Page 101 of Dev Girl

The entire dining room at Joystick’s erupted in deafening cheers, drowning out anything else Markus had to say. The next several minutes were a blur of everyone congratulating us with hugs and handshakes and claps on the back.

I was smiling so broadly my face hurt.

This was perfect—not the contest win, though that was pretty incredible too.

That I got to do it with everyone, and especially that I was wrapped up in Onyx and Maddox, in the middle of the bedlam.

For so long I’d thought if I wasn’t insanely perfect at my job, if I wasn’t top of my field, if the world didn’t know me and my ideas, and I wasn’t raising a family on top of all of that, I wasn’t good enough.

And I’d never been able to put it into those words before now.

But this… This was better than good enough. This was the best. I loved it, and Maddox and Onyx, and it was all better than anyone else’s definition of a good life. Because it was my perfect life.

Epilogue 1/Evie

Evie

Road trips were one of my favorite things, especially with Gage, or Aubrey and Alys.

This time, I’d gotten Gage and Aubrey, the three of us driving to Flagstaff for a local music festival that Onyx’s new store was helping to host. The drive had been a blast, and now Gage, Aubrey, and I were strolling through the venue, looking at all the local businesses who had set up tents and tables.

A stage sat at the head of the city building courtyard, waiting for the bands that would start playing in a little bit.

The idea was a great one—local stores got to introduce themselves to neighbors who may not have heard of them, and there would be live music to keep the entire thing hopping.

I was looking forward to this, not only because of the event and not having seen Alys and the others in a few weeks, but this might be my last vacation for a while. My finances were falling apart in a way I couldn’t wrap my brain around.

Sure, I was struggling a little, and had been for a while. I made mistakes with Travis, and years before that with Don—neither of whom I would think about here, because I wanted to enjoy myself—but the money I had in the hardware store’s account wasn’t nearly what I thought it should be, to pay my bills. I couldn’t get on top of things.

Gage rested his hand on the small of my back, yanking me from the edge of a spiral. “Where’d you go?” he asked.

“Outer space.” A more fun answer than the truth. I hadn’t told any of my friends about the money problems—they had worries of their own, and I was embarrassed that things had gotten this far without me recognizing how bad it was.

Gage nudged me toward the booths again. “What’s it like there?”

“There’s a lot of space.”

He laughed and guided me toward Aubrey, who was waving at us from a booth with tie-dyed clothing. Not just T-shirts, but things like poodle skirts; one of which Aubrey was holding up.

“I’m in love.” She held the waistband of the skirt in front of her, and swished her hips, making the petticoats dance. “What do you think?”

“I think you should get it.” I loved seeing Aubrey in unique clothing. She was the kind of woman that could match the decade of whatever she wore, and do so with grace and beauty.

Gage grabbed a handkerchief from a display, folded into a triangle, and held it in front of my chest. “Look. Halter top.”

I snorted. “Not sure that’s going to cover enough.”

“Not sure I care.”

“Ugh.” Aubrey’s grunt was exaggerated. “Why here? Why now?”

Gage and I flirted all the time, and it didn’t mean anything but that we were having fun. “To hear you huff like that,” I said with a smirk.

She shook her head and handed the cashier the cash for her skirt. “The two of you are so Ethan Hawke and Winona Rider.”

“No.” Gage returned his find neatly to the table where he’d gotten it. “I’m definitely more of a Catherine Zeta Jones with these hips.”

We waited for the shop to wrap up Aubrey’s skirt as well as one could, given its size, she happily took her package, and we were on our way.

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