Page 88 of Take What You Want

“Hallie!” I squeal as Hendrik turns into the driveway with my best friend tucked away in the SUV. There’s flurried movement in the backseat, but I can’t fully make her out as the windows are heavily tinted. The moment the car parks, the rear door whips open and Hallie jumps out.

“Janie!” she calls out, throwing her arms up and running up the driveway. I jog and meet her halfway, our bodies colliding in a hug that I feel all the way in bones.

“I missed you,” I cry into her shoulder.

She rocks us side to side, even though she’s much smaller than me. “We’re not allowed to go this long without seeing each other again.”

We break apart, and I say, “Deal. Oh my god, your hair!”

She flips her newly done boho knotless braids over her shoulder. “You like?”

“I love! Perfect for summer. Any other big changes you made in the last couple of months? New tattoos, new boyfriends?”

She looks deep in thought for a moment, then cracks a sly grin. “We have two days for you to find out.”

Before Nikolai left, he dropped his black Amex on the counter for me with a simple, “Treat yourself to something this weekend. You’ve been working hard. You deserve it.”

I tried to hand it back to him, but he refused.

Arun pays me generously and I already have everything I need, so I didn’t feel the need to go shopping. While I love retailtherapy as much as the next person, nothing beats a night with takeout and a bottle of wine with your best friend.

So pulling a move out of Nikolai’s book, I purchased a roundtrip ticket for Hallie and sent her the confirmation, telling her she better get her ass on the plane and come spend some time on the West Coast for the weekend.

And here we are.

“I need to get myself a rockstar boyfriend,” Hallie muses as we step inside the house. Her wide eyes sweep the open floor plan and various art pieces arranged about. “You sure your brother’s in a happy relationship?”

I laugh and grab her purse from her. “Very sure. But I’ll see if Nikolai has any friends he could set you up with.”

“Please do. It’s the least you could do for ditching me.”

I give her a quick tour, showing off the house as if it’s my own, which I guess, it sort of is. At least for now, still. If things keep going well with Arun, I’m hoping there might be a full time offer in my future which would mean I could put down some roots of my own here. Even if that means the apartment I could afford would likely be smaller than my bedroom alone here. But this living situation with Nikolai has always been temporary.

After dropping her bags in one of the guest rooms and making us cocktails, we walk out onto the patio and sit in the lounge chairs by the pool. The sun is relentless as it beats down on the city, but the umbrella between our chairs help keep us cool.

“So, fill me in. What good office gossip have I missed since I’ve been gone?” I ask Hallie as we settle in.

She pulls her sunglasses off as she turns to me with wide eyes. “Chester got a new assistant.”

“Another one?” He must go through a dozen a year.

She nods enthusiastically. “But it’s not what you think. Savannah was caught using Chester’s corporate card for her own shopping trips and submitting them as his wife’s expenses.”

“Shut up!” I gasp. “How long was that going on for?”

She shrugs. “Long enough that the poor girl is going to end up bankrupt by the time Chester is done wringing her in court for all she’s worth. Which I’m assuming since he was funding her shopping, not very much.”

“That’s crazy.”

She hums as she sips.

We catch up on a few of our other co-workers, including Percy and Cara who everyone knows are having an affair but all decide to play along for their sake. They both took two weeks of PTO at the same time and didn’t think anyone would catch on, even when they posted photos from the same location.

“And Liam’s being a brat, as per usual.”

I snort. “What’s he doing now?”

“Breathing.”

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