Beautiful Together (35 page)

Epilogue

Four years later...

When Jesse flew out to California several years ago, he and the other members of Dolphin met with an insanely rich and successful software developer, one who ended up offering them five-hundred thousand dollars in exchange for a ten-percent share of the company.

The plan was that they would get to retain majority control of Dolphin while receiving help and resources from the developer, growing the whole enterprise into a potential "billion dollar idea" that was truly theirs. They would survive on the initial start-up investment until the gears were really turning and then... well, the sky was the limit.

For them, it was like a dream come true. Having your cake
and
eating it too.

Everything was fine until word spread of their plans throughout the tech blogosphere. And it spread like uncontrolled wildfire on the hottest, driest day of the year.

There had been counter offers—one offer had even been fifteen million to give up the whole thing—but Jesse and the other founders had remained firm in their decision to retain majority control of their dream project.

Our conversation had gone something like this:

Me:
"Wait, you're saying you could walk away from all of this with
three million dollars
apiece? Without having to do anything else but sell the idea? Like, you'd become a millionaire overnight?"

Him:
"That's exactly right."

Me:
"And you're going to do it, right?"

Him:
"Nope."

Me:
"Are you
totally insane,
Jesse Evans?
Three million dollars?
Think about what you could do with all that money!"

Him:
"I've got bigger plans for Dolphin. Just you wait and see."

Sure, it wouldn't have been enough money to get him to go through high school again—he wanted
five million
for that if my memory serves me—but it was still a lot, especially when we were talking about real money.

Well, I had waited. And I
saw
, all right.
I saw.

Four years later, Dolphin was valued at
three-hundred million
, and was about to go public on the stock market. They had a beautiful office in Silicon Valley, equipped with all of the top luxury amenities. They had eighty total employees, and would certainly hire more as they expanded.

All of the founders were rich, far richer than they would have been had they taken the fifteen million.

It hadn't happened overnight—and it also hadn't been easy—but it happened. Dolphin's software had redefined the way businesses communicate. It was huge. I was dating a minor
Mark Zuckerberg
.

But what did all of that mean for me? For us?

Well, it meant that I now lived in sunny California with Jesse. I had graduated with honors from San Jose State University with a biology degree. I had done awesome on the GRE—it was great to feel that
smart feeling again, a feeling that had been so familiar to me long ago—and soon I would be starting the veterinary program at the University of California, Davis, one of the top veterinary schools in the country.

Jesse was proud of me, and I was proud of myself. I knew the next steps in my life, and I was actively taking them. Amy had been beyond ecstatic when I emailed her the news. She told me that she had applied to UC Davis but didn't get accepted. That had made me feel
extra
smart.

It hadn't been comfortable to give up my life in NYC, but I knew I had to do it. The goodbye to Vijay had been bittersweet, but he totally understood. And I helped him find a replacement, so he owed me at least for that.

Arielle and Elise had understood as well.

"You're so lucky that you get to move to California," Arielle had said.

"And what's keeping you from moving there right now too?" I had asked.

Her head had turned like a dog that had just heard an unfamiliar sound. And then she had grinned. "Nothing, I guess. Good point."

I gave up smoking pot, packed up my things, and took a leap of faith, crossing three time zones and following Jesse to California. I figured out a plan for school, and then I went for it. Mason would have been proud of me—I was finally trying.

We started off in a small apartment, and then eventually upgraded to renting a whole house with a pool after the serious money started rolling in. Neither place was all that luxurious—housing was far from cheap if you wanted to live in Silicon Valley—but they were much nicer than the apartment in Brooklyn or the bare bones housing options on campus.

Jesse always said he wanted to rent until he was ready to build his dream house, and I fully respected that decision.

I still didn't like that I was relying on other people for financial support, but I realized it was inevitable if I was going to date a multimillionaire. Jesse paying for my entire tuition was roughly the equivalent to me buying a nice lunch with my former phone store wages.

I stopped fighting it and learned to appreciate the possibilities.

So basically everything in my life changed—except for Arielle. She was always consistent, always the same. Capricious and loving, exactly how I liked her. A couple years after I left, she started working for a fashion magazine and totally loved it.

She also started dating her boss, an indication that her free spirited principles of living hadn't faded at all. She had described their relationship as "a bit scandalous." Shortly after landing the new job, she had surprised me with a visit, and it had been great.

It was like nothing had changed at all, even though everything had.

Elise opened her own salon, and was apparently doing quite well. It was tough for a business to survive in such a big city, yet she was thriving.

Still, the craziest part of everything—well, maybe not crazier than the millions of dollars—was my family. After I got the news about UC Davis, Jesse and I had flown straight home and surprised our parents. It was a trip we had planned forever, but hadn't ever taken. I was incredibly nervous about reconciliation, but Jesse had been so supportive and encouraging I couldn't say no.

I had called my dad before I moved to California, and kept him up to date on my school stuff as I rapidly progressed through undergrad. But this was far bigger news than that.

***

Arriving at my house, hand linked with Jesse's as we walked up the sidewalk, the surreal aspect of the experience hit me hard. The last time we had been there together was over ten years prior—and now we weren't just friends, we were a serious couple.

"Are you ready?" Jesse asked.

I shrugged and took a deep breath. "Yeah. As ready as I'm ever going to be."

I knocked on the door, even though I still had my key from so long ago. I saw my dad excitedly passing by the window as he rushed to greet us. The door swung open.

"Naomi!" he said, lunging forward and hugging me.

"Dad! You look great," I said. His black hair had a little more grey in it, but not much. And he also looked skinnier than the last time I had seen him. "Have you been working out?"

"We got a treadmill," he said. "Your mom and I love it." He smiled at Jesse. "And
Mr. Entrepreneur
! How are you doing, Jesse?"

They shook hands, and I could tell it was a very firm handshake. "Mr. Miller! I'm great. Just living one day at time."

"Please, call me Brian," my dad said, smiling. "You're making me feel too old. And come in!"

We headed in and got situated in the living room. I could smell chicken from the kitchen. And then my mom came into the living room.

"Naomi! Jesse!" She gave us a big smile. I gave her a hug, and despite the fact that it felt good, I knew it was only the start. It looked like she had just come from the salon because her red hair was freshly cut, colored, and styled. Actually, it was a pretty hip haircut and it looked great on her.

"Hi, mom! Your hair looks great. Did you just get it done?"

"I did, just this afternoon. I told my stylist to try something new."

"Well, I love it!" I said.

"Hi, Mrs. Miller," Jesse said.

"Jesse Evans!" she said warmly, hugging him briefly. "You're all grown up! And call me Carolyn."

I offered to help with dinner, but she refused. So I talked with my dad and Jesse in the living room until dinner was ready.

"Oh, we've got a surprise," my dad said, jumping out of his chair. He disappeared down the hall to their bedroom.

I heard the tiny footsteps, and then, boom, there was a goldendoodle puppy in my lap, the cutest puppy I had ever seen.

"Sandy!" my dad yelled. "Get down."

"Aww!" I said, petting while her tail wagged chaotically on my lap. "Sandy! Hi, Sandy!" She licked my face and then jumped on Jesse's lap. "How long have you had her?"

"Four months," my dad said. "We wanted to surprise you."

"Well, it worked," I said, grinning, trying to get Sandy away from Jesse.

"She keeps things interesting around here. She loves stealing my socks whenever I'm on the phone. Well, whenever I'm not paying attention to her."

"And we find socks all over the house," my mom called from the kitchen.

Seeing their puppy further reinforced my decision to become a veterinarian. I knew it wouldn't be that rosy all the time, but that wouldn't make the good moments any less poignant.

I was smitten.

My dad looked happier than I'd ever seen him before when I gave him the news about school, like I had just told him he had won the lottery.

"You got into
UC Davis
? I can't believe it, honey. That's such a great school!" He was totally ecstatic. "Did you hear that Carolyn?" he called. "Our daughter is going to UC Davis!"

"That's wonderful," my mom said, smiling.

On top of that, I was also dating a guy with a serious business; my dad promised to track Dolphin daily with the rest of his stock portfolio. He even planned to buy shares at the initial public offering.

"The stock analysts won't shut up about Dolphin," he had said. "Might be the pick of the year." Despite all the constant praise, Jesse always remained humble, usually just attributing his success to the other guys in the company.

"It was my concept," he said as always, "but
their
hard work. I would have nothing without them."

We all sat down to eat after that, conversing like nothing had ever changed. It felt good and natural.

It felt like home.

Jesse and I had decided that we would stay overnight at our respective homes to keep things uncontroversial. And also so I had some time alone to resolve things with my mom.

After dinner, things died down. "I'm going to head home," Jesse said eventually. "But I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'll walk you to your car."

My parents said goodbye to him and we headed outside, stopping at the car.

"So you're gonna have the talk?" he asked.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Yeah. Well, I hope so."

"It'll be fine, Naomi. Everything seems... different. Better. They're happy."

I hugged him. "I'm just hoping for the best," I said.

"Well, call or text me, okay? I love you." He gave me a firm kiss.

"I love you, too."

I waved as he backed the rental car out of the driveway. And then I went inside, feeling like I was on a mission.

"Do you want to see the treadmill?" my mom said. "It's pretty fancy. I can show you how to use it."

"Yeah, sure." I wondered if
I
should say something, but I couldn't make up my mind.

We walked down those familiar stairs together, one at a time, until we were in the basement. It had been totally redone. New carpet, new lighting, new furniture.

"Wow," I said. "It looks incredible down here."

"Thanks," she said. "I thought it could use a little updating. We finished it last summer."

She showed me the treadmill in the corner, and yeah, it was a really complex device. Lots of workouts and features and options. Still, it was hard for me to pay attention. Finally, when there was nothing more to explain, she stopped and looked at me.

"Naomi, we need to talk."

"Sure," I said, my heart racing a bit.

We sat down on the new couch together.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I know it's... it's finally time."

I nodded along. "Yeah, okay."

"I'm so sorry for what I did," she said, frowning. "I think about those words I said every single day and wish that I had done it all differently. You were too young for all of that stuff with Mason. I relived that moment a thousand times in my mind, over and over again, wishing I could have changed it." She swallowed hard. "It's been so lonely since you left. And... I didn't think you'd ever come back."