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“They are,” I say, feeling a little embarrassed at my meagre possessions. No. I refuse to wallow. That time is past.
“Excellent,” he says, his smile bright and welcoming.
We stop at the rattling sound getting closer. “If you’ll let us, ma’am, we can bring everything up to your apartment.”
“If you insist,” Stella says, grinning as she links her arm with mine. “Let’s leave these lovely gentlemen to do the heavy lifting, and you can show us your new pad.”
I look at the guy in uniform. “Are you sure?”
He looks confused for a moment before his gaze softens. “Absolutely. You head upstairs. We’ll be right behind you.”
With that, he and the other guys begin loading the boxes and my cases into the cages.
“I take it that’s us done,” I say as we make our way to the elevator.
Gabriel gave me a lift pass and apartment keys the day before. The tenancy agreement was on my desk the day after I agreed to move in, which hadn’t surprised me. Gabriel is nothing if not organised. Both he and Caleb hold a vast property portfolio, so renting out one apartment is nothing new to him. He probably has each contract in duplicate.
I open the door and stand back as I let Stella and Nat enter before me.
“O.M.G,” Nat says, her mouth open. “This is... I’m not sure how to describe it. You lucky...” Nat doesn’t finish her words; instead, she throws her arms around me and buries her head in my shoulder. It’s then I realise she’s crying.
“Hey,” I say, pushing her away and staring at her. “What are the tears for?”
She sobs even harder. Stella steps up and puts her arms around us, her own voice husky. “I think Nat’s just saying, after all the crap you’ve been through lately, she’s happy you’ve finally had a turnaround in fortune.”
Nat nods and gives me a watery smile. I pull her in for one final hug, finding a lump forming in my throat. “I love you guys. Thank you for always being there for me.”
Stella steps back, and we link hands in a circle. We started it in college when one of us required support. “Always,” we say together, laughing.
“Now, where are those men? I’ve got some bubbles in a cool bag,” Stella says, wiping her eyes.
As if on cue, there’s a knock at the door. Opening it, the two guys from downstairs are standing with my belongings.
“Where would you like these, Ms Walker?” the first guy asks.
“If you just unload them here.” I point to the corner. “We can manage from there.”
They both unclip the cages and begin unpacking the boxes, stacking them where I’d indicated. When they’re done, I grab my purse, open it, and grab some notes. They smile. “Oh no, Ma’am. Mr Frazer has handled all of that. Welcome to El Castillo.”
With that, they leave.
Stella is busy opening a box with a large X on the side. I throw her a questioning glance.
“What? I needed to know which box contained the important stuff,” she says, pulling out a bottle of champagne stored in an ice bag.
Nat is already in the kitchen, opening the cupboards. “Ah ha,” she says, finding champagne glasses and putting three on the side.
“Isn’t it a little early?” I say, looking at my phone. It’s just gone ten in the morning.
“It’s after five in Australia,” Stella says, shrugging. “Besides, we’re celebrating.” She pours three glasses and holds hers up in a toast. “To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings.” My chest tightens as we clink glasses. It signifies a fresh start. Frightening yet exhilarating. If anything, the past week has shown me that. I shake myself out of my thoughts when I notice the girls staring at me, concern in their eyes.
“I’m fine,” I say.
“I hate those two words,” Nat says. “Usually, when someone says I’m fine, they’re anything but.”
I think back to Gabriel, saying the same thing. Maybe I need to change my go-to phrase. Grabbing her hand, I give it a squeeze. “I promise you I will be fine. I may only be halfway there. But that’s to be expected. I need to adapt. Ten years is a long time to be someone’s other half. I need to learn how to operate as myself again.”
