He shrugged, placing his empty cup of coffee on the table, while he continued to rub my back.
“How did the meetings go?” Grace asked.
“Good actually. Roman managed to pull his ass out of bed in the nick of time, and he threw his megawatt charm into high gear. I think we have a good shot of getting their support.”
“That’s great! I know you were hoping for this deal,” she said, a genuine smile spreading across her face.
“We were. It would strengthen our base, which is exactly what I have been trying to do since I returned. I’m trying to make sure Cavanaugh Investments is around for many more lifetimes and is able to withstand any financial earthquakes that might try to tear it down in the future.”
“You’re doing a fantastic job—both of you,” she added. “Lailah told me she made dean’s list last semester.”
“She actually told you that?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “She hasn’t even told her mom.”
“You haven’t told Molly?” she nearly screeched, staring me down.
“It’s not a big deal.” I shrugged.
“It’s not a big deal to tell your mother, who happens to be a professor and covets education like most people covet chocolate or Louboutin heels? Yeah, I’m sure she wouldn’t care at all.”
“I just don’t want her to make a big fuss,” I said.
“Why?” Grace asked, tearing off pieces of her pancake and placing them on Zander’s tray.
“Because it’s not really that important in the grand scheme of things.”
Setting the remainder of the half-shredded pancake back on her plate, her eyes met mine. “Everything in your life is important, Lailah. Don’t you remember that? Have you become that desensitized already?”
“Desensitized?” I scoffed, looking over to Jude.
Folding his napkin, he placed it on his plate and silently observed the conversation.
“Do you remember that naive skinny girl who couldn’t wait to get out of the hospital and begin living a life she never had before?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t forget her,” she urged. “She would want you to celebrate everything, no matter how small or insignificant, Lailah. Seeing you grow into your own over the last two years has been amazing. The strength and courage you bring to this world make me proud to call you my friend. But don’t let the world change you. Change the world, Lailah.”
Her words hit home as I tried to recall the last time I’d pulled out my list of wishes that I’d created over the years while hiding away in that hospital room.
My Someday List was everything I’d wanted to do if given the chance at a normal life. When Jude had discovered it, he’d made it his goal to help me strike out every last wish off that one-hundred-forty-three-item list.
But as the days had gone on, life had begun to settle, and so had I. The worn pages of my journal had become something of an afterthought now that the world had finally exploded around me.
“Don’t let the world change you,” Grace had said. “Change the world.”
“I think it’s time for some cake,” I announced.
“That’s my girl,” Jude said softly, signaling to the waiter across the room.
“Make sure he brings some chocolate pudding, too,” I added. “We’re celebrating!”
“Sure thing, angel.”
I might not have been changing the world yet, but while I figured out how, I could at least make sure I shined through.
“You must be the only multimillionaire I know who takes a cab to the airport,” Grace joked, shaking her head, as our little yellow taxi pulled up to the curb at JFK.
“And how many multimillionaires do you know exactly?” Jude asked from the front seat.
He leaned over to hand the driver what was no doubt double, if not triple, his required fee—plus, a hefty tip. The man’s eyes bulged as he thanked Jude several times and then quickly jumped out to help with Grace’s bags.
“Well, two—if you count your burly brother. And I know he wouldn’t be caught dead traveling the streets of Manhattan in anything less than a town car.”
The three of us exited the cab as Grace cradled Zander in her arms. He was the only kid on the planet who could be lulled to sleep by a New York taxicab. Meanwhile, I’d held on for dear life and prayed we wouldn’t end up at the bottom of the Hudson.
“That’s because my brother is stuck-up and arrogant,” Jude said, smacking her hand away from her suitcase. He took the handle and slung Zander’s diaper bag over his shoulder. After heading toward the check-in counter, he turned back around and smiled briefly. “And he also doesn’t have an amazing woman in his life, like I do, who still gets a thrill each time she hails a cab.”
I laughed, shrugging my shoulder. “It is exhilarating.”
“And what number was that?” she asked, swaying back and forth.
We stood in line behind a man in a business suit, waiting to check in at the first-class counter.
“Ninety-eight.” I blushed.
Her shoulder lightly bumped mine, and I turned to see her warm smile.