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Harper’s breath catches in her throat. Solange notices and gives her a couple of light pats on the shoulder.
“You don’t have to figure out your love life tonight. Just go with the flow.”
Victoria walks over to them and opens the sliding balcony door, letting in the sound of jazz and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
“Liam’s threatening to open a bottle of cognac from his private collection if we don’t come in now,” she announces, leaning against the doorframe.
Solange slips inside, winking.
“I’ll have the first drink!”
Victoria and Harper are left alone on the balcony for a second. The night breeze ruffles their hair. Victoria looks her up and down.
“Are you okay?”
“Incredibly well,” Harper admits, taking a step toward her. “It’s been years since I’ve felt this at peace.”
Victoria smiles, taking another step closer until Harper can almost feel her breath.
“Me too.”
Harper realizes she thought getting close to Victoria again would be a painful journey into the past, but as she watches her walk beside her, she understands that what they’re doing isn’t looking back.
It’s opening the door to a new opportunity.
Chapter 16
The evening ends around midnight. Solange has just left, and Julian has said goodbye with a hug and a knowing look that doesn’t bode well. And now, Harper adjusts the lapel of her coat as she watches the daily spectacle of the Vance clan: Victoria arguing with her younger brother because he stubbornly insists on finding them a taxi himself.
Harper bursts out laughing.
“Don’t worry, we’ll just go for a walk,” she tells him.
Victoria doesn’t hesitate. She finishes getting ready and gives her brother a kiss on the cheek.
“We’ll talk another day about what you did today.”
“Thanks for everything, Liam,” Harper adds, winking at him.
Harper takes a deep breath as soon as the autumn breeze hits them, letting the Brooklyn chill clear her lungs. The streets of Williamsburg are incredibly lively, and that always brings a smile to her face.
Walking alongside Victoria, she can’t stop thinking about how the night went.
“I still can’t believe Liam had the guts to ask Rachel out,” Victoria says, breaking the ice as she rubs her hands together before tucking them into her pockets. “Especially after the way he handled things between us.”
“I guess he wanted to put the past behind him, too.”
“Maybe.”
The two women smile, and the resentment with which they’d looked at each other at Velvet & Silk when they met again after so many years is now a distant memory.
“By the way,” Victoria says, “Solange was unbearable throughout dinner.”
Harper almost stumbles, and she readjusts her purse over her shoulder to hide the sudden stiffness that grips her.
“Not at all. She’s been as adorable as ever.”
“Just wait until she grills you when we get to the office tomorrow,” Victoria jokes, picturing the scene.
