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I hang up and put the phone away.
“Was that Adam?” Island asks, grabbing the scissors and cutting off the tail end of a braid.
“Yes.” I open the tablet again.
“Have you told him? About resigning?”
Another braid falls to the ground like a defeated snake.
I don’t respond, but Island comes to her own conclusions. Tutting, she shakes her head. “He must be drowning in regret. That man relies on you like you’re his best friend, lover, and business partner all rolled into one.”
My throat squeezes tightly. I feel that noose again and it makes me want to grab a paper bag and blow into it.
“What is he going to do without you?” Island makes another sympathetic sound in her throat. The scissorssnipand a braid sinks to the floor. “Girl, that’s cruel of you to leave him on the lurch when he needs you so badly. You better have a good reason for ditching that job and devastating that gorgeous man or you’re just… well you’re just a bad person.”
“Why am I a bad person?” I snap heatedly.
Island goes still.
“Do I owe him my life? My body? My future? Am I expected to give him everything just because he treats me well?”
Island’s eyes are wide enough to take over most of her face. She blinks at me.
I realize I lost control and shame burns my heart like a brand. I hang my head, pick up my tablet again and studiously swipe through the files.
Island, by some miracle, gets the hint and doesn’t say another word.
* * *
I touchmy curls and chew on my bottom lip nervously. My head feels a lot lighter now that I’ve changed my hairstyle.
I glance at the ground. My shadow looks like I have a cotton ball for a head. Having this much volume is going to take some getting used to.
Steve, a mild-mannered man with brown eyes and a quiet smile, gives me an approving nod as I approach the car. “You look stunning, Miss Delaney.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He opens the back door for me.
I climb in and glance at the salon. Island’s last words as she handed me the bottles of natural hair gels, creams, and conditioners echoes in my head.
Just because you want something new doesn’t mean you have to kick the old to the curb. You can rock your natural hair and you can always go back to having braids. Doesn’t have to be one or the other for the rest of your life, honey. It’s not a prison sentence.
It felt like Island was trying to tell me something, but I’m not interested in learning life lessons right now. I just want to resign from Vision Tech with as little friction as possible.
Once I find someone who can adeptly handle the responsibilities to both the company and to Adam, I won’t feel so torn anymore.
“Where are you going, Miss Delaney?” Steve asks.
“Adam’s.”
He drives silently. I love that Steve feels no need to fill the quiet with chatter. It’s why we’ve gotten along so great for the past seven years.
I enjoy the peaceful car ride and I don’t even realize we’ve arrived until Steve gently calls to me.
“Miss Delaney.”
I glance up from my tablet, almost in a daze. Just outside my window is Adam’s two million-dollar manor. “Oh, thank you, Steve.”
