“We’re deeply sorry for this separation,” Tom continued. “We wish you the very best. Melanie will take over from here.”
“All right, Madi. So I have some paperwork that I’m going to email over to you?—”
I could barely breathe. Sweat sprouted on my skin as I stared at Melanie’s perfect face until my eyes burned.
Everything I’d worked for was gone.
My hands shook as I leaned back in my desk chair. Tension burned in my temples, a hollowness swallowing me whole. Sunlight poured in through the windows behind me, painting my tiny apartment in soft verdant hues, far too beautiful of a setting for my life ripping apart.
It didn’t feel real.
“Madison, are you listening?”
Nope. I couldn’t do this.
My finger jabbed the keyboard. I ended the call.
I snapped my laptop closed.
Why was this happening? I’d been working so hard for a promotion. Had they made a mistake? Was there another Madison working at Dream Ink being fired?
I shoved back from my desk and stood, planting my hands on my head as I stepped into the middle of my living-room-office-bedroom. All one space just big enough for me to pace like a maniac. I undid my topknot and let my dark hair spill down in waves that reached my lower back, pushing my fingertips against my scalp and trying to massage the fear away.
My phone rattled on my desk, but I ignored it.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
The tears weren’t coming yet. The dam would break at some point, but right now, I couldn’t feel it. I’d already cried so much that the well was currently all dried up.
This was what I’d worked so hard for. The dream. The fucking dream job.The one that everyone in my life always told me I’d never achieve.
My phone rattled again and I marched to answer it without looking, expecting it to be my boss.
“Am I really fired?” I rushed out.
“Oh, um. Hi, I think I may have caught you at a bad time?”
The woman’s voice had a southern lilt to it that definitely did not belong to my New Yorker boss.
“I’m sorry, I was expecting someone else. Who is this?” My voice was high pitched as I wrangled the ice in my chest.
“My name is Avery Whynot. Is this Madison Fletcher? I’m calling about the six-week artist residency in Whynot, Texas.”
I blinked a few times and then a soft, panicked laugh bubbled up. Oh god, I was going to have a full-on breakdown.
I’d completely forgotten about this.
Hot tears spilled down my cheeks and I wiped them away. “Yes, I’m Madi. I never expected to hear from you. Are you calling to reject me?” I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. It would be my luck.
“Oh no! No, I’m calling because we’d love to have you. I wanted to see if you were still interested in the residency, and if so, we can send over the welcome packet and nail down the dates.” Her words picked up to a speed that had my head spinning. “Really, I know Whynot is a small town, but I promise it’s so charming. Have you ever been to Texas? It’s out in the desert, but the sunsets are to die for. I’m also an artist. And while I’m biased, this place really is inspiring and wonderful?—”
A man’s voice echoed in the background, and she cut herself off with a snort.
“Sorry, that was one of my boyfriends. He says I’m rambling. He’s probably right, though.”
Boyfriends?
“Madi? You still there? Did I scare you off?”
