Late the next morning, after a wonderful breakfast of custom-made omelets prepared by her chef, Amelia insisted on driving me home in my new car. I was still on the fence about accepting the car as a gift, but I’d decided that if I thought of it as a company car, the weirdness would be a little easier to accept. If I quit my job, or if Amelia and I broke up, I would simply leave the car at the warehouse and let her sort out the details of swapping the title. While our relationship was stronger than ever, particularly after spending the last couple of days entirely together, and the progress we’d made last night, it still seemed entirely too early in our relationship to accept something so expensive. Given that I’d rarely received flowers from past boyfriends, the idea of taking a car ever was very strange. That said, I needed one to get to work and for work itself. I was tired of relying on being driven around by Amelia and her driver.
“We should have taken separate cars,” I told her. “You know I was planning on painting today, and we agreed that I could have a night for it a week. It’s not a lot to ask.”
“You’ll have your night off. I just wanted to see you home—that’s all.”
She was acting a little strange, but I didn’t think much of it until she made an unexpected turn onto Esplanade.
“This isn’t how you get to my house,” I said.
“I’m going the long way.”
“More like taking a detour,” I commented, but stopped myself from saying more. I hate backseat drivers.
A couple of minutes later, we pulled into a driveway by her father’s rental. There were two parking spaces here—one for the other apartment and the one we’d just parked in.
“What are we doing here?”
“I’ll show you.” Her eyes alive with merriment, she got out of the car and left me there.
I climbed out my side after her. “Amelia!” I called after her, shutting the car door.
She turned and motioned for me to come nearer. “You’ll love this. Just come with me.”
She took my hand and led me around the side of the house to the front steps. A paper sign hanging on the door said Welcome Home! and a couple of blue balloons were tied to the doorknob. I paused and she turned back to me, looking elated.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“You’ll see.” She pulled me forward.
Amelia opened the door and stepped aside so I could enter first. I held my breath and walked in, and Aunt Kate, Jim, Meghan, and Zach all jumped up from behind furniture.
“Surprise!” they shouted. Amelia followed me in and shut the door behind us.
I was too stunned to say anything. All of my furniture had been moved into the apartment. My armchair, my bookshelves, and a nice, new loveseat had been placed in here, almost exactly as I’d imagined it. A new painting hung above the loveseat, and the other pictures consisted of framed artwork and photographs from my walls at home. I slowly spun around, taking in the whole room. Everyone was smiling, looking incredibly pleased with themselves.
“What is this?” I asked.
“It’s your new place.” Amelia held up some keys.
“But—but—”
Amelia grabbed my hands and pulled me over to the couch. We sat next to each other while the others stood there, watching.
“I talked with my father and told him how much you loved the apartment. Since he owns the rental agency he uses for his apartments, he agreed to rent it directly to you without going through the agency. He took it off the list a couple of days ago so he could avoid the rental agency’s fees. I asked Meghan about it once he told me he could, and she said the new price was exactly what you were willing to pay.”
I looked up at Meghan. “You were in on this?”
She smiled and then indicated the others. “We all were.”
“We worked like fiends after you two left yesterday to get it ready for you,” Aunt Kate said, wiping her brow dramatically.
“You all did this?” I looked at each of them. They nodded. “Together?”
Aunt Kate laughed. “When your Amelia told me about the plan, I was thrilled. I knew you were disappointed about not getting this place. Jim and I wanted to help, so I called Meghan and Zach here to help us move your stuff.”
My eyes were welling with tears, and Amelia pulled me into an embrace. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Is this who you were talking with on the phone yesterday?” I asked, pulling back a little.
“Yes. I also had to talk with some movers from work, so it wasn’t completely a lie—I did call work. It was really hard not to give it away.”
I laughed. “You’re a terrible liar, by the way. I knew you were hiding something.”
She shrugged, looking incredibly pleased with herself.
Aunt Kate was wiping her eyes.
“Thank you,” I told her. “Thanks all of you.” I looked around at all of them. “It’s the nicest surprise I’ve ever had.”
Meghan’s eyes looked a little red as well, but she laughed. “Go look around, you ninny! We’ve been working our butts off.”
I laughed and stood up, walking into the kitchen. A breakfast table had been set up in here, and I saw on the shelves a combination of some of my old kitchenware mixed in with some new. A new mixer stood on the counter, as well as a couple of other small appliances. Out the back door, I could see a larger table set up on my small patio, and a big garden box that looked freshly tilled. I glanced in the powder room as I walked back into the living room, and Amelia was standing by the stairs.
“Can I show you?” she asked, indicating the stairs.
“Yes.” I was still fighting tears.
We climbed the narrow, steep flight, and she insisted on showing me the bedroom in the back first. It was small, but functional, with a new queen-sized bed and a couple of tiny night stands. A new, huge wardrobe stood near the wall by the door, which, considering the lack of a closet back here, was precisely what the room needed. The main bathroom had been done up with several shades of dark-purple linen, which harmonized nicely with the gray walls.
Apparently saving the best for last, Amelia paused in front of the final closed door. “This was the hardest room for them to move and set up. I had some people from the warehouse help move the artwork, and they kept all the covered paintings hidden. I haven’t seen anything yet.” She paused, meeting my eyes. “I know you wanted to show me your work on your own time, so I won’t come in with you if you don’t want me to.”
I smiled widely and pulled her into my arms. “Please come in with me,” I whispered. “You’ve earned it.”
Her face lit up with joy, and I opened the door for us.
My new studio was perfect. The easel had been set up in precisely the spot I’d imagined it. A new shelving system had been installed along the far wall for my materials, which, I noticed immediately, had been added to, liberally. I saw extra canvases and framing materials I knew I hadn’t owned before, and it looked like my paintbrush and paint set had grown twofold. My newest painting was sitting on my easel, still covered with a drop cloth, waiting for me to return to it. Also, my paint palette lay on a small table next to the easel. The sun streamed in through the large, nearly floor-to-ceiling window, and I could tell that the light in here would be fantastic for painting.
Amelia walked in and immediately started examining my older paintings, several of which had been hung on the walls already, just as they’d been in my studio at Aunt Kate’s house. A selection of even older paintings were propped against another wall, again, just as they had been in my old studio. I watched her for a long while as she gazed at the work on display, holding my breath. After she’d seen the last one, she turned to me, her expression bright.
“They’re wonderful.”
“Really?”
She looked gravely serious and met my eyes. “You’re incredibly gifted. Even the older ones are charming.”
I relaxed finally, breathing out a long breath. “You’re just saying that.”
Her face became stern. “Not at all, Chloé. Your work is marvelous. I’m not saying anything to flatter you. I like it a lot.”
I shrugged, not quite believing her, but the compliment pleased me. I’d been terrified to have her see my work. Now that the ordeal was over, I wouldn’t have to worry about it again.
“So do you like it?” She gestured at the room.
My eyes flooded with tears again, and I rushed over, pulling her into an embrace. “It’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
She rubbed my back for a while, shushing me, and then, almost simultaneously, we realized we were being watched. All four of the others stood in the doorway, watching us with identical, pleased expressions. They walked in, and I gave each one a hug, temporarily unable to speak.
“I take it you like it?” Meghan asked.
“It’s amazing.” I looked around at all of them, blinking away tears. “You’re all amazing. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Aunt Kate walked over to me and gave me another hug. “You deserve it, honey. I want you to be happy. We all do.”
I saw her share a smile with Amelia, and my heart swelled with relief and joy. They were finally starting to understand each other.
“I am happy. Right now, I couldn’t be happier.”
I hugged all five of them, trying my hardest to stop crying, but my tears were infectious. Amelia, Meghan, and Aunt Kate’s eyes were leaking by the time I’d made my rounds, and even Jim looked a little red around the eyes.
“Okay,” Aunt Kate finally said, making a cutting motion. “Enough of these tears.” She wiped her eyes. “This is a happy occasion, and we should celebrate.”
“Port of Call is just up the street,” Jim suggested.
“Oh, man. I could go for one of their burgers,” Amelia said.
We all looked at her, surprised to think that she’d ever been to that dive bar, let alone eaten a burger there or anywhere else. Seeing our shocked expressions, she laughed. “Well, it is an institution, people. I did grow up here.”
I laughed and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “A burger sounds perfect.” My eyes were tearing up again in perfect happiness.
“We’ll go grab our jackets,” Aunt Kate said, steering Jim out the door.
“We’ll come with you,” Meghan said, grabbing Zach’s arm. Both of them clearly understood that Amelia and I needed a minute.
Amelia and I were left alone, and she pulled me into a long embrace. I kept swallowing the lump in my throat, too happy to tell her how I felt. After a couple of minutes of simply holding each other, I drew back. I met her eyes and saw that they were wet and red, too. She knew how I felt about what she’d done for me without explanation.
“You go ahead,” I told Amelia. “I need a minute to calm down.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “I’ll be right down.”
She left and I turned slowly around once more, looking at my marvelous new studio. Had anyone asked me to describe the perfect studio, I would have described this room exactly. Somehow, without even asking me, Amelia had known just what I would like. Even after our progress last night, when I’d seen her almost completely nude, I’d still been harboring a kernel of concern about our future together. Now, seeing this room, those worries were put to rest. Our sex life could only get better—that I knew for certain. And if our love for each other deepened along with it, I knew that everything would eventually work out. I was determined to show her how much she meant to me, even if it took years for us to get there.
Wiping my eyes for the final time, I made my way downstairs and rejoined the others. They hadn’t heard me coming, and I watched as the five of them joked and laughed with each other as they stood in my new living room. Amelia and Meghan looked relaxed and happy, and Aunt Kate and the men were watching the two of them banter with big grins on their faces. Amelia and the people I considered my family were finally seeing eye-to-eye.
Seeing them there, I knew everything was going to just keep getting better and better.