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We take the elevator down and walk through the lobby to the front door of the building. I follow her out onto the street. “I really wish you would tell me where we’re going,” I say again. “Did you book an Uber?”
“Not quite.”
It’s then that a black stretch limo pulls up to the curb.
“This is our ride.” She’s loving every minute of this. The chauffeur gets out and comes around to open the door for us. Emma practically pushes me in.
And there’s only one person I know who would be this over the top.
The limo driver closes the door. Soon we’re pulling away from the curb. “Why do I get the feeling you’ve been communicating with the person who fired me yesterday—okay, which I possibly deserved. Tell me, Emma, I mean it.”
“Okay, yes. But I think you’re going to want to hear what he has to say.”
“What does he have to say?”
“I don’t know, but I think it’s going to be good. I’m coming along to live vicariously through you. I mean, limos, billionaires, come on, Dust. Just go with it. You cannot deprive me of watching Cash Maddox grovel, girlfriend.”
“What if he’s done groveling? What if I’ve damaged everything beyond repair?”
Now that I’m well-rested and not quite as strung out, I feel calmer. But my heart aches. Why do I have to be so damaged, by something that happened to me so long ago? “I guess I behaved sort of irrationally yesterday.”
“We’ve all been there, sister.”
“Tell me what Cash said to you.”
“Can’t.” Her brown eyes twinkle. “It might ruin the surprise.”
I glare at her. “Traitor.”
“This is way too good, Dust. Just go with it.”
A small flurry of butterflies erupts in my stomach. “When did he contact you?”
“Last night. When I was unpacking my lamps.”
“So it wasn’t someone from work.”
“Not exactly. Oh my god, we’re here.”
Once again the chauffeur opens the door for us and we climb out. A doorman is waiting for us and ushers us inside the building. Penelope is standing there.
“They’re all waiting for you,” she grins.
“All?”
“Yes,” she beams. “Is this Emma?”
“Penelope, this is my best friend Emma Fontaine. Emma, Penelope Callahan, HR director.”
“Nice to meet you, Emma. Cash told us to expect you both.”
He did? Penelope is as cagey as Emma and they exchange a conspiratorial glance. The little girl with abandonment issues in me has the urge to run, but I’m done listening to her. She’s been giving me terrible advice lately.
Whatever’s about to happen at the top of this elevator ride is obviously going to be overwhelming, one way or the other.
I love him. I love him like that four-year-old girl on our porch that day, or the ten-year-old girl with the paper route, or the sixteen-year-old who used to hang out in the UT library could never have imagined. And I want to hear what he has to say.
We get to the executive floor and Penelope leads us to a large meeting room, opening the door.
