His brows flattened. She could practically see him second-guessing himself. “Well, it was more like he asked. Kind of nicely? Or kind of threateningly? I don’t know. Like I said, I would’ve done it myself, even without him.”
The sidewalk tilted beneath her. “This man... Did he have dark eyes? Like, really dark?”
“Oh, yeah. Black, basically.”
“Oh. Wow. Okay.” She turned an aimless circle, wondered why, then floated away on feet that had somehow come unglued from the rest of her. Nick had come here? To the city? While she’d been in Henderson? Butwhen?
“Aubrey, wait. You forgive me, right? You—”
She waved a meaningless gesture over her shoulder and aimed for the Manhattan Center’s portico. Someone opened the door for her. She glided in. A different someone pointed her down a hallway. She soon found herself in a festive hall filled with violet light and sparkling silver tablecloths, where a third someone took her coat. Music blared. Faces swam by. She recognized most, but struggled to retrieve names for them, even as she shook everyone’s hand.
Nick had come to New York. He’d gotten her job back for her.
Just...what?
Jeff appeared and introduced his wife, who had a German accent and smiling eyes. Aubrey tried to make conversation, but couldn’t have said whether her questions made any sense. In the midst of her floundering, someone put a champagne flute in her hand. All the while, the wheels in her mind spun, trying and failing to find purchase.
Why on earth hadn’t Nick told her? How could he do a thing like that and not even take credit for it?
She raised her glass to her lips. The warmth of the champagne raced down her throat and blossomed in her belly, then kept going, cannoning outward, suffusing her whole body.
All this time, she’d believed he hadn’t fought for her.
Except... hehad. Just not in the way she’d expected. He hadn’t fought to keep her, but he’d fought forher—her dreams, her wants, her needs. The only person he’d failed to fight for was himself. She’d just been too stupid, too scared and blinded by her own wounded pride, to realize.
“Oh my god.” Aubrey put out a satin-gloved hand to steady herself. “Oh mygod.”
Jeff’s wife blinked several times. “You are okay, yes? Your color is not looking so good.”
“I’m. . .” Aubrey’s chest heaved. She guzzled down the rest of the champagne. “Just a little dizzy. I’m sorry, it was so nice to meet you, but I think I need to sit down.”
Jeff’s wife—Olga? Inga?—looked dubious, but didn’t protest as Aubrey teetered away and found a chair to sink into. She thrust the empty glass away and spread her gloved hands against the glittering tablecloth.
God, she’d forgotten herself, hadn’t she? All those years ago, Nick had broken her heart, and afterward, she’d lashed thepieces back together with ropes braided from cowardice. And later, she’d expected him to fight for their future, when she herself had quit.
Well. As he would say... fuck that.
Aubrey stood. The lights had gone down. Jeff was onstage now, saying her name, delivering a speech about her grit and persistence. She laughed out loud at the absurdity.
Grit and persistence, yes. She remembered now.
Jeff asked her onto the stage. Applause filled the room as Aubrey dutifully threaded her way through the audience. When she reached the podium, Jeff pressed an absurdly heavy slab of etched glass into her hands.
The ballroom quieted. Hundreds of faces turned her way, expectant.
She leaned toward the microphone.If life puts something in your way, go around it.
“Good evening,” she said. “Thank you all for being here. I’m honored to accept this award, tonight. But I’m going to break form a bit here and ask you all to excuse me, because I have to leave for Indiana. Right now.”
The audience members exchanged uneasy glances.
Jeff’s eyes popped. “Aubrey?” he whisper-hissed. “What’re you doing?”
“Thanks again,” she said into the microphone, “for the recognition.”
She descended from the stage, arrowing through the crowd toward the coat check. Once there, she handed over her ticket, took her jacket, and fished in the pocket for her cell phone.If life knocks you down, get right back up.She’d take an Uber to the nearest car rental place. Then drive all night. If the car broke down, she’d walk. If her legs broke down, she’d crawl.
Jeff caught her arm on her way out of the ballroom.
