“Hold on. My cookies need to go into the oven first.”
I slide the baking sheet into the oven, shut the door with a soft clang, and set the timer.
I lean one elbow on the counter, facing the screen again. “You better be calling to tell me you’re moving to Sydney.”
She grins. “Actually… I kind of am.”
My jaw drops. “Shut up.”
“Well… not moving exactly. I think it’s something better.”
She pauses—letting the moment build. Letting me squirm.
So Violet.
My heart kicks up, impatient. “Vi, if you don’t spit it out in the next five seconds, I swear I will launch myself through this screen and choke the shit out of you.”
Her grin breaks wide, eyes dancing. “Gabby’s giving me a six-month work assignment in Sydney. All expenses paid.”
I gasp, and she nods. And without saying a word, we both shoot up at the same time.
She’s in her apartment. I’m in my kitchen. But that doesn’t stop either of us from breaking into the dance—our ridiculous, arms-flailing, hip-popping happy dance we’ve been doing since college anytime something good happens.
I nearly knock over a bar stool. She’s cackling on her end, spinning in a circle, both hands waving above her head.
I shriek––full-on, no-apologies––shriek. “This is the best news I’ve heard all year. You’re coming to Sydney. For real. Oh my God, we’re going to be in the same damn city again! Elias is going to?—”
She cuts in. “It’s thanks to Alex.”
I freeze. “Wait—what?”
Her expression shifts—still glowing but softer now. “Gabby shot me down when I asked. Timing, budget, couldn’t do without her head of marketing, whatever. I was going to tell you next time we spoke. But in the meantime, Alex called her and pulled some strings. He told her she owed him and she listened.”
I lower myself onto a stool. “Alex called Gabby?”
Violet nods. “She told me Alex was the only reason she was doing this. She couldn’t say no to him after what he did for Soul Sync Australia.”
“I can’t believe it.” I blink at the screen, trying to keep up. “He never said a word to me.”
“Probably because he isn’t a person who’s interested in glory. Or maybe he didn’t want to get your hopes up in case Gabby said no.”
Alex isn’t a man who chases praise. He’s the type of man who moves mountains to ensure the people he loves get to stand in the light.
I shake my head, overwhelmed, and so in love I could cry.
Violet leans forward, elbows resting on the counter. “Let’s be real—I’d have paid out of pocket to make this move work. But since Gabby’s covering it all, I’ve got six months in Sydney on her tab to see if things with Elias are more than a fling. To test whether this life is worth it—without burning everything down for the sake of trying.”
I press my fingers to my lips, tears already gathering behind my eyes.
He did this for her, for Elias, for me. And didn’t ask for a damn thing in return.
My throat tightens.
I look at her—the woman who’s been my other half since college, the woman who’s seen me through hell and back—and I know this is the start of something new. Something good.
“You’re coming, Vi.”
“I’m coming, Mags.”
