“So…what now?” Jen asked as she backed out of the hug and started walking toward the subway entrance at the end of the street.
Lauren sighed and shook her head as she fell into step beside her. “I don’t know. I’ll need to find somebody to take Jenks because he can’t go with me…”
“You know I’ll take him. I love that little bastard like he’s my own. Besides, he wrapped Ben around his finger when we watched him for you while you were gone. So, don’t worry about him. Jenks will be fine. Assuming, of course, that he stays away from old Mrs. Schwartz’s terrier. Your apartment?”
“I’ll have to sell it or find a renter. What do you think?”
“If you can rent it out for the price of your mortgage, I’d do that. You know real estate around here is only going to get moreexpensive. And, besides… I’m not saying things between you and Grey won’t work out, but if they don’t, you would have something to come back to.”
“Yeah, I know. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, though.”
“Me neither, to be honest. But it’s good to have a backup plan, just in case. And, you know, investments and grown-up shit like that. So, are you going to tell her when she comes up next week?” Jen asked as she swiped her MetroCard through the scanner and pushed through the turnstile.
Lauren chewed her lip thoughtfully as she followed her onto the other side. They had made it this long already so another nine days would not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but she also did not want to wait. “I don’t know. I kinda want to just go down there now and find her and tell her.”
“Well, in that case,” Jen said with a smile. “Let’s see what we can do about making that happen. You’ll have to quit Clarke’s.”
“And pack.”
“A get your place on the market. You going to try rent it furnished?”
“I think I’ll just put everything in storage. Can always sell it later on, or have my brother come pick it up to take to the cabin or something. Do you still have your realtor’s number from when you and Ben bought last summer?”
Jen nodded. “Yep. You want her number?”
“Is it in your phone?” Lauren asked, and when Jen nodded, she just smiled and held out her hand. “Gimme.”
“Impatient little thing, aren’t you,” Jen teased as she handed it over.
Lauren winked and lifted Jen’s phone to her ear. “Maybe just a little.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
ONCE LAUREN HAD made up her mind about what to do, it was almost too easy to set it all into motion. By Thursday evening she had arranged to get her apartment up on the market and given notice at Clarke’s. She offered them one week, and had been pleasantly surprised when Sam Clarke, the restaurant’s owner, told her that he would be happy if she just worked through the weekend. She had, of course, jumped at the offer. Sunday afternoon she took Jenks and all of his things over to Jen and Ben’s apartment, and she was proud of herself for managing to not sob her eyes out until she was in the elevator afterwards. A moving company was scheduled to come the following week to box up her things and move them into storage, and all that was left was for her to pack her clothes and the few things she could not leave behind.
The hardest part out of all of it had been not letting on to Grey what was happening during their daily calls. Jen had thrown the idea of her surprising Grey out as a joke—a ‘hey, wouldn’t it be cool if you…’ kind of thing—but Lauren immediately fell in love with the idea and had run with it.
It was just after noon when Lauren’s plane touched down in Charlotte Amalie the following Monday, and she jogged through the terminal to baggage claim to pick up the one large suitcase shehad brought with her. She slowed to a walk as she entered the baggage area, and waved when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. While she had not told Grey that she was coming back, she had called Kelly Kipling because she knew that would need her help. The blonde had access to resources Lauren could only dream of having, and she smiled as she walked up to her. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Kelly drawled, her lips curled in a warm, welcoming smile. “How was your flight?”
“Long,” Lauren admitted with a small laugh. She had barely slept the night before due to her excitement about seeing Grey again, and that anticipation had intensified with every mile her plane had covered.
Kelly chuckled and nodded. Lauren’s eyes were twinkling, her smile wide, and it was clear that she could not wait to surprise Grey. “You’re adorable. Let’s get your bag and get going. Peter Island, right?”
“Yeah.” Lauren nodded. “She said her guests were going to be spending the day at the resort, and that they would leave there for Tortola tomorrow.”
Kelly looked at the luggage carousel, which had just jolted into motion. “She is going to flip her shit when she sees you.”
“I sure hope so,” Lauren murmured.
“She will.” Kelly wrapped an arm around Lauren’s waist and pulled her into a light hug. “Trust me.”
Lauren nodded and pointed at a silver hard shell suitcase that had just spilled down the conveyor to the carousel. “That’s me.”
“Well, grab it, and let’s go,” Kelly said. “Lots of things to do still.”
Once Lauren had her bag, Kelly led the way out of the airport to where she had parked her car, and they then headed to a smaller private airfield where the Kipling helicopter was waiting for them. The green and white Bell 206 was sitting empty on a padoutside a large hangar, and Lauren whistled as Kelly rolled to a stop in front of it. “Wow.”
