I’d wanted to spill the beans for so long that I was practically bursting at the seams.
“Well, since you’re asking.”
I swear I spoke so fast that I barely took a breath. It felt like that, anyway. I was nearly lightheaded but so damn happy that my heart felt like it might jump out of my chest.
Isabelle laughed. “You totally deserve a guy who makes you happy, Tess. I think you’re one of a kind. Always so optimistic in the dating world. If my clients were more like you, they wouldn’t need me.”
“Just your clients or you too?” I asked.
Isabelle waved her hand. “No, I’m good. Just waiting for things to settle a bit with the practice before jumping into dating waters. I can’t wait. My dry spell’s been so long I wonder if certain parts still work. My virginity will grow back any day now.”
I burst out laughing, and so did Skye.
“But hey, if you could send Dylan some of this optimism glitter of yours, that would be great.”
“Optimism glitter?” I asked on a laugh.
“That’s what I call it, because optimism is catchy. Just like negativity.”
“He’s still disillusioned?” I double-checked.
“And grumpy as hell,” Isabelle said.
“To be fair, he does have reasons,” Skye added.
That was true. Your longtime girlfriend dumping you would certainly hurt anyone.
“I think maybe he needs time. And a special lady. And I can’t do too much from a distance. It’s kind of a face-to-face thing.”
“Well, I have news. Josie and I have been trying to sell them on New York for a while now, and we’ve succeeded.”
“Holy shit, they’re moving here?” I exclaimed. Josie grew up with us, and I’d always thought of her siblings as an extended family.
“They’re opening a subsidiary here of their software company since they’ve done so well in Washington. I think in a few months they’ll be ready to come here.”
That was amazing news. I clasped my hands together, smiling.
“Well, in that case, I’m gonna start spreading that optimism glitter right away,” I assured her. I knew this meant a great deal to Josie and Isabelle. I could just picture how big our family events would be.
“We should go,” Skye said. “Your appointment will be here in five minutes, right?”
“Oh, yes. And then I’m going to do my first Halloween tour.”
I grinned. Halloween was in three days. “I didn’t know there was such a thing. Does New York even have haunted houses?”
“A few. Thanks again for coming here, girls.”
“No problem,” I assured her.
As Skye and I left the building, I told my sister about Liam’s meeting with the lawyer today. Liam said they planned to talk with all the business owners they worked with, but I wanted to tell Skye myself.
She bit her lip after I finished. “How much of a problem does he think this will be?”
“They don’t know yet. That’s why they’re seeing their lawyer today.”
“Okay, then there’s no point wasting time thinking about this until we know if it’s a problem or not.”
Skye had always been pragmatic, but right then, I could tell she was more worried than she let on. I put on my big sister hat, pushing my own worries to the back of my mind.