It would do.
I stepped out onto the back patio and smoked until I was numb. Eventually, I went up to bed, slipping in beside Natalie, feeling the weight of everything settle over me. Tomorrow, we’d wake up, go through the motions, and by Monday, I’d be back at work—back to the version of me that felt most like me.
The next morning, I got an email from Danny.
Subject: New Hire
You’ll need to go to New York with Marcus and a possible new hire, Shannon O’Connell. Be there by noon.
I told Natalie later that day about the potential new hire. She barely reacted.
“I leave early Monday,” I said.
She nodded, rinsing a dish in the sink like it made no difference.
“Oh, and Danny and I are officially taking over the company,” I added.
She stilled for a second.
“So, you’ll be busier than you already are?” she asked, surprising me with that being the first comment out of her mouth.
It was the first time she’d ever admitted that I might be working too much.
“Yes, probably,” I admitted. “A lot of our business is moving east. Eventually, I’ll be in L.A. and San Francisco more, but for now, yeah—I’ll be gone a lot.”
She exhaled, then forced a smile. “It is what it is,” she said. “Congratulations.” There was a pause, then she sighed. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.” She walked over and kissed me lightly.
“Thanks,” I said, though it all felt a little empty.
That night, after dinner, I helped her put the kids to bed. I think she appreciated that we did it together. Later, when she came into our room to get ready for bed, I tried to reach her again.
“Maybe I could take a weekend off. We could take the kids to Big Bear for New Year’s.”
She looked surprised. “That would be nice,” she said. “I’ll look into booking something,” she added after a bit.
“Great.”
We carried on, finishing the night in silence, flossing, brushing our teeth, and going through the motions.
I fell asleep feeling content enough. Everything felt…fine. Maybe even perfect, when I thought about it.
At least, for now.
CHAPTER 11
INVITING TROUBLE
NATALIE
Christmas break was quiet. We spent a weekend in Big Bear, Jason on his phone most of the time while the kids were in ski school. I wandered in and out of little shops, sipped hot drinks, and waited for them all to finish. It wasn’t exciting, but it was peaceful.
Christmas itself was nice. Slow and simple. My sister couldn’t make it out so it was just the four of us this year. Jason’s parents hosted his brothers. Jason had too much going on with work for us to go to Chicago. I was relieved to skip out on the big Bradford Christmas this year. This was one time his work came in handy, I thought.
Now, with another week left before school resumed, I told the kids they could each have a friend come over. Bebe wanted Ivy. I was a little nervous about being around Will outside of school. God forbid I invite him in. Maybe Kelly would drop Ivy off, and I wouldn’t have to worry.
The fact I had developed a secret little crush on my daughter’s friend’s father was catching me off guard. But this was about the girls, not him. I had run out of excuses to delay the playdate.
Bebe knew Ivy was back in town after Christmas and a trip to Cabo with her mom. I wasn’t sure how to get in touch with Ivy’s mom since I only had Will’s number. So, after a moment of hesitation, I went to my phone to text him.
