Skye smiled at her as she entered the house. “What made you change your mind?”
“I figured I should tell you that I fired Andrew.”
With wide eyes, Skye said, “What?”
“I. Fired. Andrew,” Paige repeated.
The second time didn’t feel any better than the first. In fact, she hadn’t felt good since she’d slammed the door in Andrew’s face. At first, it felt like the answer to her prayers. It felt final, like she’d finally put the period at the end of a long run-on sentence. Then it felt tragic. Andshefelt empty.
“Why would you do that?” Skye asked, a furrowed brow on her face. “And why didn’t you call me back earlier?”
“I needed time.”
“Time to make a mistake?”
“Who said it was a mistake?” Paige tossed back, trying to add some bravado to her voice. Because she couldn’t bring herself to admit that it might have been a mistake. “Besides, I didn’t want to talk about that interview. Not today.”
“If you had just answered the phone,” Skye said, through clenched teeth. “I didn’t call you about the interview. I called because I had something to tell you.”
Paige’s heart pounded.Did something else happen?“What do you have to tell me?” She didn’t think she could take much more tonight. Maybe tomorrow, but not tonight.
“I know you were looking for Andrew to be there. I wanted to tell you that he wasn’t there becauseIasked him not to come.”
Paige’s stomach fell.
“Before you say anything, let me explain.” Skye let out a frustrated curse. “After the article, I thought it was best that he didn’t show up to the studio. I didn’t want to give Wendell any more ammunition against you. Andrew didn’t want to stay away, though. It took some doing to get him to stand down. He even yelled at me.”
Tears burned the back of Paige’s throat, but she couldn’t talk, she couldn’t even think about anything except for the look on Andrew’s face when she fired him. Panic rose inside her when she pictured the hurt in his eyes, the disappointment . . .What the hell have I done?
“Maybe I was wrong?” Skye continued. “But after what Wendell pulled today, I don’t think I am. It was best for everyone that Andrew wasn’t there to see what happened. The last thing we needed was for him to beat the shit out of Wendell. Which would have been a strong possibility sinceIwas seconds away from knocking that asshole the hell out.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” she shouted. “Why didn’thejust tell me?”
Skye raised her hand. “Me again. I told him not to answer your calls and not to return your texts. I snatched his phone away when he tried to call you. Like I said, he wasn’t trying to hear anything I said.”
Paige paced the floor, shaking her hands in the air. “Why?”
“Because all it would have taken was for him to hear your voice, and he would have been there.” Skye shrugged. “And because if you knew he wasn’t coming, you would have been even more distracted than you already were.”
Exhaling slowly, Paige closed her eyes against the torrent of emotions she felt in that moment. She plopped down on the couch and her shoulders fell. There were so many things running through her mind, she didn’t know where to start.
After a moment, though, she said, “I think what bothers me the most—and it’s probably my fault because I’ve been alotemotional lately—but y’all are out here acting like I’m just weak. That I can’t take anything. Not even a phone call,” she added. “You act like I would’ve fallen apart if you’d told me your reasoning then. I would have been sad, but I would have been okay. Instead, I thought he was ignoring because . . .” Paige ran shaky fingers through her hair. “I don’t even know now. Because everything that I thought made sense at the time doesn’t anymore.”
Skye sat next to her. “It’s my natural inclination to protect you because that’s my job—and because you’re my friend. In this case, I might have been wrong, and I apologize.” She squeezed Paige’s leg. “You’re not weak, though. You’re one of the strongest women I know.”
The tears fell then, but Paige made no move to wipe them.
“I don’t know many women who could deal with Julius and his trifling ass and still come out standing,” Skye said. “Even when you thought you were at your weakest, none of us did. And that’s the truth.”
Paige rested her head on Skye’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
Skye hugged her. “One more thing.” Lifting her gaze, Paige peered at her friend. “Don’t punish Andrew for this. He really does love you.”
Nodding, Paige said, “You didn’t see the way I hurt him.”
“It’s not too late to make it right,” Skye said. “Like I always tell my friends . . . fix that shit.” Standing, Skye picked up her purse. “I hate to leave you, but X is in town and we have business.”
Paige stood and walked Skye to the door. “Thanks for coming by.”
