“It’s going to be fine. You’ve worked there too long for him to have treated you that way, and you have a right to walk away from it all.”
I nodded because I still didn’t have a solid plan for after. David and I had briefly discussed a few possibilities, and it felt strange to expect that he’d uproot his entire life to stay there in Chicago with me. While I’d fallen head over heels for the man, it was all very fast. Okay, it was months in the making and the man had been pushy as hell about it, but if he hadn’t, I never would’ve gotten my head out of my ass and realized what I had in front of me all along. Someone I wanted in my life. To find love and happiness for a change.
He knew what he wanted and went after it.
By the time the car pulled up outside the office building, there was a lead ball sitting in the pit of my stomach. I was on the verge of emptying the contents of said organ all over the sidewalk outside of the car. The driver eyed me skeptically through the rearview mirror, no doubt because I’d gone a bit green. Of course, I knew the rules. Didn’t everyone? It was expensive as hell if you threw up in a rideshare car. I would not be making that mistake today.
The vertigo set in as I looked up at the imposing building in front of me. Eight damn years. I’d given this place eight damnyears of my life and I was about to walk through the doors to tell them I was done.
David set a hand on my shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze, and we made our way through the front entrance. It was the elevator ride that ultimately did me in. By the time we got off, I had to rush to the nearest trash can to empty my stomach.
When I straightened, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, David stood by the elevator bank with his eyebrows raised. “You sure you can handle this?”
I laughed because I knew how insane this all looked. All I had to do was walk my happy little butt into Mr. Thomas’s office, hand him my letter of resignation, and let him know I was officially issuing my notice. People did stuff like that all the time, but it felt like the end of the world to me. This place had become my home. The co-workers I had here had been with me through some of the roughest parts of my life, and I was leaving them behind.
Finally, after a couple of tries, I managed to take a few deep breaths and nod. “It’ll be fine. It just doesn’t feel real.”
David walked closer, pulling me into a loose hug. “Just remember that I’m here and have your back. I’ll even come into the room with you if you need it.”
Warmth spread through my limbs because I knew that. I knew David was really there for me and that I could count on him going forward. It didn’t matter what Mr. Thomas thought. If I was really doing this, I was doing it without giving a flying fuck.
As soon as David let me go, my hand instantly drifted to his. The feel of his palm against mine gave me a renewed sense of confidence. His smile was wide as I pulled him down the hall toward my boss’s office. Maybe it was a little cliche to do things this way. We’d only just tried to convince him that nothing wasgoing on, and here we were proclaiming it loudly. Hell, I wanted the whole damn world to know. David Garrison was mine.
I didn’t get the chance to knock as both David and I jumped a little when Mr. Thomas’s door swung open. He looked between the two of us before his shrewd gaze landed on our joined hands. Instead of cowering under his stare, I squared my shoulders and did my best not to let my fear show.
“I see you decided to make it into work today?” Mr. Thomas asked, still not looking at me, but at where my fingers were linked with David’s.
“I did, and there are some things we need to talk about.”
That seemed to get the old man’s attention. Maybe I needed to give him a little more credit because he looked tired. The wrinkles around his eyes were more pronounced and his normally tidy hair wasn’t as kempt as it usually was. But going through a tough time didn’t give him the excuse to treat me the way he had.
Mr. Thomas didn’t smile. He seemed more resigned than anything as he stood to the side and motioned to let us into his office. He didn’t even question when David came with me. We haven’t fooled him after all; it seemed.
Once we were in front of the desk, I finally released David’s hand and removed the wool jacket he’d given me. I lay it over my arm as I waited to see what Mr. Thomas wanted us to do.
“Please have a seat, gentlemen. I have a suspicion this isn’t going to be a conversation that I’m going to like very much.”
My gut twisted again, but at least there wasn’t anything in it this time. Not that the measly piece of toast and the few sips of coffee had been much to begin with.
Chapter 38
David
“You can’t leave me alone with her like that. What the hell were you thinking?”
I laughed as Audrey continued to rant. My phone had started going off halfway through Malcolm’s meeting, but I kept silencing it because when I’d promised I would be there for him, I’d meant it. At one point, Mr. Thomas had become irritated with the way I’d kept reaching into my pocket, so I ultimately pulled the device out and powered it off until everything was done.
And now… Now I dealt with my sister, who had talked to my mother this morning. My mother, who had laid the guilt trip on her about how ungrateful her children were.
“I’m telling you, just pack up everything. I know I was leaving the North Carolina offices for you, but there’s also Samantha. She’s worked side by side with you and knows everything. I never should have left you behind to begin with.”
Audrey huffed. “That’s not a solution.”
“It really is. Mom and Dad need to fall on their asses a bit. Sure, they helped to get us started, but they got themselves intotheir current mess all on their own. It’s not our job to pull them out of it. If we do, it opens up a cycle for them to take advantage again and again. Aud, I’m thirty-five. I can’t keep taking care of them forever. When does my life start?”
She was quiet for a moment before she sighed. “I get it. You’re right. It’s scary to just cut them loose. You hear all these stories about people who cut ties with their families, and you don’t ever expect to be in that position… It’s healthy, though, right?”
Malcolm picked up an extra box and started loading some more things into it. I frowned because this wasn’t how either of us saw the day going, but here I was, standing in what now used to be my boyfriend’s office as he packed it up and trying to convince my sister to move to Chicago.
