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“Good luck with your interviews. I need to get going.” I grabbed a shirt from the hamper and my bag off the floor, and strode out before Izzy could get up to follow. I’d fallen harder than she had. That wasn’t her fault. But I was still pissed. Still hurting. Still raw. If we talked, I’d just yell at her, and she didn’t deserve that.
Best I just left it, and left her to her life. Her dazzling new life that she was building without me.
CHAPTER 18
IZZY
Iwasn’t obsessing over the change in Spencer.
He had the playoffs. A shot at the cup. Of course he was busy. Of course he was stressed.
But what had that dinner been, that whole special night? He’d cooked a whole meal for me. Tried to fold napkin swans. He’d made it romantic, and I’d thought… I’d thought…
Was it all just a thank-you for his run of good luck? Some cheesy gesture by way of goodbye? That didn’t feel like something Spencer would do, but his texts over the past week told a whole other story. I could count them on one hand, five little texts:
Left in a hurry. Could you lock the garage?
Going by the store later. Lemme know if you need anything.
The Ice Bears had won their Tuesday night game. I’d texted Congrats!!! and he’d texted back ty. Two letters, not even thanks.
His final two texts were almost an insult — Dude, move your car!! Then Sorry, meant Leon.
I’d texted back a few hours ago, on my lunch hour, but he hadn’t responded, maybe stuck in training. Maybe out talking strategy with the rest of his team.
I read through his texts again, searching for meaning, for some hidden subtext to make his thoughts clear. Was he just busy, or was this something more? Was our dalliance over? Had things turned weird? I didn’t see how they could have in the space of a night. I’d fallen asleep in his arms, thinking maybe we were real. Maybe he was feeling all that I felt. Then, in the morning, Gotta go. I’m busy. What the hell was that?
“Damn it, Spencer.”
Maybe he’d picked up on the shift in my feelings, the way I’d cuddled into him like I belonged in his arms. Maybe this was his way of creating some distance. Giving me space to let me cool off.
I turned my phone on its face. I hated feeling this way. Spencer wasn’t out there staring at his phone, trying to guess what I meant by Will you be home late tonight? He hadn’t mentioned his plans to me, not once this week. Instead, he was out there living his best life. Living his dreams, and I wasn’t part of them.
I stared at the blueprints spread out on my desk. Slid my ruler around to try and look busy. Checked my phone one last time, and it buzzed in my hand. I saw it was Donna Fergus, and I jumped out of my seat. Jim scowled at me as I jogged past his desk, but I paid him no mind. I ducked out to the balcony and pulled the door shut behind me.
“Izzy Lavelle.”
“Hi, this is Donna! We had our interview last Friday. I’m calling to tell you?—”
I could tell it was good news from the pep in her voice, but I still held my breath as Donna told me I’d got the job. She was running down my benefits and I wasn’t breathing, hanging on tenterhooks for the inevitable but.
Your work’s stunning, but the market might not be ready. This is still Albuquerque. This isn’t New York. We’ll need you to tone it down, at least for the moment.
I know our ad said self-starters, but we need a team player. You’ll be joining us initially in more of a niche role. You’re good with LEED compliance, right?
I realized Donna had stopped talking. Had she asked me a question? I gulped a deep breath.
“Izzy? You there? I don’t need your answer today, but we’d like to hire quickly. I’ll send over the full details for you to look over, and I’d love to hear back by the end of next week.”
“Of course, yeah.” I caught myself on the railing. “So, what kind of projects, what would I?—”
“As I said in our interview, we’re a small team. We’ll need you to handle a variety of clients, which with your versatility and work ethic, I think you’ll be great. You won’t have the large staff you do at HH&S, but you will have more freedom. Less design-by-committee — at least, from our end. The clients, well, you know.”
I did know. I laughed, and Donna laughed with me. I drew another deep breath, feeling lightheaded.
“Okay, that sounds great. I’ll look over those details.”
“Wonderful,” said Donna. “Can’t wait to hear back.” She hung up, and my phone buzzed again in my hand. I swiped over to my email, expecting the promised details, but instead I had an offer from Lehman and Anderson, New York. A good offer, too, more than Donna could give me, plus moving expenses and a company car.
