you.”
She raised her hand and pressed a finger to his lips. “Shush. I had to see you in person, okay? Can we sit down somewhere? To talk?”
Michael glanced at the couch, and although Alyshia had said they could have the room, he wanted more privacy than that. “Come on. We’ll go to the guest room.” He flipped off the TV, took her hand, and led her down the hall, past Zoe’s room. Once inside, he closed the door behind them.
Sabrina sat on the bed, looking like everything he had ever wanted. His brother’s words popped into his head—the stuff about working things out together rather than trying to solve problems on his own. Which was why he decided that this would be the one time that he wouldn’t make a preemptive strike. He wasn’t going to start explaining himself or making a case for them being together. He was going to take a deep breath and shut the hell up for a minute. “What did you want to talk about?”
She patted the spot on the mattress next to her. He didn’t need a more elaborate invitation than that. “I came to Connecticut tonight because I have to tell you what I didn’t say in the car yesterday. And what I didn’t say at the hospital.”
“Okay…” It took a serious amount of effort to force his brain to stomp on the brakes and simply prepare himself to listen. “Remember, I’m supposed to avoid excitement. I think that includes cliffhangers in conversation.”
She smiled and looked him right in the eye. “I love you, Michael.”
That was it. That was all she said. And he quickly realized that it was all he needed. He didn’t need a speech or a profession of love. He had simply needed to hear the words, delivered by the one woman from whom he’d so desperately wanted them. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“So I love you and you love me.”
This time, she laughed. “You are really starting to figure out this relationship stuff, aren’t you?”
“I know. I sound like an idiot. It just…” He heard the wobble in his own voice. He felt a hum go through his body, all the way down to the soles of his feet. “I always wondered what this would feel like. And then I met you and I wondered twice as hard. Three times. Or ten. And now I know why people freak out about love and write songs and books about it. Because it’s the best feeling in the whole world.”
“I don’t know what I can promise you, Michael. Other than that I will try my hardest every day to do right by you.”
He had to correct her. “Do right by us. It’s you and me. Together.”
“Yes. Exactly. I’m not ready for marriage. I’m not ready to get engaged. But I’m ready to be with you every day. I’m ready to be your person and for you to be mine.”
“Will you come to Thanksgiving with my family?” Despite what he’d promised himself about not pushing her, he couldn’t help but want it all.
“Yes.”
“Christmas?”
“Of course. I’d love to.”
“Can we move in together?”
She rolled her eyes comically, then leaned in to kiss him. “You just have to force the issue, don’t you?”
“Is that a yes?” He couldn’t resist busting out that one. He was too damn happy.
“What are you thinking? Your apartment? Mine?”
He shrugged. “Not sure. I’ve had five seconds to ponder this.”
“If we move into your apartment, I’m redecorating. Too much black and gray. The library wall can stay. And maybe your bed.”
He knew he had the world’s goofiest grin on his face. He was proud of it. He wanted to walk around with it like it was a trophy. “Whatever you want. Gut the place. I do not care.”
“Careful. I might take you up on that.”
He reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “Go ahead, Sabrina. Turn my whole world upside down. I’m ready for it.” It was the truth. He was ready for whatever was about to come their way. It was his turn to kiss her, but as soon as their lips met, he couldn’t resist the urge to palm her thigh and pull her closer with his other hand. He wanted to take off every inch of her clothes and stretch out on the guest bed with her. He was prepared to make his brother and sister-in-law regret the invitation to stay with them.
“Michael…” Sabrina slowly pulled away from him. “Too much excitement.”
He didn’t open his eyes right away. He was too busy soaking up the sensations. Yeah, he was disappointed they couldn’t have sex. But that was nothing compared to everything else he had. “I know. I know. I couldn’t help it. I got carried away. You do that to me.”
“Oh, I get it. You do that to me, too.”
EPILOGUE
Thirteen months later
Echo Beauty had not opened on schedule, but it was close. The original target was the day after Thanksgiving, one year after the ground-breaking party. Instead, they opened two weeks before Christmas.
Business surpassed any and all expectations. So much so that it left everyone scrambling to keep up. Inventory flew out the doors so quickly the first week that Sabrina and Lucy were not only working the counter at Echo Beauty; they were triple-checking end-of-day numbers, just to be sure it hadn’t all been shoplifted. It hadn’t. Now that it was seven days closer to Christmas, things were even busier.
“I still can’t believe how well this is going,” Sabrina said to Lucy as they ducked out from behind the counter they’d been manning together for the last few hours. They had plenty of staff on the floor, but it was fun to hawk their wares side-by-side. It was just like the old days.
“Don’t be. It was an impeccable idea, Echo Echo did an amazing job on the launch, and we sell kick-ass products. We would have to try really hard to fail.” Lucy wandered over to one of the eye shadow displays and started neatening the testers. “Plus, having our stuff in the Posh Post mailing for three months in a row before we opened? That was a genius move.”
Lucy was absolutely right about all of that, and she owed it all to Lela and Echo, who’d had the vision from the very start. They’d seen the potential in Chelsea Mayhem. They’d seen potential in her. Sabrina could admit now that she hadn’t always been confident in those two things. She’d always been searching for proof that every sacrifice she had made was worth it. Now, she was seeing that most of them had been.
Sabrina had been able to see one thing on the horizon, though—Echo Echo had made a bid to bring Chelsea Mayhem under their company umbrella. Sabrina was ready to go all-in, but Michael thought she should hold out for more money. His finance guy tendencies were firmly entrenched. He’d talked a big game about quitting his job, but so far, he hadn’t done it, which Sabrina didn’t entirely understand. His discontent with that world was one of the first things he’d ever complained to her about. And even though he’d said they could gut his apartment, they hadn’t, even though they had moved in together. Something was making him hold back, and she was determined to force him to make some leaps.
“What do you think about the sale?” Sabrina asked Lucy.
“I’ve told you several times, Sabrina. You should do what your heart is telling you to do. It’s your company. Your baby.”
She needed to resign herself to the fact that Lucy wasn’t going to offer more of an opinion than she felt empowered to give. It was Sabrina’s job to put her in that position. “Fair enough. I have one important stipulation I want to put into our counter-offer, but I have to ask you about it before I do.”
“Yeah. Shoot.”
“I want you to be CEO.”
Lucy’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. “You what?”
“It would mean a lot more responsibility. I would stay on as founder and head of product development. That’s the part I really love. But really, you’re much better at running things than I am.”
Lucy grasped Sabrina’s elbow. “You seriously trust me with this?”
“Implicitly.”
Lucy pressed her lips together tightly, nodding. The gears in her head were turning. That much was certain. “It would be pretty cool.”
“Did I also mention it would be a ton more money? I think I can get you double what you make now.”
“Double?” Lucy nearly collapsed against the display behind her.
“Double.”
Lucy stood straighter and looked around the store. It was like she was trying to envision this larger role for herself. Sabrina hoped like hell that she had enough confidence and drive to make that an easy task.
Finally, she turned to Sabrina. “Yes. I want this.”
Sabrina flung her arms around Lucy and lifted her off the ground. Even she was surprised by how happy this made her. It not only felt good to give her friend and trusted colleague the boost she deserved, it was amazing to take some pressure off herself. She couldn’t juggle as much as she was and still be happy. The last few months with Michael had been so amazing, but she wanted more time with him. That would mean convincing him to shift his priorities, too.
“I’ll talk to the lawyers about drawing that up in our counter-offer,” Sabrina said to Lucy.
“So you’re definitely going to take the deal?”
“There are some terms to work out, but yes. I am.” Sabrina glanced at her phone. “I’m supposed to meet Michael in a minute. We’re going to do some Christmas shopping at the pop-up gift market in Bryant Park. Are you staying longer?”
Lucy’s smile was ebullient. “Are you kidding? I’m walking on cloud nine right now. Just try to stop me from holding down this beautiful fort.”
Sabrina gave her one more quick hug. “You’re the absolute best.” She grabbed her coat. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, you will.”
Sabrina made her way through the masses of shoppers streaming into Echo Beauty, then out through the revolving doors and onto the sidewalk, which was bustling with people loaded down with shopping bags. She could see Michael coming up Broadway, his phone pinned to his ear. It was a brisk but beautiful night. Absolutely perfect.
“Hey, beautiful.” Michael tucked his phone into his pocket. Despite his greeting, he didn’t seem quite his normal, chipper self.
“Important call?”
“My brother.” He waved it off, then pulled her close and pecked her on the cheek. “Ready to do some shopping?”
She decided now was not the time to pry. She had other things she needed to talk to him about. “Absolutely.”
Hand in hand, they strolled down 42nd Street, exactly as they had the night of the Echo Echo ground-breaking. Looking back, she could see that had been a turning point. It was the first time she’d seen the full depth of Michael’s generosity and his kind soul. It was the first time he’d had to watch her ride on the winding path that was widowhood. The important thing was that they’d come out on the other side, so much stronger. That day paved the way for them to fall in love.
Even from nearly a block away, the park was impossible to miss. It sparkled with countless strings of twinkle lights, while glass and metal vendor kiosks, all arranged in tidy rows, were lit up like jewel boxes. As they got closer, holiday music played. Andy Williams, if memory served. Sabrina tugged Michael closer. She loved that they could share this. The holidays meant something to her again, now that they were together.
“Looking for anything in particular?” she asked as they walked up the stone steps into the park.
“Alyshia told me there’s a jewelry vendor here that Zoe likes. She wants a necklace with a unicorn on it.”
“Sounds like the perfect gift for her uncle to give her.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. I’m hoping it’ll give me some serious cred. Or at least make her think twice before she beats my butt at Go Fish.”
“One can only hope.” Sabrina decided now was as good a time as any to bring up the subject of the Chelsea Mayhem deal. “So, the lawyers are drawing up my counter-offer for the Echo Echo negotiations. Will you give me your two cents on it?”
Michael came to a stop. “They’re asking for more money?”
She nodded. “They are. Although not as much as you think they should.”
“Sabrina…”
She held up her hand. “Hold on. Before you get ahead of yourself, the money’s not the most important part to me. I want to install Lucy as CEO. She doesn’t have corporate experience, but I know she can do the job beautifully.” She further explained her plan to stay on as founder and head of product development. “So, I just figure that we might not ask for a massive pile of money, and instead get a smaller pile and I’d get the situation I really want.”
He jutted out his lower lip and nodded. “You didn’t tell me that you wanted that.”
“Well, it’s part of the bigger picture. And it didn’t really occur to me until a few days ago. I wanted to talk to Lucy before I brought it up. What do you think?”
“I think it’s brilliant.”
She was so relieved. She was going to make her own decisions about her business, but it was still important to have Michael’s support. “Good. I was worried you were going to say that I’m not valuing what I built. But I don’t look at it that way. I’m putting quality of life front-and-center. I’m taking advantage of my hard work and cashing in on some of it so I can have more time.”
“More time for us, I hope.”
“Yes, Michael. For us. For living. I want to go on adventures. I want to travel. I want to learn more about wine and take an improv class. I want to get lost somewhere. I want to dive off a waterfall and jump out of an airplane.”
“I’m not jumping out of an airplane.”
“Actually, on second thought, I’m not totally sure I want to, either.” A breathy laugh escaped her lips and she took both of his hands. “But do you see what I’m saying? The last year together has been so amazing. I love you, Michael. And I want to experience more of life together. That’s all. I want to slow down. For us.”
Michael nodded and smiled. “I think that sounds like the right call. I agree.”
“Wait. You what?”
“I agree. You should do whatever it is that you need to do. Pick a price that makes you happy and go for it.”
“I thought for sure you were going to fight me on this.”
He shook his head. “A week ago, maybe. But Brian called me today. That’s actually who I was talking to when I walked up to Echo Beauty. He’s leaving his real estate firm. He wants to go into private development and he wants me to go in with him. Not the big corporate jobs. He’s thinking we would flip apartments and condos. As in we’d actually get our hands dirty.”
“Ooh. Sounds sexy.” This made an absolute ribbon of elation run through Sabrina. He’d been so unhappy with his job, and this sounded like something with a lot more soul than working on Wall Street. Plus, she relished the mental image of him in jeans and a T-shirt, wielding a sledgehammer and knocking down walls. She wasn’t exactly sure it would play out that way, but she liked the idea. “Please tell me you’re going to do it.”
“I’d like to. But just like you wanted to talk to me, I needed to talk to you.”
They continued their stroll between the rows of shops. “I’m on board with whatever you want to do.”
“Good. Because I already have a first project in mind. It’s not going to bring in any money now. But it’ll be a good investment. Brian agrees.”
“Well, you have more than enough money to do something like that, right?”
“I do.”
“And I’m happy to go in as a silent partner if you need any help. What’s the project?”
“The Van Cleeves’ apartment. They’re moving to Florida full-time and they want to unload it.”
Sabrina was a little sad that Nora and Walter were moving, but she’d known for a long time that they wanted to spend the entire year in a sunnier, less complicated place. Even with their considerable wealth, money could only do so much to make the city less exhausting. “Do you really think you can’t make a profit on that property? It’s stunning. It’s the penthouse. Someone will want to live there.”
Michael pointed to one of the tiny buildings the vendors were in. “I think this is us. Right ahead.”
