“Yeah.” Her eyes light up. “The market there is completely untapped. No dedicated yoga studio and just the one small gym. I fell in love with the town.”
“That would be amazing!” A surge of joy hits me at the prospect of having Sasha close by.
“There’s more.” She takes another long sip. “I’m thinking I might even move there… permanently.”
“What?” I sit up straight, nearly spilling my wine. “Are you being serious right now?”
She nods, grinning. “I’ve been feeling stuck here in Portland for a while now. Too many people, too much noise. This weekend reminded me of how much I love small-town vibes. There’s a vacant storefront right on Main Street next to Rise and Dine that I know would be perfect.”
“Sash, that would be incredible! We’d only be twenty minutes from each other!”
“Exactly.” She nods. “I could come over for dinner, and we could go back to having wine and movie nights.”
“And you could crash at my place like you used to in college,” I laugh, feeling lighter than I have in days. “When are you thinking?”
“I’m going to be talking with a realtor next week about the space. If it works out, I could be operational within the next six months.” She refills our glasses. “What do you think? Would I be cramping your style if I moved to your little hideaway town?”
“Are you kidding? Having my best friend close again would be the best thing ever.”
“I just need to find a place to live, and I’ll be set. But I’ll worry about that later.”
As much as I would love Sasha to stay with me, I know she prefers having her own space, so I don’t offer. I’m just glad she’ll be close to me again.
I clink my glass against hers. “To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings,” she echoes, taking a drink.
We sit in comfortable silence for a bit before I bring up another important subject. “So... speaking of new beginnings. What are you going to do about Jax?”
Sasha coughs. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on. You two hooked up! We both know you don’t like commitment, and it’s a small town. The space you’re talking about is literally across the street from Skin & Ink Tattoo, so you’re going to run into him. A lot.”
Sasha’s cheeks flush. “It’s not like that. I hooked up with him, sure, but it was just one night. I’m a grown woman who can handle running into a man I slept with.”
“In an alley,” I add helpfully.
“Yes, in an alley, thank you for the reminder,” she snorts, rolling her eyes. “Look, Jax is hot and a fantastic fuck. But I’m not looking for anything serious, and I’m sure he isn’t either.”
“You don’t know that,” I counter, back to swirling my wine.
“Oh, god,” she groans. “Please don’t start matchmaking. Besides, if I do move to Lakeside, I’ll be focused on getting the studio up and running. That’s it.”
I decide to let it drop for now, but the wheels in my head arealready turning. Jax and Sasha had obvious chemistry, and I can’t help but think there’s something more to it.
“Fine,” I concede.
“Let’s talk about what you’re going to do about your slow-burn sitch.”
I groan and sink deeper into the couch. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to just give in and beg him to fuck me senseless again. The other part is too stubborn to let him win.”
Sasha snorts. “Honey, you both win if you end up back in bed. Maybe it’s time to stop thinking about it as a competition.”
The next couple of days fly by. During the day, while Sasha’s running her fitness studio empire, I set up camp at her dining table with my laptop.
To my surprise, the words pour out. Maybe it’s the distance, or maybe it’s because I can finally think without Ryder’s intoxicating presence clouding my judgment, but my characters are back to practically writing themselves.
FORTY
