He stops, his gaze following hers to the envelope. “Fuck.”
“Exactly.”
He grabs it, rolls from bed and walks toward the blazing fireplace.
Vivienne leaps up. “You’d better be joking.”
“It wouldn’t do any good. They say that if you burn them, they’ll magically appear in your house the next day, with one teeny-tiny scorch mark in the corner.”
“That isn’t funny.”
“I’m not sure it’s meant to be.” He lifts the envelope to the light, as if he can read the contents without opening it. “Fuck.”
“You said that. I agree, but it’s not going change anything. Nor is burning it. Nor is pretending I never got it.” She takes a deep breath. “It’s an honor, right? We have to remember that.”
“Sure.”
She glowers at him. “Once more with feeling?”
Marco tosses the envelope on the bed and gives her a one-armed hug. “Sorry, Viv. Yes, it’s an honor. The biggest the company offers. The chance to join the executive ranks, which you absolutely deserve.”
“So do you.”
He makes a face. “I’m a programmer. Dime a dozen. You’re the one they can’t afford to lose.”
“It would mean a raise. A big one. An actual house. Better location. Better school. More opportunities for the kids. That’s the main thing, right? A better life for them?”
“Sure.”
This time, she doesn’t tease him about his lack of conviction. She feels it, too, in the pit of her stomach.
It’s lousy timing. That’s the core of the problem. Their year got off to an amazing start with baby number three, a little girl. Then, six weeks later, Vivienne woke after a glorious five-hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep and went into Hannah’s room to find their infant daughter cold in her bed.
After that they began to talk about leaving the company.
Their jobs are perfect. The compound is great. Everything they could want is at their doorstep. But this cookie-cutter life isn’t for them. The walls close in too easily, and Hannah’s death only made that so much more obvious. As bad as Vivienne feels about abandoning the company after it’d been so good about their loss—giving them all the time and support they needed—she has to do what’s right for her family.
“Did you tell anyone we’ve considered leaving?” she asks.
Marco’s brows lift. “Are you kidding?”
“Sorry.” They both knew better.
“I bet it’s an algorithm,” Marco says.
“Hmmm?”
“An algorithm to determine who they need to retain. You’re valuable. And after…Hannah, it could be assumed we might be looking for a fresh start someplace else.”
She picks up the envelope.
“Don’t,” Marco says.
“Not opening it doesn’t change?—”
“I mean…” He exhales and shakes his head.
She opens the envelope and pulls out what she knows is inside. The vellum card. The six words.
