I rub my hands down my face and groan. “I hurt her, Mom. I pulled her back and forth so much, she likely has whiplash. I made her promises and then I broke them. I don’t know if she’ll ever take me back.”
“Then stop promising and deliver.” Mom pats my cheek. “You’ll figure it out. Now, I’m going to go find Dan and give you some time to decide what you truly want.”
Mom gathers her purse and keys from the table and heads for the garage door. She stops just short of the doorway. “And Jordan, don’t take another seven years to get her back.”
Chapter 35
PAIGE
“Great work, you guys,” Rafi, my new boss, says as he stops by my desk.
My new co-workers and teammates, Kitty and Cody, look up at Rafi from where they sit in my cubicle that they huddled into after our pitch meeting with BrilliantSound hearing aids. “The client loved it. You three are quite the dream team.” Rafi knocks his knuckle on my desk. “Let’s schedule a meeting for Monday. I want you three working on a new pitch for Azure Cruise Lines.”
My mouth cracks open, and my eyes go wide. Azure Cruise Lines? Cody nearly chokes on the bite of granola bar in his mouth. He’s probably as shocked as I am. I’ve never worked onsomething as big as Azure Cruise Lines, and I’m amazed Rafi is willing to trust us with that.
“Uh, yeah, that sounds awesome.” My voice gets higher with every word I speak. I’m the verbal equivalent of a golden retriever wagging its tail.
“Great. Well, have a good weekend.” Rafi waves goodbye before walking toward the elevators.
Cody whistles. “Azure Cruise Lines! Nice.”
“Maybe they’ll give us a free cruise if we give them a good pitch,” Kitty says.
Kitty and Cody start talking about cruises as we all pack up for the weekend. All the while I can’t stop thinking about ideas for headlines and slogans for Azure Cruise Lines. I should probably wait until Monday to get more details from Rafi, but words and ideas seem to pour out of me, and I quickly jot them down on a sticky note before grabbing my purse and heading out with Kitty and Cody.
I’ve only been at Z3 for three weeks, but already I feel trusted and valued in ways I hadn’t at my old job. My team’s trust in me and our ability to work well together has given me a new confidence and excitement for work. And most importantly, the job has helped distract me from the Jordan-sized hole in my heart.
“I’m going to Frescos for a paint night. You guys are coming, right?” Kitty asks as we all walk toward the elevators.
I roll my eyes at her. “Will there be paint this time? Or a canvas? Or anything to do with art?” I think back to last Friday’s “paint night” at Frescos. I showed up with Kitty, only to realize Kitty’s idea of a paint night included eight of her scholarly friends getting together for Italian food and a philosophical discussion. For the duration of the night, paint was never mentioned once.
“Oh no, you fell for that?” Cody pushes the elevator button for the ground floor. “Never trust Kitty when she includes ‘going to Frescos’ in a sentence. She’s always lying. When I went, Kitty told me it was a great place to watch the 49ers play. I showed up in my jersey and everything. There wasn’t even a TV in the place. One of her friends asked if the 49ers were a basketball team.”
Kitty shrugs unashamedly as we all step into the elevator. “Our group needs fresh meat like you guys.”
“Gee, thanks,” I say.
“It makes for better discussions.” Kitty rummages through her purse, pulling out her lip balm before looking at me. “Besides, I think Christopher has a crush on you. I’m sure he’d love to see you again.”
I let out a single laugh. Christopher, one of Kitty’s Fresco friends, was nice and attractive in an uptight sort of way, but he turned everything I said into a political diatribe. Another debate night with Christopher is not exactly how I want to start my weekend. No, this weekend, I have plans. Something I need to do.
“So, what do you guys say? Frescos? It will be fun.” Kitty waggles her eyebrows at both of us.
Cody shakes his head. “I’ve got a baby.”
“Baby or not, you still need a social life,” Kitty says.
“When I’m waking up at two in the morning to drive my kid around the neighborhood so he’ll go back to sleep, I’m using the I’ve-got-a-baby card to get out of anything I want.”
Kitty sighs dramatically. “You’re no fun. Paige, what about you?” She nudges me with her elbow as we all step from the elevator and start walking out the main entrance toward the parking lot. “Say you’ll be my wingwoman.”
I shrug. “Sorry, I’ve got a baby.”
Cody laughs and puts out a fist for me to bump. “That’s what I’m talking about. Paige gets it.”
“You guys are soboring,” Kitty complains.
“If you ever do end up having a real paint night, let me know.” I smile.
