She dried a plate, examining it like it held answers. Maybe I'll take a class, learn something completely impractical, or travel somewhere that isn't a business trip. Or you could just rest, figure out what makes you happy. Is it pathetic that what makes me happy is doing dishes in your kitchen while your daughter sleeps on the couch. If it's pathetic, then we're both pathetic because this makes me happy, too.
She set down the plate and turned to face him. I'm falling in love with you. Is that crazy? We've only known each other a month. Ethan's heart kicked against his ribs.
It's crazy, but I'm falling in love with you, too, so we're in good company. What do we do now? We keep doing this. Dinners and dishes and card games with impossible rules. We figure it out as we go.
I'm not good at figuring things out without a plan. Then we'll make a plan. Step one, keep seeing each other. Step two, see how it goes. Step three, adjust as needed.
That's a terrible plan. It's the only plan I've got. She kissed him, tasting like spaghetti sauce and possibility. And Ethan wrapped his arms around her, feeling the last of his doubts dissolve. This was real.
This was working. This was worth every moment of fear and uncertainty. Over the next few months, they built something together that didn't fit any corporate structure or conventional timeline. Vivien spent her weekdays transitioning out of Heart Industries, training her replacement and handling board meetings with a patient she hadn't known she possessed. Her evenings and weekends were split between Ethan's cramped apartment and her slowly warming penthouse.
The apartment got plants, art that Vivien actually chose instead of accepting from a stager. Photos of her and Ethan and Sophie at the aquarium at the park making pancakes in her kitchen. The space transformed from a museum into a home, messy and imperfect and lived in. Ethan's shop continued to grow. The Hard Industries contract led to other contracts, word of mouth referrals, a reputation for honest work that actually spread.
He hired a second mechanic, upgraded equipment, started thinking about expansion in concrete terms instead of impossible dreams. Sophie adjusted to having Viven around with the easy acceptance of children who haven't learned to be skeptical yet. She taught Viven about penguins and card games and the proper way to organize kitchen cabinets. Viven taught Sophie about business and negotiation and the importance of knowing your worth. Sarah remained skeptical for exactly 2 weeks before declaring that Viven was acceptable, assuming she doesn't break my brother's heart.
Viven accepted this with grace and won Sarah over completely by helping her navigate a complicated school district bureaucracy issue using corporate contacts and sheer determination. 6 months after the board meeting where Viven had announced her resignation, she officially stepped down as CEO of Heart Industries. The company threw a farewell party that Viven attended with Ethan and Sophie, making small talk with board members while Sophie entertained herself by rating the appetizers on a scale she'd invented. "The little sandwiches are a seven," Sophie informed a beused board member. "But the shrimp things are a two.