But no key.
“Anything?”
“No. Not yet. I just…” My fingers collide with something cold, and I pull free a key that looks almost identical to the one Percy stole. “Does it have a blue piece of tape on it?”
“Yep, I marked it so I didn’t throw it out.”
“I found it! Ah, thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate it so much. I’m sorry to bother you again.”
He laughs lightly. “You’re never bothering me, Clover. You can call me anytime.”
I smile at his words as I work to shuffle things back around so I can close the overstuffed drawer, and my eyes snag on a card lying under a piece of paper with a few scribbles on it. At first, I think nothing of it, but then I read the words in small print at the bottom.
Seattle’s Best Divorce Lawyer
It’s not at all what I expected, and I pick it up with shaky hands, hoping like hell I just really need to get my vision checked. I don’t. There, on the card I can seeveryclearly, is the information for a divorce lawyer, and the wordsNice chatting with you! Looking forward to working together!are scrawled in nearly illegible handwriting.
He’s divorcing me. Or he was planning to. It doesn’t matter which one it is, because both mean the same thing—he gave up on us. My breaths come in short, and I have to work for each and every one. I hate it, but mostly because this shouldn’t be a surprise.Of coursehe would seek a divorce. I left him, for crying out loud. It makes perfect sense, and I wouldn’t blame him one bit.
But holding this card in my hand…it makes it all too real just how close I came to losing him, and just how badly I don’t want to.
“Clover? Are you still there?”
I give myself a shake, forcing my voice to come out evenly and praying I sound unbothered as I say, “Sorry, I’m here. I got the key. Thank you so much.”
“Of course. Have fun withthe girls. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Yeah, see you tonight.”
He pauses, and I close my eyes, readying myself to hear those three words he’s uttered only a few times since I’ve been back. They never come, though, and I wish they had.
The line goes dead, and I let the phone slip away from my ear. I look at the card again, then decide it’s better to deal with it later. I don’t have time for a spiral right now. I stick it back where it came from, careful to place it just so, and head toward the door.
I’m just about to open it as my phone rings again, and I answer it without looking, assuming it’s probably Callum calling because he forgot to tell me something.
“Did you forget something?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have the wrong number.”
It’s not Callum. It’s a woman, one whose voice sounds vaguely familiar.
“No, no, I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else calling. Who are you looking for?”
“Chloe Keller. This is Avery Danes calling fromSports Action News.”
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.
My heart begins to pound, and I try my best not to make it obvious. “Um, this is Chloe Keller. Hi, Avery. How are you?”
“Chloe!” I can hear her smile through the phone. “I’m doing well, thank you for asking. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”
I look down at the key dangling out of the knob. “No, not at all. How can I help you?”
“Well, I was hoping you could help me by coming in for another interview. We would love to chat with you some more about what you could bring to the new position.”
Oh my god, they want a second interview?That’s huge and likely means I’m on their shortlist for editors. My eyes drift back to the drawer, the one housing the card for the divorce lawyer. Idon’t know what it means. It could be everything, and it could be nothing at all. Whatever it is, I shouldn’t let it dictate my career. I’ve wanted this for so long, and I’ve worked damn hard for it. If things with Callum and me are meant to be, we’ll work it out.
“I would love that, Avery.”
