“Yes, absolutely.” Gillian walked to the center island and sat down on a wooden stool, excitement inflating her chest.
“I listened to your demo tape and loved it. I’d like to invite you to come here to Salem for an interview. We have a slot that just opened up and would like to talk to you about filling it with a weekly show. Unfortunately, I’m going out of town for a stretch. But I have some free time this week if you’re free. I’m sorry for the last minute notice.”
She swallowed and tried to find her voice. “No, it’s okay.” She glanced over at Brooke and grinned. She couldn’t leave at a time like this. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure I could break away right now. I appreciate the call. I need to check my schedule. Can I get back to you?”
“How about I text you all the details? It was great speaking to you, Gillian. I hope to meet you in person. I think you’d be a great addition to the station.”
“Thanks, Max. Talk to you soon.” She ended the call and glanced up to find Saje and Brooke staring at her with curious expressions across their faces. “I guess you heard that?”
“Yes, and you’ve got to go, Gillian,” Saje insisted, tying up the garbage bag. “This could be your big break.”
“Even if I took the time to do this, I can’t just leave. I need to help find someone to sublet Brooke’s place.”
“I agree with Saje, you need to do this, Gillian. If you don’t, you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering, ‘what if’.” Brooke walked over to her and held both her hands in hers. “And you know, this would be the best way for me to heal. If you do this you’ll show me that no matter how bad things suck, they’ll always get better. Between you and Saje, there’s still a silver lining that came out of all this.”
“The silver lining is a reality for Saje. As for me, well, that’s still debatable.” Gillian exhaled and tried to mull Max’s words over in her head.
“Brooke can help me pack up and drop off my stuff at Nick’s place.” Saje carried the bag to the back kitchen door. “Then, we can go get the rest of her stuff and move it into my room. I can stay in yours while you’re away.”
A combination of excitement and warmth filled her chest. “What do I have to lose at this point?” Gillian used her phone to google the airlines.
* * *
When Garrett got back to his apartment, he went straight to the liquor cart and poured himself a brandy. Taking a swig from his glass, he sighed, but it did nothing to ease the knot in his gut. He loosened his tie and flicked on the TV to ESPN.
He glanced around his empty apartment. Over the past week, he’d gotten used to seeing Gillian’s beautiful face. Everywhere he looked reminded him of her. If he closed his eyes, he swore he could hear her laughter and still smell her perfume. Now only emptiness greeted him. Going back to his solitary routine would no doubt get old real quick.
He’d made the choice to let her go, and now he’d have to live with that choice. Even her brush with death couldn’t convince him otherwise. Gillian deserved a normal life, something he could never give her.
His doorbell rang, and for a split second, he wondered if it could be her. He rushed to the door, breathing hard in anticipation. His eyes focused past the window to find his neighbor on the other side. Flooded with disappointment, he opened the door. “It’s good to see you, Annette. I’m sorry, but I’m not really in the mood for company.”
“Even more reason for us to talk. You look awful.”
Tell me something I don’t know.
She stepped inside and shut the door, then pointed to his table. “May I come in and sit down?”
He nodded. “Why not?”
The older woman glanced around at the empty take-out cartons and newspapers piled in a corner and shook her head. He hadn’t been in the mood to clean up. She set his spare keys on the table and took a seat in a dining room chair. “Gillian left these with me. What happened between you two?”
“We broke up.” The words tasted bitter on his tongue. He kept thinking he’d wake up, and somehow, things would be different. “I could never be what she needed in the long run.” He slumped into a chair across from her and sighed. Exhaustion pressed down on him like a heavyweight.
“Nonsense. I saw the way you looked at each other. People live a lifetime to find that kind of connection with someone.” Annette patted his hand. “Do you love her?”
“I don’t see how that’s the point, but yes, deeply. She’s everything to me. But it doesn’t matter. The one thing she’s always wanted is the one thing I can never give her—a family.” Garrett set his glass on the table and realized he was the only guest at this little pity party. Drinking alone did nothing but put him in an even deeper fog. “I had to let her go. It wouldn’t be fair to her.”
“Fair?” Annette said with a laugh. “For someone who’s lived longer than me, you sure have a lot to learn about life and women. Stop being a martyr and talk to her, Garrett. FYI, there’s something called adoption. People do it every day.”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do.” He got up from the table and shoved a hand through his hair. “But it’s not the same as your own blood.”
“Is that so?” Her green eyes sparkled with wisdom. “You’ve heard me gush about my son, Henry. He’s not my biological child, but I love him with all my heart. I’d take a bullet for him. How’s that for blood?”
Garrett swallowed the lump suddenly clogging his throat. “I didn’t know Henry was adopted.”
“That’s the point. It doesn’t matter.” She lifted the key ring off the table and dangled it in her small fingers. “Love goes beyond what runs through your veins. It’s the choices we make that turn us into the people we become. Let Gillian make the choice. I always say a little bit of wonderful is better than a lifetime of ordinary. If you truly love her, then you should do what will make her happy.”
“I let her down when she needed me the most.” She’d told him she loved him and he said nothing back. “She’ll probably never speak to me again.” Thinking about how he treated her made his stomach twist into knots.
