The devicein my hand buzzes for the twentieth time in the last thirty minutes. Though my phone has been on silent during my sister’s graduation ceremony, the vibration has been alerting me to a rapid-fire influx of calls and texts.
I glare in irritation but refuse to read the messages. I already know who they’re from. Sebastian isn’t just crossing boundaries. He’s trampling all over them. I told him how important tonight was and that I would not be available under any circumstances.
He probably forgot it’s Sadie’s graduation even though I reminded him multiple times. Maybe he needs someone to come over and fix his remote again. Or he wants some special champagne flown in from France. Or a private plane to take him and Allegra to Fiji.
I look around the historic theater, where Brandford College’s graduation has been held for decades. The school is all about tradition. And one of their special rituals is this elegant evening event. Pomp, circumstance, and many candles are involved. I turn my attention to the row of graduates. I spot Sadiewaiting for her turn to get her diploma. She’s glowing in her commencement robes.
I can’t believe my sister will officially be a college graduate.
My heart fills, remembering her as a small, feisty kid with long platinum braids and skinned knees. She’s all grown up now. She’s worked damn hard, acing her classes while acting as a resident assistant throughout her years at school.
It’s her night. But it feels like a triumph for me as well. A wave of relief flows through me, washing me clean, leaving me hollow.
Her graduation is the culmination of a vow I made to myself years ago when we were just teens. I promised myself that she would have every opportunity. That nothing would hold her back.
It was all worth it, I think, swallowing a lump in my throat as I watch her beaming onstage.
I never attended my own graduation, and for the first time, I feel a pang of regret. Back then, it hadn’t seemed important. The only family who would have attended would have been Sadie and my dad, but he’d already joined an overseas charity organization working with refugees. The same one he’s with now in Africa. And it wasn’t as if I’d attended a traditional four-year university like my sister, where I made school friends. I’d done my business degree online while working full time for Sebastian. But maybe I should have made the time and celebrated my accomplishment, just as I’m celebrating Sadie’s.
“Sadie Reynolds,” the announcer calls.
She walks across the stage in her royal-blue graduation gown, a nervous smile on her shining face.
I hold up my phone to record the moment and see a flurry of notifications and messages fly across the screen. My sister shakes the dean’s hand, and I try to ignore the texts as I filmher receiving her diploma. And then I clap as hard as I can, screaming her name and fighting back tears.
Her eyes find mine in the crowd. She grins and holds her rolled-up certificate. I whoop louder. She laughs and follows the progression.
I look down at my phone to find the notifications still buzzing.
Frustration and disappointment swirls in my gut. Sebastian didn’t listen to a thing I said. I deserve this time off. I can’t even remember the last time I took a sick day. And I’ve never even taken a holiday. I’ve planned a few, but they’ve all had to be canceled because something urgent always came up.
To hell with him.Even if he doesn’t respect my boundaries, I can respect my own and ignore his messages throughout the rest of the graduation.
We head to Sadie’s after-party at her favorite Italian restaurant. I settle into a high seat at the bar and watch the giggling graduates, feeling about a million years old. I sip my espresso martini—my favorite because caffeine shouldn’t just be for the daytime.
A few minutes later, my sister approaches, holding a colorful drink in one hand and her phone in the other, but she’s not smiling like she has been all night.
“What’s up? Are you okay?” I ask, taking in her knitted brow.
She bites her lip. “Have you checked your phone lately?”
I shake my head. “Nope. I have the night off.”For once.
“Um, has Sebastiantriedto call?”
I glower. “I refuse to pick up.”
“Well, you might want to. I think your boss is in jail. At least, according to 24-Celeb-News, he is. Something about a fight in a bar.”
“Jail?” Even though I’m pissed at him, my stomach tips at the thought of Sebastian in trouble. Old habits die hard.
Breaking my vow, I grab my phone and speed-read the strings of notifications, flipping between numbers and groups. In addition to Sebastian’s messages that he left two hours ago, Sal, his manager, has been sending me increasingly panicked texts because he’s on a plane on the way to Dubai and can’t be there. His lawyer needs copies of paperwork and contact numbers of other people on Sebastian’s team. And his new publicist is laying out a crisis communication plan. Various journalists I know are reaching out, having heard the rumors and asking for a quote.
I gnaw on my lip, a habit that no amount of expensive lipstick can break me of. I’m sure he’s out of jail by now, right? I mean, his lawyer is on the case. It’s just… I’ve nevernotbeen there for him. I always drop everything for my boss.
Not this time, I remind myself. It’s not as if I’m the only one who can help him. He has plenty of people he can call. He doesn’t need me to be the one who saves him.
“He can wait,” I say, forcing myself to harden my heart even as I think of the rows of messages. “It’s your graduation party. I’m not going anywhere. If he’s dumb enough to be involved in a fight, that’s not my problem.”
