Jordan burst into Lindy’s and dropped onto the couch next to us. “I have two things with me and you’re going to love both of them.”

I eyed her bag. “Umm … Ryan Reynolds and a Frappuccino?”

“I’m totally telling Nate you said that.”

“Not in that order,” I said defensively.

“Check it out—we made Style!” Jordan proudly opened the magazine with a flourish.

We’d had a hint from Kirsten we might be in the magazine, but it hadn’t been a sure thing. Sure enough, on page seventy-four, as part of a “Falling for Manhattan” spread, was a model sporting a jewel-toned blue blouse from Travesty with a black military jacket and gray pants.

“Hell, yes!” I exclaimed.

It was the first time something of ours had been recognized besides the Claire skirt. And the best part?

It didn’t look like anything of Bryson’s. This felt a hundred times sweeter because it was totally ours.

It’d been exactly two weeks since we had re-made the spring line. Lex and Jordan and I were putting the finishing touches on promotions and recruiting new boutiques.

Jordan might’ve come on board to resolve distribution issues, but now she’d found a way to help with our banking, too. And what seemed like a million other things. Because of all the extra work, she sometimes ended up crashing on our couch instead of going home. So we saw a lot of her.

“And if that’s not enough …” Jordan spread out two sheets of paper.

I squinted at the tiny numbers. Then looked up at her. “That’s what we’ve sold?”

“Sure is,” she replied. “It’s not huge but it’s moving in the right direction and …” Jordan trailed off.

Lex and I jumped on her for a three-way hug.

Jordan went quiet, like an animal hiding until it went unnoticed.

I came out of the wind-pipe-crushing hug first as a thought crossed my mind. “Wait. Does this mean I can buy a pony? And maybe that beach house Kanye put up for sale?”

“It means we can start paying off our investors,” Lex insisted. “If we can get the lawsuit off our backs.”

My face fell. Now we had a court date, but we weren’t scheduled for another month. It was looming over our heads in the meantime.

Lex squeezed my shoulders. “But, we’ve all been working our asses off. It might not hurt to sponsor our night out tonight from our first paychecks?”

“Team T, bitches.” I grinned. “Let’s do this.”

We’d been planning to go out tonight and celebrate. It’d been marked in the calendar for weeks now. This news just added an extra layer of excitement.

I called Nate to tell him.

“That’s great,” he said warmly. “I might be a bit late tonight, though.”

“What? Why?” Some of my excitement fell away.

“My dad’s first fundraiser is tonight.”

I’d known Nate’s dad was running for office, but I hadn’t known about the event. “Well, there’ll be lots more, right? You said you were coming tonight.”

He paused. “I wish it were that simple. Voters care about family, and he needs to set the tone. I need to show face.”

“Is he running for office or are you?” I tried to keep it light, but there was an edge to my words.

“I’m sorry, Ava. It sucks. I’ll try to wrap it up quickly.” Nate sounded contrite but distracted. When he rang off, it left an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.

This was our one chance to celebrate. Our moment we’d worked so hard for. Why didn’t he get that?

I forced myself to focus on getting ready to go out. The three of us dressed together and did our hair and makeup at our apartment. We opened a bottle of bubbly at home before dragging our well-dressed asses out.

The Bar had become one of our favorite spots. It was close to home and after ten turned from a chill lounge into a happening place.

Tonight we had a big round VIP table for eight. I was squeezed between Lex and Jordan. Kirsten and Jeremy were there too. A few girls from the magazine who had said they’d meet us showed up soon after, making it a tight fit.

“A toast!” a slightly tipsy Kirsten was saying to the group of us smooshed together happily around the booth. “To two crazy girls—”

“Three!” I added. I wanted to include Jordan, since she’d been important.

“Sorry, three crazy girls from Cali—”

“Well, actually Jordan’s not from Cali …” Lex leaned in.

“Shhh,” slurred Kirsten, waving a finger in the air. She looked like a fairy godmother about to grant a wish with a shot of tequila. “Three crazy girls from … across America! Who defied the odds and actually made shit people want to wear.”

“To Team T!”

“Team T!” everyone agreed.

We did a round of shots. Then Kirsten dragged us out to the dance floor. My hands reached for the sky and I swayed to the music.

I was over the moon. We had a great label. I lived in the coolest city in the world, doing what I loved with my best friend, my new friends, and my boyfriend. Sure, Nate was late to the party, but he’d be here any minute. In the meantime I enjoyed the amazingness around me.

When I made it to the bar a few songs later and checked my phone, I was startled to realize it was past eleven. There was a missed call from Nate but no message.

My buzz receded. I went to the bathroom to find some quiet while I made the call. He answered on the third ring. At first all I heard was voices and laughter, almost as loud as the music in the background of The Bar.

“Nate? What’s going on? Everyone’s here but you!”

“Hey.” He sounded contrite. “I tried calling but you didn’t pick up. I don’t think I’m going to get out of here for a while yet.”

“But I thought you just had to say hi to some people on your way over.”

“I might need to stick around.”

Unbelievable. I thought about everyone who’d made time to be here. Kirsten, our Team T. They all had lives, other commitments.

“I’ll stop by after, though. How late will you be out?”

“You know what, Nate? Don’t worry about it.” I clicked off. Then wiped an angry tear from my eye before going back to my friends.