asked before taking a giant bite of his burger.
“Yeah. I actually like it a lot. You?”
“I always loved it here as a kid, but I think I like it even more now.”
“You think you two will stay here then? You’ll never go back to Cali?” I wondered as I finally took a bite of my fish, and the flavors exploded in my mouth. “Damn, this is good.”
He held up a finger as he finished chewing and swallowed. “We’ve talked about it. We both want a place in California, but for now and the foreseeable future, our home base will be here.”
“Well, it makes the most sense, right?” I asked.
The New York Mets had drafted Chance, and even though he was still playing in their farm system at the moment, we all knew he’d be in the Major Leagues within five years. Which meant that he’d have to live in the area. And Danika was working for her dad, who owned a big real estate firm here as well. The two of them being in Manhattan was logical.
“Yeah. But I still want a place back home. Even if we never technically live there again.”
I went to say something in response but was distracted by the silver-haired goddess walking through the door. The smile on her face the second her eyes found mine made my fucking heart melt inside my chest. She loved me. I could see it in the way she looked at me.
I stood up from my chair to greet her, pulling her into my arms for a kiss that showed her just how much I’d missed her while she was gone. When it came to this girl, everything in my life felt right, even the fucked up parts that would have wrecked me before. All of the pieces—especially the jagged, broken ones—were less painful as long as I had her by my side.
I only hoped I made her feel the same way.
Back Home
Sunny
O
ur last night in New York had been magical. We’d spent the evening on top of the Empire State Building, freezing our asses off but making some incredible memories. There were still so many things we hadn’t gotten the chance to do or see, but that only made me more determined to come back again. But hopefully, when it was warmer.
When Danika and Chance dropped us off at the airport, I had to stop myself from crying. I had no idea when I was going to see my best friend again, and this trip had been more than I ever could have expected. I’d always assumed I’d think Manhattan was cool, but I’d had no idea that I’d love it as much as I did. Not to mention, the little detour we had taken yesterday to see her office that turned into more of a sales pitch really. Danika had offered me a job and told me to think about it, but now, it was all I could envision. Working here. With her. In this city.
But where does that leave me and Mac?
“Can you see yourself living here?” Mac asked me once we were alone in the airport, and it rattled me, like he was reading my mind somehow.
I wondered if Danika had mentioned something to him about the job offer, but I knew she wouldn’t do that without telling me first.
“I don’t know that I’d be any good at it, but I’d love to try.” I laughed, and he seemed to know exactly what I meant.
“You’d get used to it. I can totally see you here.”
“You can?” I was so shocked. “I mean, New York is so different from California, and I’ve always been such a SoCal girl,” I overexplained, wanting to hear more about why he thought I belonged here.
“You’ve always been a bright light, babe. But here, you’re a fucking spotlight.”
My cheeks turned red, and I covered my mouth with my hand at his compliment.
“I could see you here too,” I tossed back, and he grinned.
“I like it,” he said, and that made me happy. “A lot. Hey, did Danika offer you a job yesterday?” he asked, and I almost started coughing.
“I mean …” I wasn’t sure what to say. “I guess, technically, she did.”
He didn’t look surprised or upset. He looked happy. “What’d you say? Is it something you’re interested in?”
That was the million-dollar question. “It sounds exciting, but I don’t know anything about real estate or rich people, so I’m not really sure.”
“I bet you’d be great at it,” he said, sounding