Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 142866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“Here you go,” Skipper says, handing me my phone from the edge of my desk. “I believe you needed this.”
“You don’t have as much job security as you think,” I mumble, only half joking. “Close the door behind you, sassy tail.”
Skipper pauses to do a little shimmy, but then closes the door.
I sigh, plug in the charger, and send the text I’ve been dreading.
Me: Hey, Zere! You got a sec?
For a few moments there’s no activity, but then reply bubbles appear.
Zere: Hey! Yeah. Call?
Me: Calling now.
“How are you?” she asks, answering after one ring.
“I’m good.” I make a conscious effort to relax my shoulders as if I’m telegraphing tension over the phone. “How’s forty treating you?”
“So far, so good. I’m in Paris so that’s always great.”
“Nice! Birthday trip?”
“Charles surprised me! Isn’t that marvelous?”
“That’s… that’s great, Zere.” I shift in my seat, searching for a comfortable position when every part of this conversation will be uncomfortable. “You two looked happy at the party.”
“It’s been a rough few months, and he’s been there for me. Ya know?”
“Right. Well, he seems really nice.”
“Girl, Paris nice!” Zere chortles. “And if I so much as sneeze in the direction of anything, he buys it for me.”
“That’s great, Zere. You sound really happy.”
“I am. Anyway, you wanted to chat? About the show?”
“Not exactly.” I clear my throat, bolster my nerve and press on. “It’s personal, not the show.”
“Oh. Okay. What’s up?”
I should just say this and not draw it out. There’s no better setup than her being in Paris with another man.
“I wanted to let you know that Maverick and I are seeing each other.”
“Seeing each other where?”
I frown, unsure how to respond for a second. “Seeing each other… as in dating.”
The line goes so quiet I wonder if we’ve been disconnected.
“Zere? Are you still there? I said—”
“I heard you. I-I guess I just don’t understand.”
“Mav and I have become friends. As you know, he’s investing in our fund, so we started spending time together. Talking and—”
“And now you’re dating?”
“Out of respect for the relationship you had with him and the working relationship I have with you, I wanted to tell you personally.”
“We just broke up two months ago, Hendrix.”
“You released a statement two months ago,” I gently correct her. “But he says the two of you had decided to part ways before that.”
“Wow. Three months. Big difference.”
I’m not sure what to say to that. She is literally in Paris with another man and tripping over me and Mav? But I do understand she needs space to process this. I’ve known almost from the beginning that Maverick and I were attracted to each other. We danced around it for weeks to avoid this very conversation, so I’ve had time to become accustomed to it. She’s hearing it for the first time.
“I know you were together for a while,” I say. “And that—”
“And that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him? You know that? That I wanted to have his children? Oh, but you don’t want to be anyone’s mother, so match made in heaven, I guess.”
Now my patience is hanging by a string.
“You and Maverick wanted different things. You said that yourself, Zere.”
“No, I wanted one thing. One thing, Hendrix, that he would never give me and that was a child. If I’d been fine with no kids, we’d still be together. Have you thought about that?”
“No, but you obviously have,” I say before I think better of it. “I didn’t mean it that way. You and I work together, and I wanted the air to be clear between us.”
“So you call to tell me you’re dating the love of my life? The air is so clear, Hendrix.” She audibly draws in a huge gulp of air. “Ahhh! Now I can breathe.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” I say, keeping my voice even and quiet and calm. “This call was a courtesy because I want to preserve our working relationship.”
“I’m not sure we have one anymore.”
Her words punch me in the gut. I knew this was a possibility. My heart is not the only thing I’m risking pursuing this relationship with Maverick.
“I need some time to think,” Zere says. “I know I should be big about this. I do recognize that neither of you cheated. I get it with my head, but my… my heart.”
Her voice breaks and my stomach muscles clench at the sound of her crying.
“I understand if this means you don’t want to make a show with me anymore,” I force out. “I’m willing to step away altogether. Just please don’t give up on Chapel. We both know how much talent and potential she has.”
“Oh, I’m not giving up on Chapel, but I may be giving up on you,” she bites out, voice still watery, but harder. “Let me think about this and we can decide what to say to Chapel once I’ve had time to consider. Let’s wait to tell her.”