I nodded and followed him stiffly.
Leaning forward, he placed a soft kiss on my cheek. “Good-bye, Avril.”
He looked at me, waiting for me to say something. When my words wouldn’t come, he smiled sadly, and left. The door shut behind him, literally and figuratively closing a chapter of my life.
After seeing the day’s clients, I headed home. I was fairly useless after my meeting with Devon, torn between an intense sadness for what was lost and a sick satisfaction that he was getting what he deserved. But I couldn’t be happy for anyone’s downfall even if they were responsible for mine. That would leave me no better than they, and I just didn’t need that shit.
My cell phone’s screen flashed Sumner.
“Hi there,” I said.
“Hello, beautiful.” Music was playing the background, and I heard male voices. Very familiar male voices.
“Are you with all the guys?” I asked.
“Yup. Just driving back.”
“How did it go?” I asked.
“It was sad,” he said.
Okay then. He didn’t want to talk about it, and I got that. I’d get the story of the guys scattering Smith’s ashes out in the Hamptons another time.
“Are you all coming over?”
“Yeah. We should be there in fifteen.”
I called in our order to the corner Chinese restaurant. None of us felt like cooking, and I thought it would be fun to sit around and eat out of white cartons with chopsticks. I’d had a couple six packs of Tsingtao beer delivered earlier in the day. My stomach growled in anticipation of some delicious, greasy dumplings and stir fry.
Devon never would have eaten takeout Chinese food, but I’d practically grown up on it. Funny how things came full circle.
Speaking of full circle, I’d filled two garbage bags with those ugly Hermès purses I detested so much, along with a couple Judith Leiber evening bags, and a several pair of Jimmy Choos that I’d never gotten around to wearing more than once or twice. My darling Blu had offered to take them by the fundraising meeting that my old charity friends were holding. Those bitches were welcome to my cast-offs. I only wished I could have seen their faces when they saw all the crap I was getting rid of. I threw in a couple Burberry cashmeres to really give them the middle finger.
A half hour later, the five of us were casually sitting around my living room, eating our delicious takeout, and listening to Pearl Jam on the stereo Devon had left behind.
Where he was going, he wouldn’t be needing it.
I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention. “Hey guys. I have something to say.”
They paused their eating and looked up at me. Gio raised his beer and smiled encouragingly, Chase winked at me, and Ash blew me a kiss.
Good grief, those guys.
“Okay. You might know that I had a talk with Gio earlier. He expressed that maybe I didn’t need to pressure myself to choose only one of you.”
The looked at each other, then back at me.
“It’s true, Avril,” Chase said. “You don’t have to choose.”
“Gio said we could all stay together,” I said.
Heads bobbed in agreement.
I could hardly breathe, but I forced the words, “I wanted you to know that…that I accept.”
A smile slowly spread across Chase’s face, quickly followed by the same for Ash, Sumner, and Gio.
“I’d like to be with you. All of you. That is, if you’ll have me.” My pulse pounded in my ears.