“Oh, totally together.”
He nods, and I sigh deeply. “But after Christmas, start looking.” I meet his gaze once more. This is really real. “If you want.”
“I do.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
When the sound of a guitar starts on the radio, Nico looks over at the speaker and turns it up before holding his hand to me. “Have you heard this song?”
I take his hand, and he pulls me in. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.”
I love anything James Arthur sings. But “Falling like the Stars” is a beautiful love song.
“It reminds me of us.”
My heart tries to come out of my chest. “It does?”
“Yeah,” he whispers against my lips. “And all I think is that I want to do what Chandler said, dance to all the songs that remind us of us.”
I will not cry, but with so much emotion in his voice, I nod. “I’d love that.”
So, slowly, we dance in the kitchen. As the music plays, I rest my head on his chest, not wanting to do anything else but this. Chandler was right; there is nothing better than dancing with the one you love at any time. Nico holds me close, kissing the top of my head until the music stops and my phone rings.
“What the hell?”
I move out of his arms. “I like my playlists on my phone!” He laughs as I grab my phone. When I see it’s Jaylin, I make a face. It’s really early. Why is she up? I answer the phone, “Hey. It’s—”
“I know. Listen, I just got a fax from Dustin.”
My stomach drops, and I clutch the phone.
“He is selling the shop building.”
And there it is—the other shoe.
Everything stops, and my blurry gaze falls on Nico. I can’t even speak. A sob is choking me, and then I’m crouching down.
Man, this isn’t a shoe that’s dropped.
It’s a brick.
To my face.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Aviva
Nico comes to me, cupping my elbow. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone wants to buy the shop.”
There is no reaction from him, and I’m sure he’s as shocked as I am.
“Jaylin, my lease is still for another six months. I thought he said he would give us the first opportunity to buy.”
Her voice is strained. “I know. I’m trying to figure this out. I wasn’t going to call yet, but I knew I had to because we need to know if we are countering.”
“Countering?”
“Yeah. I need to get the loan going as soon as I find out how much I need to outbid the other person by.”
“Outbid? Jesus, what the hell? I don’t understand. Why he is such a slimy turtle-dick asshole?”
“Turtle dick?”
“I’m angry, okay?”
“Yeah, he is a turtle dick,” she agrees. I love her. “I don’t know, Vee, but what do you want to do? Do you want me to fight this? Outbid the jackass who is trying to get the place—” She stops. “Let me call you back. That’s him.”
She hangs up, and I let my phone rest at my ear. “I don’t understand. Why is he being a jackass? This is my shop.”
Nico rubs my elbow. “I’m sure it’s okay. Don’t worry. It will work out. You won’t lose this place.”
“You don’t know that. Dustin wants money and…fuck! What am I going to do?”
He grabs me, pulling me in close and holding my chin in his fingers. “Baby, I promise. Don’t stress. This will all work out. Jaylin is a shark. She won’t let anything happen to you.” His eyes burn into mine. “And you say the word, and I’ll give you the money.”
I shake my head. “She’s going to help me get a loan, and I’ll pay it. I don’t want to take your money,” I say quickly, my mind racing. I don’t know how this could have happened. Why would anyone want this place? It’s mine! It’s been in my family for fifteen years. Nothing else could ever go in here; the walls smell like subs.
“Take it. I don’t want it. I want you to smile,” he says, grabbing my face. “It’s okay. This will work out.”
I drop my face onto his chest and breathe in deeply. I don’t understand the sense of calm that washes over me at being in his arms. Before, I would have freaked, had a panic attack, and probably made myself sick, but Nico keeps me calm. Which is insane since he is a bundle of nerves all the time. For some reason, though, he knows how to handle me, and I hope he knows I’ve got him covered. As he strokes his thumb along my jaw, I almost believe this will all work out.
Almost.
When my phone rings, I pull away and answer it without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Okay, so wow… This is so crazy,” Jaylin says, her voice shaky.
“Crazy?”
“The place has been sold.”
My stomach drops once more. “But how—”
“To you, Aviva.”
I blink. Confused. “Huh?”
“She bought the place for you. She paid the money and wants your name on the deed, with Callie as a co-owner.”