Not A Trophy Wife

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Happy birthday, Savi!" Carmen shouted and rushed to me.

"Gosh!" I exclaimed, trying to catch my breath from my friend's tight hug. "This is amazing! Thank you so much!"

Pamela came closer as well and hugged me too. Banks and Cohen took their turns after her.

The main culprit was present too. "Happy birthday, Savi!"

"Thank you, Charlie." As I hugged her, I peeked over her shoulder. "And that's Max over there, huh?"

Charlie nodded with a smile. "Yeah. I hope you don't mind that I invited him."

"Of course not." I moved closer to her ear. "Did you two...?"

"Yeah," she replied, happiness beaming in her eyes.

"Now!" Carmen intervened. "It's time for presents!"

"There are presents?" I asked excitedly.

"Well, what's a birthday without presents?" Carmen took my hand and pulled me towards the caravan. "For your new hobby..." She paused for a moment and turned to Cohen after that. "Come on, boy, move!"

Cohen handed me a red helmet with a beautiful ribbon on top.

"It's gorgeous! Thank you, guys!" I immediately put it on my head and turned to Jayden. "It suits me, right?"

Jayden smiled. "Perfectly." Then he removed it. "But I can't kiss you with it."

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Carmen started shouting from the side.

"Mmm." Sweet sounds came from my lips, intertwined with Jayden's. "I can't believe it! I know I keep repeating that, but I really can't believe this is all true."

"It is—a special birthday for a special girl. But I have some work to do now. I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you going?" I asked, quite puzzled.

"It's a surprise," Jayden replied.

"More surprises?"

He nodded, put the helmet back on my head, and walked away.

"Hey, Savi." Pamela stood next to me the next moment. "How are you?"

"Amazing! Wait for a second, please." I took the helmet off, ran to the caravan to leave it inside, and turned back to Pamela.

"Savi, I want to talk to you about something. I'm sorry to bother you on your birthday, but I'm leaving tomorrow." Pamela said with a hint of uncertainty.

"It's okay, Pam," I said. "I'm listening. Let's go for a walk."

We took a stroll around the yard.

"I feel Carmen wants to stay here," Pamela said. "We've known each other for months now. She's always been smiling, full of emotions, and temperamental. But there's something different about her when she's here among her friends, around Jayden. The tension I've sensed at times is gone. It's like she's in the right place. I've given her many different jobs. But I think working at Moonlight is her calling. Am I right, Savi? Or am I imagining it?"

"This is her home, Pam. Her bond with Jayden is very strong. The attachment to the motel and her friends too. I don't know what to tell you..."

"A company in the nearby town is looking for a person in the HR department. The interview is next week."

"You want to move here?" I asked her with amazement in my eyes.

"Well, it's a crazy idea. I'm scared. I mean, I've been through bigger changes in my life, so it's not coming here that worries me, but it's what Carmen would think. What if that pushes her away? What if she thinks I'm forcing things? That I'm rushing?"