She saw right through every shield.
But work wasn’t the only thing on my mind.
At this moment, Jo was what I couldn’t get out of my head, taking up more space than I had ever allowed.
“And you think I’d be able to shut that all off if I had a second house?”
“If it was a designated area for that, yes. You would have to make a conscious effort, like putting it on your calendar, because unplugging doesn’t come naturally to you.”
Her hand lowered to my heart when I said, “You think you have me all figured out.”
“I know you better than you think I do.” Her lips tugged but didn’t make it into a full smile. “You might think you’re so much older than me, but you’re only in your early thirties, and burnout is a real thing—I’ve witnessed it firsthand. Don’t let it happen to you, where you start resenting law.”
When she lifted her fingers, I kissed them. “Are you worried about me?”
“I just want you to be the best version of yourself.” She adjusted her position across my lap, her stare intensifying once she settled. “To make that happen, we all need to make improvements in our life—myself most definitely included. If yours is a mental vacation that’s going to cost you a few million, something tells me you can afford it.”
“The best version of yourself.”
A woman had never said that to me before.
They were gone before they ever had the chance.
But was Jo staring at the best version of me?
I’d accomplished a hell of a lot over my career. I had financial freedom—something I’d never dreamed of achieving this young. I had a roster of clients who made my competition seethe in jealousy. One of the top law firms in the country would one day be handed to my brothers and me. I’d seen so many parts of the world that I had connections in almost every country.
But there was one area where I lacked.
One part of my life that my brothers and friends always gave me shit about.
I didn’t have anyone to share my success with.
With my hand now cupping her cheek, I whispered, “You’re right. About all of it.”
“I know.” She laced her fingers through mine. “And I know that wasn’t easy for you to say.”
I gazed at her lips, an aching hunger working its way through me.
I didn’t just want to kiss them.
I wanted to be able to stare at them every day.
I wanted to know they belonged to only me.
“Say what else is on your mind, Jenner.”
I raked my other hand through her hair. Her blue eyes were screaming like usual, but the color seemed even louder right now.
“You, Jo.” I traced a line down her mouth. “You’re on my mind … and it doesn’t seem like you’re leaving.”
She took a long, deep breath. “Do you want me to?”
Now, both hands were on her cheeks, locking her on my lap. “No.”
Eighteen
Joanna
“Babe, why are you crying?” Monica said the moment I walked into her room, the textbook falling from her hands as she extended her arms in the air. “Come here. Hug me?”
I took a seat next to her on the edge of the bed. “I got it, Mon.”
Her eyes widened. “Your period? Your final GPA? Help a girl out. What are you talking about?”
“The job—not the one at the gym or with the art dealer. I’m talking about the job. The one I’ve been hoping for. The one I didn’t think I had a chance in getting because I’d heard nothing and then bam.”
A softness spread over her face as the realization hit her. “The job, job?”
A tear dripped into my mouth as I nodded.
“Oh my God, Jo.” She pulled me into her arms, hugging me. “I knew it was just a matter of time before it was yours.” She released me but gripped both of my hands. “You got it, babe, like you really got it.” There was as much emotion in her eyes as there was in mine. “I know what this means to you.”
And she did. She was the only person I’d talked to about this.
The only person who knew how badly it would hurt if it didn’t come through.
The only person who knew that this was my dream.
“I can’t believe it,” I whispered, the emotion clogging my throat, my chest aching from the news. “I seriously can’t believe it, Monica.”
She squeezed harder. “I can. You’ve worked your ass off for this. You deserve it.” She wiped one of my tears away. “When do you start?”
“Two weeks.” My lips pulled into a smile. The stress of that time frame and everything I needed to do was hitting me in a whole different way. “Which means I have fourteen days to find a place to live and move to LA and”—I paused as I shook her hands—“convince you to move with me.”
“Me?” She huffed. “LA?”
“You can’t honestly think I’m going across the country without you …” I waited for her to reply, and she didn’t. “Besides, the queen of fashion needs to be in LA, where all the celebrities live. Think of the jobs you could score with some of the established stylists and designers. Mon, you’d kill it out there.”
She turned her head, giving me her profile. “Oh God, my heart.” She swallowed. “Is this really happening? Or am I going to wake up and realize it was all a dream?”
“Oh, it’s happening and probably a little faster than either of us would like.” I took a breath, the tightening pushing the emotion away. “We need to book movers and find a place to live and—the list is endless.”
And that was only the logistics of relocating.
The job itself created a whole separate list of things I needed to do, one that involved many promises, along with a test that I still needed to pass.
It would be easier to take the position at the gallery or the gym. At least there, I knew what to expect. I would almost be my own boss.
I could stay in Miami.
But neither of those positions would make me happy.
They weren’t what I had been working so hard for.
And they wouldn’t bring me any closer to Jenner.
Jenner …
Oh God.
I shook my head, returning to the moment, clenching my best friend’s hands. “So, it’s a yes? You’re coming with me to LA?”
She bounced on the mattress. “Hell yes.” And then she sighed as she added, “But how am I going to afford the rent? Miami is expensive enough. LA is even worse.”
“We’ll figure it out.” I nodded at the Starbucks cup sitting on her nightstand. “And we’ll get you a fancy espresso machine to save you the ten dollars a day.”
Her eyes grew. “Wait. That’s how much coffee is there?”
I laughed and rested down next to her, our heads touching as we shared a pillow. “I can’t believe we graduated, like, four seconds ago, and now, this is all unfolding.”
“I can’t either,” she said.
My parents had only left a little while ago, the whole weekend a whirlwind of family and friends and celebrating, partying and tons of food.