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Because she’s perfect. And she’s going to New York.
* * *
Lara
Fatima is up at the ticketing counter at our gate, arranging her upgrade. I’m reading through the existing GHW-NY marketing campaigns for the Alexi Bradford chain of luxury hotels from the last few years, reviewing numbers and targets. Seeing what naturally overlaps with the chic new Alexi B & Co brand already and where more opportunities exist.
Basically, making the most of every minute I have.
We meet with the New York team first thing tomorrow. Then it’s lunch at the Alexi Bradford Manhattan Hotel with all the players, followed by more meetings at the corporate offices.
It’s a thrill to be on this team. A stroke to my ego and boon for my resume.
And just so freaking cool to have been requested by name and flown halfway across the country to meet in person.
These are exactly the kind of foundational building blocks that support the career I’ve always wanted. And that’s what I’m focusing on. It’s all I’m focusing on.
Definitely not what it means that Ben hasn’t asked whether I’ve thought about the possibility of staying in Chicago. Or how he was so incredibly enthusiastic about what this trip could mean for moving up.
When I talked to my dad on Sunday, he went so far as to delightedly chime in that this trip was almost like getting an interview before a job was even opened.
And the support meant the world to me. So why do I keep finding my thoughts circling back to just how very supportive Ben is about the prospect of me leaving, more uncertainty about that unfettered enthusiasm growing every time?
* * *
Ben
“Honey, what a wonderful surprise!” My mom looks like she’s just come back from the gym as she climbs out of the car with her yoga mat and glitter cup.
“Hey, Mom.” I walk down to the drive to meet her, pulling her in for a big bear hug. My mother is amazing. She’s sweet and patient and fun, and she gets me in a way very few other people do. She’s been going to bat for me since the first mention of Ben being “a lot” in preschool and helped me overcome my challenges for the next dozen years after that. But most importantly, she calls me on my shit, which is maybe… fine, definitely why I’m here.
“Was hoping you’d let me take you out for lunch. What do you say?”
She pats my chest and nods for me to follow her up to the house. “I’d say you just showed up without so much as a text, Lara’s in New York, and even though you swore up and down it wasn’t happening again, you’ve got the same look in your eyes you had the last time you guys stepped out of the friend zone. Do you really want to talk about whatever’s bothering you in a restaurant full of strangers, or is this a conversation better had over a turkey sandwich in the kitchen?”
She gets me.
I nod and follow her up to the house. She tucks her mat into the hall closet before turning into the kitchen.
When she opens the fridge, I nudge her out of the way. “Let me.”
Her brows lift. “You really are upset.”
“Sit.”
I might have come crying to my mother about my problems, but I’m man enough to make her a sandwich while I do it.
She retreats to a stool at the far side of the counter as I pull down plates from the cabinet and start to layer cold cuts on sliced bread.
The drive up from the city should have been time enough to gather my thoughts, but it is what it is, and in true April Boerboom fashion, she doesn’t rush me. She just waits, giving me the time I need.
I cut her sandwich in half and drop a pickle spear on the edge of the plate before sliding it across the counter to her.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Mom.” I swallow hard, feeling the weight of it heavy in my gut. “From before Lara walked through my door, I knew she wasn’t here to stay. I was sure we didn’t have a second chance in our cards. That I didn’t want one.”
She nods, reaching for my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s hard to want to open yourself up to someone when you’ve been hurt. But sometimes it’s worth it.”
I heave a breath. “She’s worth it. Hard to believe it’s possible, but this thing with us is even better than the first time we were together.”
