"Sounds perfect. Thank you."
"You'll also be working with two smaller clients." She handed Serena two more folders. "The Wilkinsons are renovating their home library, and the MacIntyres have a small contracting firm. They want to redecorate their offices on an insanely meager budget." She arched a brow. "We took them on as a favor to a big client. Good luck with that one. Did Chiara explain how to report business mileage and expenses?"
"Yes, and she encouraged me to take clients to lunch or dinner. Is that appropriate?"
"Appropriate and expected. The relationships are as important as the work itself. I also assume she introduced you to your team, Laura and Spencer?"
"Yes. She did. They seem eager and nice."
"They're loyal and creative. You've got a strong team behind you. Use them to their fullest extent. I believe you're all set." Suzanne rose to her feet and held out her hand. As Serena shook it, she said, "Welcome aboard. I'm really glad you're here."
"So am I." Serena walked back to her office-her office-feeling a strange sense of euphoria. She was thirty-one years old, and she had finally truly connected with her lifelong love, and now she had the opportunity she'd always wanted. What more could she ask for?
Her stomach growled as she entered her office, where she found a box from Insomnia Cookies on the desk with a big pink bow tied around it. She opened the card, and her heart filled up with each word. Congratulations, Supergirl. I bet you didn't eat breakfast. Hopefully these will make it to you by lunchtime. Knock 'em dead. Love, Drake.
"Someone's got a sweet tooth," Gavin said as he walked into her office.
"I have about twenty-five sweet teeth. The rest are just there to balance things out." She untied the ribbon and set it aside with the card so she could take them home. "Want one?"
"Absolutely. Why else would I be standing here drooling?" He arched a brow and took a cookie. "Are these from your boyfriend or your sister?"
"How'd you know I have both?" She looked over the selection of delicious treats, itching to text Drake but not wanting to be rude to Gavin.
"You're spending more time looking at the cookies than looking at me, which tells me you're not single, and you sort of give off a vibe like you know someone's got your back." He leaned closer and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Could be the boyfriend, but in my experience, that kind of confidence usually comes from a girls' club."
She laughed. "What are you, the woman whisperer?"
"Something like that." He glanced down at the files on her desk and winced. "She's throwing you feet-first into the fire. Good luck with Muriel."
"Why? Is she awful?"
"Nope. She's a typical KHB client." He pointed toward the left side of her office. "My office is right next door if you need anything. I'm looking forward to our field trip Friday. Plan for lunch. I'll clue you in on how things work around here."
The second he left, she whipped out her phone and sent Drake a quick text. Can't text too much, but thank you!! The cookies are a poor substitute for your kisses, but they'll do. Miss you like crazy! She added a winking emoji and a kissing emoji. Then she sat down and prepared to research the mysterious Muriel Younger and powerhouse Seth Braden.
"HEY, LONELY BOY," Rick said as he came through the door of the music store late Monday evening.
Drake hung up the electric guitar he was holding and climbed down from the ladder. "What's up?"
"Just making sure my brother's not crying his eyes out or anything."
Rick and Desiree had gone sailing with them Sunday afternoon, and Drake had told them all about him and Serena. He was pretty sure they would have popped open a bottle of champagne if there'd been one lying around.
Drake scoffed. "Thought I'd get a head start on things."
"Is that code for keeping your mind off Serena?"
"Pretty much. She's coming down for the weekend, and the last thing I want to do is spend the whole time getting the store in order." But they had so much fun when they set up the stores, he felt her absence like a missing limb.
"Makes sense. The grand opening should be fun. Are you still shooting for the twelfth?"
"Yeah. We'll make it in time. Serena's on top of the media and advertising."
"As always." Rick grabbed another guitar and handed it to Drake. "Climb up. I'll hand them to you."
"Thanks." He moved the ladder to the next group of hangers and climbed up. "Where's your soon-to-be wife?"
"We're not joined at the hip."
Drake gave him a yeah, right look. He wished he could be joined at the hip with Serena like they used to be.
"She's having dinner with Vi. Sisterly bonding and all that. I figured it was a good time to catch up with you."
"You just saw me at the office." He hung up another guitar and waited as Rick unpacked the next one, wondering what his brother really wanted. "Harper did a good job today."
"She's great. She got in touch with Daphne and scheduled an interview for Friday. It's on your calendar." He handed Drake a guitar with a troubled look in his eyes.
Drake hung up the guitar and climbed down the ladder, meeting his brother's gaze head-on. "What's really going on, Rick? You look like something's on your mind."
"When we were sailing yesterday, I noticed a look in your eyes, like a fleeting moment of panic. You were there for me when I needed you most. You pushed me to get over my demons, and it helped me to move forward with Desiree. I have never regretted giving up my business or moving back to the Cape. I want to be here for you, too, Drake. So whatever that was, whatever I saw, I want you to know that you can talk to me. I'm not that angry guy who can't face Dad's death anymore."
They'd both been on the deck of the boat the night of the storm when their father had fallen overboard and been lost at sea, while their mother and Mira were down in the cabin, out of harm's way. Drake could still hear the howling winds, still feel the cold rain pounding his cheeks, the deluge of waves crashing over the deck in the pitch-black night, and the dense whoosh of the boom cutting through the air as it slammed into their father, sending him to his death. The ocean was a destructive, uncaring beast, and it had swallowed him to its dark depths so quickly, none of them could have saved him.
Drake turned away, busying himself with unpackaging another instrument. He hadn't thought anyone had noticed the fear that had risen inside him.
"Dude … ?" Rick put a hand on his shoulder. "What's going on?"
He faced the brother who had struggled for so long with guilt over their father's death, who had fought him every step of the way to keep from healing. Until Desiree. Drake had dealt with the grief from his father's death years ago. The only thing he had ever hidden from was his feelings for Serena. And he hadn't hidden from them as much as he'd tried to outrun them for her sake. Now that he knew how she felt about him, he was done with that bull. But the path from here to a future with Serena was unclear. He was sick of things being unclear or off-limits, and when they were sailing, he was struck by another troubling gray area.
"When we were sailing, all I could think about was what if the unthinkable happened when we were out there. Dad didn't get to say goodbye to any of us. I was so focused on our pain and trying to hold everyone together, we never talked about what Dad's last thoughts were. What went on in his mind as the boat keeled and he went overboard? What was he thinking during his last few seconds of life? I don't want my last thoughts to be ‘I've wasted years,' or ‘Why am I here while she's there?' I can't go back and fix the years we've missed, and it's probably too soon to figure out the second. That's what you saw."
They stood there in silence for a few moments as their painful past wrapped around them. The haunted look in Rick's eyes made him look five years older, and Drake was sure he was guilty of the same.
"I thought about Dad's last moments until I was sick with it," Rick confessed.
"I know. You and I talked about that when you and Des got together, but for me it's a selfish thought. As much as I want to know what Dad thought, I kind of don't." He paused, his confession gnawing at his gut. "But I want to make darn sure I don't regret a thing from here on out."
They worked in silence for a long while, putting up displays, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually Desiree called, which was Rick's cue to leave.
He embraced Drake longer than usual. When they parted, he said, "Are you thinking of moving to Boston?"
Drake shrugged. "I wasn't," he said honestly. He made enough money with his music stores that he didn't need to work at the resort. But the resort had never been about money. It had been Drake's way of bringing his family back together. Maybe Rick's advice hadn't been too far off when he'd said, At some point you've got to stop looking out for her and look out for both of you. Maybe it was time for Drake to stop putting everyone else's happiness before his own. "But maybe it's worth thinking about."