"Right. Of course."
She stops fiddling with the streamers she's unrolling. "You're really nervous about this, aren't you?"
"Well, yeah. I really need help. I just found out yesterday that my family is pulling their investment money.”
Emma pouts. “Sasha, you know Tank and Finn will invest. They’d love to help.”
Before she even finishes her sentence, I’m already shaking my head. “Thank you but I really want to do this on my own. The only reason I let Kay and Eli invest is because she’d badger me until I gave in. She knows all my weak spots. That’s the hazard of knowing someone since grade school.”
“I understand. I didn’t even want to let Tank pay for my school fees so I get it. But you know we’re happy to help if you change your mind.”
The most amazing thing is that I truly do know. Emma doesn’t have a self-serving bone in her body. She truly wants the best for everyone around her. It’s what makes her such a great friend and I suspect, what makes her so perfect for Tank.
“I do know that and it means a lot. It’s just that I’m so close. I know I can do this. But I just need to figure some things out first. I’ve never owned anything before. I need advice. Badly."
Emma comes over and squeezes my arm. "Don't worry. Finn mentioned that he had several people in mind so you'll have more than one to choose from. Get them drunk enough and you can ask them all the questions you want."
The intercom buzzes. Emma winks and then opens the door for the caterers.
In less than half an hour, the place looks ready to go. Most of the guests have arrived. Tank arrives finally and Emma greets him with a relieved sigh. He waves at me from across the room and then sets the case of beer he's holding on the counter.
Emma taps a spoon against her flute of champagne. "Thank you for coming everyone. Before the guests of honor arrive I just want to say—"
The front door opens and a woman with a head of curly red hair stumbles through the door backward, her arms and lips attached to Finn. The crowd grows silent and the couple freezes when they realize they aren't alone. Finn looks surprised but not guilty so I figure the woman in his arms must be his fiancée.
Emma turns to glare at Tank.
He looks down at his shoes before glancing over at Emma sheepishly. "Oops. I guess my guy at the restaurant forgot to call and warn me that they were on the way home."
Finn still has his hands on Rissa's behind and doesn't look as though he has any plans to move them. A giggle escapes before I can stop it. Emma still looks pissed but soon she's laughing softly too.
"Um, surprise!"
The room erupts into applause and wolf whistles. Rissa extricates herself from Finn's arms even though he doesn't look too happy about it. When her eyes light on the banner I attached to the wide living room window, she lets out a soft gasp.
"It's a party. For us!"
She grabs Finn's arm and tows him across the room to where we're standing. Even though Finn still looks murderous, Rissa grabs Emma in a big hug. "Thank you so much. I can't believe you did this for us!"
Finn shakes hands with his brother. "Yeah, thanks bro. Great timing as usual."
Tank winces and pulls his hand back. "That's what family is for, right?"
Finn kisses me lightly on the cheek. "Sasha, this is my fiancée, Rissa."
We shake hands and then she's back in Finn's arms.
"This is a gorgeous room. I love the colors." I direct my comments to Rissa. The room is decorated in mainly muted shades but with strategic pops of color. The yellow throw pillows are the kind of thing I can't ever imagine a guy buying for himself.
Her eyes light up. "I finally convinced Finn that we need a little more color in here. If he had his way everything would be beige."
Finn shrugs. "It's practical. Brown matches everything."
Rissa gazes up at him adoringly. Next to me, Emma is looking at Tank the same way. Suddenly the room feels suffocatingly small. Everywhere I go I'm surrounded by lovey-dovey types and even though I don't begrudge my friends their happiness, it's getting harder and harder not to ignore the emptiness I feel that there's no one standing by my side.
"I think I'm going to take a walk. It's a little stuffy in here."
Tank shifts uncertainly. "There are parts of this area that still aren't safe. Maybe we should go with you."
Finn eyes me knowingly. "Why don't you go up to the roof? It's got a great view and it's only accessible to residents. You can have a breather from all the noise."
I smile at him gratefully. "That sounds perfect."
After retrieving my coat, I ride the elevator up one floor. It lets me out in a small sitting area that leads to a wraparound outdoor space. Wow. I knew that Finn renovated this building when he bought it but I wasn't expecting anything like this. Most of the rooftops in the city are dirty and kind of scary looking. This looks like the outdoor seating space at a restaurant. I feel my tension start to melt away.
I lean against the brick wall and look over the rooftops of the shorter buildings in the distance. Way up here, everything looks so small. But at least I'm alone finally.
Always alone.
Until I open my eyes and see the dark shape standing next to me. Air escapes in a little gasp and I instinctively move back. The man standing there has on a long black trench coat and one of those old fashioned hats like men used to wear back in the forties. My breath freezes in my chest. It's the guy from the business office. The gorgeous one.