When all was said and done, I had added fifty-one new jewelers to the armada of stores that would offer customYours Forever Gemstones. Looking back on the beginning of the road trip, I don’t remember how many I hoped to sign to contracts, but I do know that I never expected to sign fifty-one.
We returned to Columbus happier, wiser, and wealthier. A great deal wealthier. Three months had passed since the trip began, and the profit from that first round of gemstone sales was sitting in my company bank account. I kept refreshing the bank website because I could hardly believe it was real. It felt like I would wake up from a dream at any moment and be back in the Buckeye Brewery, penniless and fantasizing about the next big idea.
I’ve made it,I thought.All my hard work has finally paid off.
The house looked great when we walked inside. Brad had gotten his own place on the other side of town, closer to work, but he met us there to go through the last few items he had found in Mom and Dad’s room.
“So work is going well?” I asked afterward, while drinking beers at the brewery.
“They gave me a promotion,” Brad replied. He looked vaguely confused by the whole thing. “I guess I’m doing a good job with sales.”
“Glad to hear it, big brother. Now you just need a girlfriend.”
He laughed, and his cheeks turned three shades of red. “A ring is on your finger and suddenly you’re on my ass?”
“Damn right,” I said. “Are there any prospects?”
He looked around the brewery, eyes passing over the bar and across to a table of college-aged girls. “There’s a lot of potential over inthatcorner.”
I rolled my eyes. “I meant prospects that you’ve already been talking to.”
“Speaking of prospects,” Brad said, changing the subject. “Did you figure out which city you want to move to?”
Hunter and I looked at each other.
“Honestly? Not really,” I said. “Welikeda lot of the places we visited. Austin, Texas was nice.”
“Boston too,” Hunter chimed in. “And Raleigh.”
“But nothing felt likethe one.” I leaned into Hunter lovingly. “And as someone who believes inthe one, I think we should hold out for it.”
Brad nodded while thinking about this. “What about Portland, then? I guess you’ll move back there?”
“Portland doesn’t really feel like home anymore,” Hunter said. “It was the place I fled to five years ago. It was an escape. And although it will always have a special place in my heart, it’s not reallyhome.”
He turned and kissed my hair. “But coming back here after three months on the road… It feelsright. Even though my parents are gone, I think I want to be in Columbus. Maybe that will change in the future, but for now, this feels like home to me.”
“At least for the short term,” I quickly added. “We can always move later if we feel like it.”
Brad pumped his fist like he’d just won a hand of Blackjack. “Hey, Lizzy! Get over here!”
Lizzy came from around the bar, crossed the room, and planted her palms on the table. “If you want a beer, Brad, you can get your ass up and walk to the bar,” she said dryly.
He gestured. “They’re staying here. In Columbus.”
Lizzy clapped her hands together. “Hot damn. I’m not losing my best friend after all.”
Hunter gave her a reproachful look. “You’re acting like I stole her away.”
“Damn right you did,” Lizzy joked. “She was my friend first, before you wooed her with your older, more mature, charm.”
“We’re practically the same age,” he argued. “I’m like nine months older than her.”
Brad pointed a finger at his friend. “You’re a grade apart, which makes all the difference to a teenager. Just be glad I’m cool with the whole thing.”
Lizzy clapped Brad on the back. “Got to love the protective brother. So, what’s the plan? You two going to move into the house, or put it on the market after all?”
“I haven’t really thought that far ahead,” I admitted. “But I’m not sure I want to live there. I grew up in that house. It would be weird moving into the master bedroom. To me, that will always be Mom and Dad’s room. It’s all I would be able to think about during sex.”