She told Karina. Not everything. But that she’d gone on a blind date with Ryan in January, that they kept running into each other, and she’d gone on a few more. That she should have told Mr. Samuels when he assigned her to the DeMarco account.
“But everyone was so busy, and, honestly, I was a little embarrassed. I didn’t mean for this to happen, and I got someone to spot check me. I swear I handled the account the same as all the others.”
Karina’s face had gone blank while Elissa explained. As the silence grew, she leaned back in her desk chair and steepled her fingers in front of her mouth. Elissa twisted the hem of her cardigan as her stomach sank and her heart raced.
What had she expected? That Karina would tell her it was fine, everything was unicorns and rainbows and lollipops?
Yeah, if she was honest with herself, that’s almost exactly what she’d expected. Elissa Wright could do no wrong. It was a given in her family, at school, at work. She rarely made a mistake, was careful not to make mistakes. And when she did, they were easy to fix. But this one—the best mistake of her life—would not be an easy fix.
“Okay,” Karina said after an eternity, “let me think through the options. I will need to loop in the partners and HR. You were put in a strange position, and I’m disappointed your first instinct wasn’t honesty when Gary spoke to you. Now we have to navigate a delicate balance so we don’t have to do all the work over and need an extension. Take the rest of the day and think about some outcomes. And reread the ethics handbook. I will be doing the same.”
“Yes, of course.” Elissa stood. “I am sorry. The longer I didn’t say anything, the harder it became. I should have done better, and I understand if this means severe consequences.”
“Keep your phone close, I’ll call this afternoon.”
Elissa nodded, clamping her lips shut and praying she wouldn’t cry, then she left Karina’s office. She rushed to her own and grabbed her bag. She stopped by reception.
“Hey, I’m not feeling well, so I’m heading home. Karina knows,” she told the receptionist.
“Okay, Elissa. Hope you feel better.”
“Thanks.”
She made it to Bertha without crying. Even more surprisingly, she made it to her parents’ house. She hadn’t meant to drive to her parents’ house, but autopilot must have kicked in. The garage door was open—right, spring break for Leo and her mom. But what was Ami’s car doing in the driveway?
She parked next to Ami and walked up the gravel path. After a couple of knocks, she opened the door. Yelling spilled out into the overly warm spring day. Elissa slipped in and closed the door behind her.
“It’s a shitty thing to invite your adult kid out to lunch only to yell at them for their adult decisions. We settled this a month ago! I’m not going back to school. Not this summer, not this fall.” Ami’s voice echoed from the kitchen. “We’re done here, Mom.”
A cabinet slammed shut and Ami stomped into the hall. Her brows rose when she noticed Elissa, but she didn’t stop. Elissa pressed against the wall in the narrow hall, and Ami brushed by, waves of rage radiating off her. Elissa wouldn’t touch her sister with a feather right now and expect to still have fingers.
“Don’t you walk away! This conversation is far from over.” Their mom followed Ami into the hall, but didn’t seem to notice Elissa.
“I’m not a child, you don’t get to tell me what to do!” Ami shot over her shoulder.
“You’re my child.”
Ami paused with her hand on the handle of the front door. She glanced at Elissa, tears trembling on her lashes.
“Please, Lissa, I-I can’t do this anymore.”
She opened the door and slipped into the sunlight and heat of a desert spring.
“Amicaria!” Mom shouted, but it was too late. The door was shut, and Ami was halfway down the front walk.
Her mom slumped against the wall, and her head thunked heavily as she leaned back.
“Elissa, go talk some sense into her. She won’t listen to me.”
Elissa studied her mom for a moment, then joined her, mirroring her posture on the opposite wall.
“I can’t. You pushed her too hard. She won’t listen right now, no matter who is doing the talking.”
“Don’t you start with me. I know my own daughter. Go be the voice of reason.”
Elissa took a deep breath. This was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. But she’d learned her lesson. Speaking up early is better than not speaking up at all.
“No.”
