“Why?” they both ask.
“Because she needed help,” I answer, remembering the way she compared herself to her siblings. It broke my heart that she didn’t see herself the way I did, and I intended to show her every day for as long as I was able. “And I wanted to be the one who offered it.”
“And if that’s all it is? Help from a friend?”
“Then I’ll find a way to be okay with it,” I say, my voice strained. “And I’ll see you in three months.”
Three days later, my apartment is packed up, keys turned in, and what I couldn’t fit in two large duffel bags is stored away.
“You sure you don’t want to keep your apartment?” Jonas asks for the third time. I have a mid-morning flight, and we’re meeting one last time at Velvet to go over everything before I leave.
“No,” I answer, leaning back in my chair. I didn’t bother cleaning out my office. There’s nothing here, no personal items at least. I’m sure Sabine would have something to say about that, but it makes packing simpler.
Shit. Sabine.
I probably need to update my therapist on my major life changes.
Are therapists still allowed to provide telehealth over state lines?
I push that issue aside and focus on the present. “I have no attachment to the place, so I don’t really see the point in wasting three months of rent holding onto it. Besides, I thought you’d be thrilled. Now you’ll have an excuse to talk me into something extravagant when I get back.”
He gives me a sideways glance. “I love you, Hollis, so don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m really hoping you don’t come back.”
I swallow, my throat thick with emotion as I try to stay grounded in reality. He and Keisha caught me at a vulnerable moment that day in his kitchen. I can’t go back to LA with the idea that this could be anything more than the deal Pres and I agreed on. Doing otherwise will only hurt me.“That’s not what Pres and I agreed on. And besides, everything is temporary, right?”
“No, Hollis.” He gives me a sad smile. “The people who matter? They stay. Real love isn’t fleeting.”
I know he’s right. He’s been doing a damn good job convincing me he’s a permanent part of my life for years, but I’m afraid there will always be a part of me that doubts it all.
Who’s ready to run at the first sign of trouble.
He lets the subject go, knowing when not to push, and clicks on a file on his laptop labeled “LA.” I choke back a curse at thesheer number of files it contains: real estate listings, revenue and crime reports, demographics, maps. It’s all there.
“What the hell, Jonas? I thought I was supposed to be the research and numbers guy?”
He shrugs, pulling up some of the real estate listings. “Who do you think was the research and numbers guy before you came along? Anyway, this is where I think you should start.”
He points to a rundown-looking building. “Is that a hotel?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He nods, his eyes gleaming with excitement. This is why Jonas is so successful. He sees potential where others don’t, and it’s why he was able to grow a single restaurant into a multi-million-dollar business. “Used to be kind of a big deal back in the day, but bigger, more extravagant hotels popped up in the nineties, and it was sort of forgotten. Several owners have tried to revive it since, but nothing’s stuck.”
“And what makes you think we can succeed where others have failed?”
He grins. “We’re not in the hotel business.”
About ten hours, two flights, and one layover later, I’m in Los Angeles for the first time in over a decade. I’ve traveled a lot since I went out on my own. I’ve lived all over the country. In all that time, I’ve never returned to California.
Not once.
As the Uber heads toward the coast, I realize I wasn’t just avoiding the Golden State. I was avoiding them.
I was avoiding the Creeds.
The Malibu city limits sign comes into view, and a million memories seem to hit me all at once. That first day of school. Long walks on the beach. Lance teaching me to drive in his Mercedes as if it were no big deal. My first college acceptance letter.
My heart starts to race as we get closer to Creeds.
Since it’s late and Pres already took several days off, I agreed to meet her at the bar so I could grab a spare key before heading to her apartment.
