“Yeah.” Tate nodded. “Tomorrow, we head to Mombasa.”
“Well, except me.” Harris lifted his hand. “I’m staying a little longer to get Oblivion at Canary Wharf up and running.”
Sienna’s expressive face lit up. “That sounds exciting. I’ll have to check it out when you open it.”
Harris rested his hand on the countertop. “I’d be honored to have you and the guys as guests.”
She bit her lip and held back a smile.
I slipped my arm around Harris’ waist. “I’ll have to come back for the grand opening, even if it’s only for a couple of days. I have to be here for my hot chef.”
“I am totally there, and I will make my people come with me as well. I’ll bribe them if I have to,” Sienna said as she pointed at Harris.
“Bribe them? All you have to do is tell them that the best chef in North America is opening his flagship U.K. restaurant, and they should flock to the place,” Harris scoffed as his eyebrows knitted together.
Her mouth dropped open. “Cocky, much?”
“It’s why I love him,” I said with a shrug.
“It seems you and I both have a thing for cocky guys.” Sienna’s gaze wandered toward the living area where Cruz and Augustus were chatting with a group of unknowns.
“We also seem to enjoy the gentle ones.” I glanced at Eric and Byron.
Byron blushed and smiled into his drink.
She noticed right away and winked at him. “Your kind make amazing lovers, Byron.”
Jack drained his glass and set it on the bench. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m off to have some fun and say hey to some total strangers. Who’s with me?”
“I’ll come.” Royce pecked my forehead. “You cool?”
“Yeah, have fun.”
“Come on, Byron.” Royce nudged his brother, and the trio disappeared into the crowd.
Eric went over to the Huntington brothers and introduced himself. He was so endearing that he won them over right away.
I extricated myself from Harris’ arms. “You and Tate should go and mingle too. I need Sienna time.” I moved around the bench and draped my arms around my best friend.
Tate smirked. “All right, baby. Don’t be a stranger and hide over here for too long.”
Sienna wiggled her fingers at them. “Bye, boys.”
With a scowl, Harris followed his older brother away from the kitchen.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Sienna threw her arms around me again. “I’m going to miss you when you go. Two weeks went too fast.”
“I know. I wish I could stay longer. But I’m very much looking forward to working at the rescue.”
“So you should be. I’m so proud of you, Lou. You’ve come a long way. You’ve made more progress in the past few months than in the whole time I’ve known you. I’m reluctant to say it’s because of your men, since I believe you were capable of it anyway. But at the same time, it would be naïve of me to say they haven’t helped you.”
“They helped us both, in all honesty.”
“Yes. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Tate. I wouldn’t be in multiple relationships if you hadn’t paved the way and shown that it could be done successfully. Thank you to both of you.” She clinked her glass against mine.
“This is it, though.” I twisted my lips together. “No more random, girly nights with wine, ice cream, andDawson’s Creek.No more shopping trips or lunches. Because, let’s face it, we’ve both found where we belong in this world, and it’s a world apart from each other. You’ll stay in London, and I’ll be in Wayborough Shores. We have our lovers, our careers, and our homes. I’m going to miss us.” My vision blurred when tears welled in my eyes.
Sienna’s clasped hands flew to her chest. “Oh, Lou. You’re going to make me cry.”