“And we’ve got your back,” Denise added. “We see so many high-profile trainwrecks come through our doors, so we can direct them to you. The next time a rock star ODs on a Ashford jet, you’ll be the first person we call, after the paramedics.”
“Gee, thanks,” I chuckled. “I love spinning trips to rehab as ‘exhaustion.’”
“Hey, it pays the bills,” Denise laughed.
We wound up in a restaurant that looked like a greenhouse, complete with birds flying above us. Normally, I would’ve been charmed by the place, but today it felt too bright and echo-y. The sun streaming in made my head hurt.
I could feel Susan watching me as I studied the dictionary-thick menu.
“What’s going on with you?” she finally asked. She lifted her glasses to peer at me. “I know change is hard, but you seem…not yourself.”
Which was code for “sad.” I cleared my throat. “Oh, just the usual end-of-an-era stuff. I enjoyed my time at Ashford, and I’m a little bummed to leave.”
Susan and Denise exchanged a look.
“Oh, come on. We all know it’s more than that. It’s Harrison,” Susan said. “We don’t know the details, but it’s obvious something changed between the two of you.”
Damn, and here I thought I’d done such a good job of hiding my broken heart behind a blandly pleasant front.
“It’s so obvious he’s in a dark place.” Denise shuddered. “He’s been a terror. Back on the warpath in a way I haven’t experienced in ages.”
“Harrison knows better than to try that crap with me, but I get the moody side of him instead of grumpy,” Susan added. “He can barely muster more than one-word answers to any of my questions. He goes in his office and slams the door like a teenage boy. And he canceled every meeting that wasn’t critical.”
“We know it’s none of our business, but itwouldhelp to know what he’s going through,” Denise said. “So we can adjust accordingly.”
She was couching it like I’d be doing them a favor, but I knew it was more a case of them wanting to help me. They leaned closer to me while I took a long drink of water to buy myself time.
There wasn’t anything they could do to help me. At the same time, though, I didn’t want to shut the conversation down. I liked both of them, very much. And they willingly subjected themselves to the terror that was Harrison Ashford every day, soI sort of owed them some backstory to help them navigate his asshole-ishness.
“We, uh, we were sort of together,” I began. “And now we’re not.”
“Yes, of course, anyone with eyes could see that,” Susan said encouragingly. “We loved that you soothed the savage beast. What went wrong?”
I dropped my head and stared at my lap to hide the tears. I thought I’d finally closed off that valve, but no, all it took was one question, and the waterworks turned on again. It had to be the warm, maternal presence of the two women after being alone with my own thoughts for days.
“It didn’t work out,” I managed. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying more.
I didn’t want to get into the details about just how uncaring their boss was. They probably already knew it, anyway.
Denise reached out to cover my hand with hers. The simple comforting gesture opened the floodgates the rest of the way, and I finally let the tears flow.
“Oh, oh, honey,” Susan tutted. “I have tissues, hold on.”
She dug through her purse and slid one to me.
“I’m sorry.” Denise gave me a tight smile. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”
I sniffled. “No, it’s fine. You need to know why he’s being more…Harrisonthan usual.”
They both laughed softly.
“He’s an incredible person,” I allowed him that tiny bit of grace, because it was true, if you weren’t in a relationship with him. “But in the end, he couldn’t give me what I needed.” I felt another tear roll down my cheek and quickly swiped it away. “Anyway, it’s for the best, timing-wise. Now I can focus all my energy on Ackland Strategic Communications.”
Susan clasped her hands under her chin. “Oh! You have a name and everything.”
“I do,” I replied, eager to focus on anything but my former boss. “I have lots to tackle before I officially open for business, but I’m hopeful.”
A lie, but I didn’t want to dwell on how bleak I actually felt.
