This can’t go on.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Priya, I’m doing it!” I burst through the office we set up for the show, hoping she’s still in here but not checking before I barged in and made my announcements.
“Doing what?” Chacha asks me from his seat. Priya stands next to him, holding a document for him to review.
“Oh. Hey, everyone. Um. The guy I was seeing...and I went to South Carolina...and then I fled like an invading horde was after me...and I’m going to need some more time off to go back to South Carolina.”
I wait for the fallout.
“Again? You just came back.” Chacha’s brow furrows at the lost profits.
“Yes. I do technically still have the time.”
“This is not responsible for a future manager.”
“Right. About that.” No time like the present to put into effect my new plan to commit to the things I want without fear. A warm-up for Beau. “I don’t want that job. Thank you for offering it to me. But I want to do interior designing. And I understand if I can’t do it at Loot, but it is what I want to do with my life.” Great, I just put something else on my table. Like I didn’t have enough, now I have to find a new job.
“What—”
“This is a good time to give you your Christmas present, a little early.” Priya has a sparkle in her eyes. “This is a selfish present, but I’ve been going over your sales and commission figures with Beau while you were gone, and it’s profitable to have you help clients like this. Also moves some pieces we haven’t been able to in our auctions. So I want you to start the department and staff it. Maybe under mine at first. Just a few people to start, maybe just one assistant and you. But we can expand once we build up the service and the demand for it.”
“This can’t be profitable,” Chacha interjects. Priya performs some swipes on her tablet and Chacha’s eyes widen. “Oh. I approve of the new department.”
Priya rolls her eyes, like he has any control over Priya’s department anymore. “And I’ve been busy, but we’ll talk later about how you could have brought this to me originally and I would have supported you. Because I’m never too busy for you. And your new business cards that I had made to tell you this news are already wrapped and under the tree for you to open.”
“Thank you. This is the best present.” I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy interior decorating, so I couldn’t fight for it before now. I still wouldn’t know if Beau hadn’t come into the offices, confused about everything art related. But leave it to Priya to investigate any potential avenue for profit.
Priya moves around the table and grabs my hands, looking me directly in the eyes. “Now, on to the next issue. Are you sure about this? He lives far and you don’t do well without amenities.”
“I know he lives in a less than ideal place, but I have to see if we can make it work. I would regret it otherwise.”
“All right. Good luck then.” Priya hugs me hard, longer than a usual hug. I don’t want to lose seeing her daily any more than she wants to lose a cousin, but I need to see where this goes.
“What? No. You can’t leave now. We have even more to do to get this department set up. And you just had a vacation. Go later,” Chacha says.
“I need to go now.”
“I just heard about a new department; we all need to have meetings to see how this will work so we can hit the ground running next year.”
If the last month has taught me anything, it’s that I can fight for the things I want. I did fight for my parents, and I can fight for Beau and for my future job.
“Sorry, Chacha. I have to go. But I’ll be back soon.” I rush back out of the room before he can say anything else. I would rather deal with his anger later than not go and regret it. And finding another job is always an option.
Even though I’m pretty confident Priya wouldn’t let it get to that.
I still have to figure out how we’ll deal with living in different states. But I’ll worry about that later. We can figure it out, but first I need to know Beau loves me too. That there’s still something there he wants to fight for, too.
As I leave the room, I run into Chachi, who looks like she was loitering outside the room.
“I have to run, Chachi.” I try to head her off before she can say anything. If I told her about everything, the conversation would last into the next year. Which is coming up in a week, but still long for a conversation.
“I heard! I was trying to find Kabir and Priya so we could get home at a reasonable time, and I’m so glad I did.” Listening at doors. This family. “You have to take a private jet, as a Christmas present from me.” She gets out her phone, presumably to start making plans.
“I can’t take a jet. That’s excessive.”
“A seller owes us a favor. We sold an unsellable piece for him and he’s very grateful. Long story.” Chachi waves my concerns away. “This is for love!” She dances out of the room like we’re in a Bollywood movie, except she lost her backup dancers somewhere along the song. And there’s no music playing.
