Page 116 of Beni

The bay window in Beni’s living room didn’t give a good view of anything in particular except the large apartment building next to his, and yet August found she didn’t mind that at all as she stared between brown brick, and a blue sky. It gave her something else to focus on other than the private conversation happening between the brothers down the hall. Not that they tried to tamper the level of their chat for her benefit.

She figured … Beni and Bene deserved their privacy. Whatever the two of them were going through, it was for them to figure out in their own time. If what Beni said was true, and Bene’s issue wasn’t really her in the grander scheme, then she didn’t want to step in between them and make it about her.

Or make it worse.

It was the least she could do.

The longer she stood there, watching dust blow around in the alley between the two buildings because of the wind, and the cloudless sky overhead, the more she realized how much she missed Chicago. She felt it when they drove through the city after leaving the airport, too, but it was only now that she understood what that light, happy feeling in her chest had been.

To be fair, it wasn’t only the city.

Camilla, too.

And Beni, definitely.

New York was comforting. Familiar, really. August knew, no matter what, she could return to that place, and fall right back in step like she hadn’t missed a beat. She knew those streets, could walk them with her eyes closed.

Chicago felt new—something to explore and grow into her own. And yet, it also felt as though it had become apart of her life, in some way. It wasn’t lost on her how something that had seemed scary to her before, a risk she wasn’t sure that she wanted to take, was now something she looked forward to doing.

Huh.

It was only the vibrating of her phone that drew August from her thoughts. She didn’t bother to check the caller ID before digging the phone out of her bag, and putting it to her ear, if only because she assumed it was her father calling back after not picking up her call earlier. She’d left him a message just to say she landed safely, but knowing him, he would still want to speak directly to her to make himself feel better.

It wasn’t her dad.

“Hello?”

“Are you here yet?”

Camilla’s excitement had her words coming out in a high screech. Or something very fucking close to it. Laughing, August pulled the phone away from her ear a bit to save what might be left of her eardrums.

“Yes, we just got to the apartment,” she said, “and I was planning on calling you—”

“Not soon enough!”

“God, I love you, Cam.”

“I know,” her friend chirped happily. “Was the flight good?”

“Yeah, and my companion, too.”

She swore she could feel Camilla’s smirk when she replied, “Listen, you know I wouldn’t usually give out your info like that to people … but it was Beni. And he’s clearly on for you, if you get what I’m saying here. Besides, I also have ulterior motives for doing what I did—”

“Yes, making me move here.”

“No shame in my game.”

“Cam.”

“Hmm?”

She was going to keep this secret until she had everything figured out, and could lay it all out on the table, but the thing was … that wasn’t something Camilla would ever care about. She didn’t need details—she just wanted to know.

“I quit Bared Brands,” August said.

It took Cam a second.

Then, two.