Dammit. So much for my distraction.
I reluctantly moved the bottle out from behind my back and placed the laxatives in her hand.
She clucked her tongue in disapproval.
“He wouldn’t have died,” I said defensively. “It’s the mild version. But he would’ve thought twice about accepting another dinner invitation from us.”
Despite our busy schedules, my family gathered for dinner at my parents’ Westchester estate at least twice a month. Tradition was important, and my parents made sure we honored it. I usually looked forward to the dinners… unlesshewas also invited.
“Considering your families have been friends for generations, I doubt it.” Diya shooed me toward the stairs. “Go. Dinner starts soon, and your mother will have a heart attack if you show updressed like that.”
I knew better than to argue.
“Good to see you too!” I called over my shoulder. “One day, you’ll let me have some fun!”
“Don’t count on it!” she yelled back, but I heard the smile in her voice.
The adrenaline high from my run-in with Diya faded when I got to my room. It was hard to control my overthinking when I didn’t have another person to distract me, and I automatically reached for the stash of sweets in my nightstand drawer.
I’d blitzed through my favorite chocolate bonbons after news of the first listeria case broke earlier that day, so I settled for the backup gummy worms instead. I shoved one into my mouth.
It’s fine. Everything is fine.It wasn’t like my family’s company’s reputation hinged on my actions or like tens of millions of dollars were at stake.
If I failed, I would be a public laughingstock, the name business school professors trotted out as a prime example of whatnotto do. My past accomplishments wouldn’t matter; people would only see my failure.
No big deal.
I consoled myself with another gummy worm and checked my phone. No updates from any of the news alerts I’d set for “Singh Foods.”
Okay.I let the double hit of sugar calm my nerves. In this situation, no news was good news.
No news is good news.
I repeated the mantra as I changed out of my jeans and T-shirt and into a silk dress. By the time I finished my hair and makeup, I’d coaxed my heart rate down to something resembling normal.
I had an hour left until dinner, so I slipped out of my room and down the back staircase toward the conservatory.
The sunny, glass-enclosed space was my favorite room in the house. When I was a teenager, I spent hours here reading, doing homework, and daydreaming. No one else ever came in here except to clean, so it was perfect.
I sank onto a cushioned wicker couch and checked my phone again. One new email from Ezra. He’d sent the drafted press release.
I read it over and sent back my notes. They were minimal; Ezra had done a fantastic job.
Still, my stomach knotted as I stared at the landscaped greenery outside the windows. This wasn’t how I’d wanted to spend the last weekend before Labor Day. I was supposed to be hanging out with my friends, not dealing with a work emergency before I had dinner with one of my least favorite people on the planet.
Sometimes, I wondered what’d happen if I simply… walked away. No more stress, no more sleepless nights or clawing my way toward some undefinable destination.
It sounded nice, but the thought of giving up made my skin itch in an entirely different way. I wasn’t sure what I was striving for, but I knew I had to do more andbemore. If I stood still, people would pass me, and that was unacceptable.
Ezra replied in record time with an edited statement. I read it over twice before I sent the fateful response.
Approved.
I put my phone away and bounced my knee. God, I could use some chocolate right now. Maybe—
“Hiding in your own family’s house? That’s a bit sad, Sal.”
My leg froze mid-bounce as every muscle recoiled.
