The receptionist is on the phone when I step inside, and she gestures for me to have a seat. I sit down in one of the chairs and leaf through the magazines stacked on the table next to me. I tap my foot on the ground and take the moment to silence my cell phone. As soon as I do, the receptionist hangs up the phone and offers to help me.
I tell her why I’m here, and she says she’ll let Harry and Estelle know.
* * *
Harry, Estelle, and I meet in a windowless room. They both sit silently for the first forty-five minutes while I give what I had hoped would be an interactive presentation. Instead, I make jokes only I laugh at and ask questions into the air that nobody answers.
When I finish, I take a seat more out of exhaustion than any sort of optimism that I’ll be asked to stay. I compile my folders and start to put them into my bag, half-expecting that when I do look up, Harry and Estelle will have disappeared from the room and I’ll be left here alone.
“Olivia, that was an interesting presentation,” Estelle says.
I look at her smiling face and want to ask her where that smile was for the last forty-five minutes. Instead, I smile back and tell her I’m glad.
Harry buzzes the receptionist for lunch and invites me to eat with them.
As I take a bite of my chicken sandwich, Harry asks me to tell him about Liberty Falls.
“It’s just a small town,” I say. “I love it, but I’ve lived there my whole life.”
“Is that right? Sounds interesting.” His eyes lose some of their dullness. “I grew up here.”
“In Manhattan? Wow.”
“Yep.” He gestures around the room. “Took over this business from my dad, who took it from his dad. It’s been a work in progress for years. We finally got our heads above water about ten years ago, and we’ve been flying ever since. Things are looking up, I tell you.”
“That’s great,” I say. “Union Bank has been growing steadily for the past few years as well. It’s exciting to be a part of something positive.”
“It is,” Estelle agrees. “And I was intrigued that your president is a woman.”
“Yes,” I say. “She’s done a really amazing job.”
Harry grins suddenly. It’s the first time he’s smiled since I walked into the room, and the sight of his teeth almost scares me because I wasn’t expecting to ever see them. I smile back, hoping against hope he’ll give me good news and I can finally breathe.
“You know what?” he says. “I’m impressed. I’m going to give you a shot. You and Union Bank.”
I stare at him, wanting to make absolutely certain I understand what he’s saying. “Are you saying…”
“I’m saying we’re going to give you the contract,” he says. He then stops smiling and takes a big bite of his sandwich.
I thank him profusely, but the conversation peters out after that. By the time we’ve finished eating, I’m ready to run out of the building. There’s only so much awkward small talk I can take.
After we say good-bye, I take the elevator down to the lobby. I blink when the bright sun hits my eyes as I step outdoors.
Before I can text Jenson, I hear, “Olivia Graham? What the hell are you doing here?”
I whip around.
Nate. My ex-husband. Mycheatingex-husband, is standing three feet away from me.
His gray suit looks tailor-made and expensive. His brown hair is slicked back, and his dark eyes still narrow when he’s confused.
And I feel…nothing.
I can barely even summon up righteous anger.
Because the truth is, he did me a huge favor. Not the way he did it, of course, but forcing an end to our marriage, a marriage that held little love and even less passion, was the best thing that could have happened to me.
“What are you doing in New York?” he asks.
