60. CARSON

“I can’t believe we’re still arguing about this,” I say.

“We’re not arguing,” says Cassie. “I’m telling you how it is.”

I sip my double espresso to keep from saying something I’ll regret. Cassie takes this as me acknowledging her win and flashes me a smug grin.

Tricia wanders over with a tray of ice cold treats and sits down. A handful of customers are sitting inside, escaping the rain on a dreary September morning.

“Having you two as friends is like living in a sit-com,” she says, sitting down. “The Billionaire and the Bitch. I should pitch it to Netflix.”

“See?” I say. “Even Tricia thinks you should let me put up the cash for your stake in Tricialicious.”

“No, I don’t,” says Tricia. “Why would I want you as a silent partner in my business? You’d eat all the profits.”

Cassie’s grin gets even smugger.

“Look, I told you I’ve found a better option,” she says. “One that’s going to work out for everyone.”

“Really?” I say, reaching for a brownie.

Tricia slaps my hand away. “Leave it alone, fatty. It’s not for you.”

I pull my hand back and give her my most wounded look.

“Who could possibly deserve this more than me?”

“My new partner,” says Cassie.

At that moment, the door on the bell clangs. Maks walks into the shop, shaking the rain from his umbrella.

“Hey, comrade,” says Tricia.

She yanks him to her and plants an aggressive kiss on his mouth. His smile when she finally disengages is heartwarming. I’ve never seen the guy so happy before.

“That is my kind of hello,” he says as he sits down.

“Play your cards right and you’ll get a ‘how are ya’ later, too,” Tricia purrs.

His cheeks blossom with color.

“All right,” says Cassie. “Before you two get a room – did you bring it?”

Maksim grins and reaches into the breast pocket of his jacket.

“Right here,” he says, handing an envelope to Cassie.

She opens it and pulls out a long piece of paper. A quick scan and she’s all smiles. She reaches a hand out to Maks, who takes it.

“A pleasure doing business with you, partner,” she says.

“I look forward to doing the work with you,” he replies.

My eyes dart from one to the other and back again. Tricia pushes the other brownie in front of Maks.

“What just happened?” I ask.

Cassie waves a hand in Maks’ direction.

“Meet my new partner.”

I open my mouth, then close it again. Then open it again.

“What?” I say.

“No point in going to Tate Capital when I know someone who’s got the full $11 million,” says Cassie. “And not just someone – someone who gets me and knows how I work.”

Maks looks at me and shrugs.

“I will make three times my money back,” he says.

“Since when do you have money?” I ask.

“Well,” he says. “Maybe I am not abstainly rich…”

Cassie winces. “I think you mean obscenely.”

“Yes, what she says. But I have a trust fund, tovarishch. And I am looking to be the investment tycoon, yes?”

I fold my arms across my chest and look Cassie in the eye.

“So you’ll take his money but not mine?”

“I don’t sleep with him,” she says.

Tricia gives her an appraising look.

“You better not, ho,” she warns with an exaggerated snap of her fingers.

I shake my head and chuckle. Just another of the compromises I’ll have to make to keep Cassie in my life. Sometimes she drives me up the wall, but I’ll take it over living without her any day. I honestly don’t think I could live without her.

At least she didn’t drag me to meet her parents last month. I’ve still got a little time to prepare for that.

“Whatever,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant. “I’ll just wait till Tricialicious goes public and then buy the controlling interest. I’ll end up running the show in the end.”

“Go right ahead, sucker,” says Tricia. “Your money’s as green as anyone else’s. We’ll be retired and rich, so what do we care?”

We all bust up over that one. After the laughter dies down, the three of them go over some of the details of the plan, particularly the construction schedule, now that fall is around the corner. I watch them with a smile on my face and in my heart.

My mind drifts back just a couple of months, to standing on a cliff in the Alps, thinking I was somehow going to find the meaning of life by jumping off. Now I realize how utterly ridiculous that was.

This is the meaning of life right here, in a little ice cream shop in Midtown. With these crazy, frustrating, wonderful people. How could I supposedly be so smart and yet not get that for so long?

Cassie runs a hand along my arm and leans close.

“Penny for your thoughts,” she says. Then she holds up Maksim’s check. “I can afford it, I’ve got this.”

I smile and kiss her temple. The same one Anna held her gun against.

“I was just thinking we should go to Italy soon,” I say. “I think we’ve kept David waiting long enough, don’t you?”