“I can touch my own damn vagina,” Rory says, after expressing her disdain for the (in her words) “bum ass masc” that asked her on a date and made her pay for both meals and the one she ordered to go. “I need a woman who can touch mysoul. Which is why I booked the trip to Sapphire Isle. I’m bound to find what I’m looking for there.”
A snort escapes before I can stop it. “A woman who can touch both at the same time?”
We burst into laughter. Minutes pass and silence stretches between us. She gazes at the floor, appearing deep in thought.
“Feels a little strange not traveling together, huh?” Finished with the session, she slips into the robe draped over the chair beside me.
“You just want my Delta cookies,” I tease to mask the twinge of sadness in my chest.
I was transparent when I hired Rory about my long-term plans for Bed & Boudoir and that my pop-up boudoir days would end eventually. Years flew by faster than expected. And when the perfect cabin two hours from where I grew up went up for sale, I couldn’t pass on the chance to buy it. I’ll be close enough to home without being suffocated by family, and far enough from any ghosts of the Christmas past.
Then I remember the surprise.
“Actually…” My voice trails off after handing her a small box. “Before I forget. Since we’ll both be gone for the holidays…”
She lifts a brow. “What’s this?”
“Open it.”
Paper tears, the sound sharp against the R&B music humming in the background. She holds up the homemade key-shaped Biscoff cookie.
“For the cabin,” I say. My palms press flat against my thighs, steadying me. “Symbolic, of course. I wanted you to have it because…I want you to be my business partner.”
Her eyes go wide. “What?”
“We’ve been working together for the last five years. I know the original plan was for you to continue to travel and I would put down roots, but would you like to co-own Bed & Boudoir with me? You’re more than my assistant, Rory. You’re family.” She’s the little sister I always wanted. My voice fills with emotion. “And this isn’t just another pop-up. It’s a permanent location.”
A place toreallypour love into. I fish my phone out of my purse and swipe through images of the property. Rory looks on with wide eyes.
I go on excitedly. “It has a prime view of Mistletoe Mountain. There’s a pond. It’s even partially furnished. You can have an office.”
She pinches the screen with two fingers, zooming in. “This is gorgeous. No wonder you were in a bidding war.”
“And won.” I beam with triumph. She returns my phone, and I continue my heartfelt spiel. “We’ve traveled the world together. You’ve helped me build the boudoir business—nine countries, countless shoots, every pop-up studio. You supported me after my divorce. I supported you through yours. You get my vision. You believed in this before I even knew what ‘this’ was.”
“That cabin is like something out of a fairy tale.” Her eyes glisten. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“You're overqualified to be an assistant, you know that right?”
Rory shrugs. “I needed a break from the corporate world. As much as I enjoyed aspects of the job, the stress of being an architect was crushing my soul.”
“No pressure.” My heart’s in my throat. “Just think about it while you’re on Sapphire Isle. But I meant what I said. I want you in this with me.”
She looks down at the key, then back up. “You’re serious?”
“As serious as the time you almost got me sent to a Thai prison when you snuck a vibrator in my bag because you were too embarrassed to go through TSA with one.”
“For the last time, I didn’t know they were illegal!” Rory gives me a playful glare as I laugh. “And you’re going to have to let that go if we’re going to be business partners.”
“So, that’s a yes?” I ask when she wraps her arms around me for a tight hug. “I watched twenty YouTube videos to get the recipe right. That one didn’t burn.”
“It’s amaybe.” She laughs, brushing at her watery eyes. “You really know how to bring a woman to tears in a bedroom.”
“It’s a gift.”
Releasing me, she takes a bite out of the key with a crunch. “When I get back, let me see how big my office is before I make a decision.”
I match her wide grin. “Deal.”
