Page 152 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I
And now, the brokerage firm that’s handling the sale is also handling my purchase. As of Monday morning, the apartment will be mine. However, Davey, who’s already vacated the premises, is allowing me to move in immediately.
To celebrate my brand-new purchase, Lake orders a spread of Chinese food for dinner. She, Eden, Jillian, and I are lounging on her large sofa set, eating and catching up.
“Gosh, Pais, it must be nice having that kind of cash laying around,” Jillian says.
“I earned every cent of it,” I boldly declare before taking a bite of dumpling.
Eden points her chopsticks at me. “That’s true.”
Lake frowns. “How so?”
“Because she’s the one who developed TRANSPORT and Killer Firewall,” Jillian says while chewing. “Your brother has told me to try to prove it.”
“Ugh,” Eden says, rolling her eyes. “Max is such an asshole.”
“Oh, remember when he used to call the dorm?”
“You mean like every day,” Eden replies.
“Right,” Jillian says, rolling her eyes as she shakes her head. “But once a month, you would say to him something like, ‘Pais is on the can, dealing with her period. Do you want to hold until she’s finishes?’”
Lake, Eden, and Jillian erupt with laughter.
I squish my face as I momentarily feel the anxiety of past. “Oh gosh, I do remember that.”
“It was always Eden to the rescue,” Jillian says.
“It was my pleasure.”
The moment feels so perfect that I can’t hold it in. I squeeze my eyes shut. “Eden, I’m sorry you had to find out about what I did the night of the dinner.”
“Pais, no need to apologize. I understand,” she says.
I open an eye. “You do?”
Eden and Jillian exchange a look.
“I do,” she says.
My smile radiates. I’m so relieved that it feels as though heavy bricks have been lifted off my shoulder. “Thanks,” I say quickly and raise another dumpling in front of my lips. “By the way, have you and Nero found each other again?”
Eden’s face turns red as she simpers. “I think so.”
She tells us how he called her one night out of the blue. She still lived and worked in Boston as a divorce lawyer. But as recently as last week, she won a transfer to New York, and now she’s living with Nero in the same building that Hercules resides in.
It turned silent when Hercules was mentioned. I could feel their trepidation thicken the air.
I casually dunk my moo shu pork wrap into plum sauce, playing it cool. “By the way, how’s he doing?” I think I’m doing a good job of hiding how excitable I feel on the inside. I’ve been wanting some sort of answer to the question I just asked for so long that I’m about to burst.
“He’s working—a lot,” Lake replies. “And so is Mason.”
“I barely see him,” Eden says. “I don’t like the way he just dismissed you. You’re better off without him.”
“Yeah…” I sigh as I stare, unfocused, at the spread of food, which sits on the ottoman. Maybe Eden’s right. But why do I feel that she’s so very wrong?
Chapter Fifty-Three
The Showdown of Showdowns
