A knowing smile graces her lips. “Fuck if I know.”
I bark a surprised laugh.
“Seriously, though. If you found someone who loves you the way you are, curse or no curse, isn’t that enough? It sounds like it is for her. You just have to let yourself be loved by her, with all your quirks and imperfections.” Courtney steps back, crossing her arms. “I’d give anything to have what you have.”
My skin tingles as these new thoughts settle over me. Then, before I can think any better of it, I sweep Courtney into a hug. After a moment’s hesitation, she hugs me back, squeezing tight. I didn’t know how badly I needed a hug from her, but it’s like something deep inside me clicks back into place and the world feels a little brighter.
“So, what now?” Courtney asks, pulling away.
I can’t undo my past with a spell, or a potion, or a tincture. There’s no easy way out of the mess I’ve made of my life. But there is a way through. And I’m done running.
I give Courtney a determined smile as everything comes into focus. “Now I have a blinking curser to defeat.”
chapter twenty-seven
It Was Going to Be Awkward Regardless
As soon as I get home, I whip my laptop out and get to work, staying up far later than I should, until finally passing out on the couch with Winston as my weighted blanket. I wake with the sun, take Winston out on a quick walk, and then continue plugging away on my laptop while jamming peanut butter toast into my mouth for sustenance. After several hours of work, a pot of coffee, and slaying that damned blinking curser, I’m ready. Well, as ready as I’ll ever be.
I look at the time—Fuck. I’m cutting it close to get through everything I need to do today and still make it to Gabe’s play on time. There is no way I can miss that. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life but letting him down won’t be one of them.
Before I can go there and face Lex, I need to right a few other wrongs.
With no time for public transit, I call an Uber and pull on adress before quickly scrubbing off yesterday’s makeup and applying a fresh face. A little formal for my first two stops, but I need to look good for my final destination.
My first stop is Kindness Forward. Swallowing my trepidation, I march into the office, walk past all the desks, and knock on Ebele’s door.
She answers a moment later. “Oh good, you’re here. I need you to lead us on the project. I’ll call for a meeting and we—”
“Wait,” I interrupt, lowering my voice and stepping closer. “We need to talk.”
Ebele eyes me a moment, her expression guarded, before opening the door wider and stepping aside to let me in, shutting it behind me. My pulse raises and hands sweat, and inside my brain is yelling at me to get out of there and try to save myself from the embarrassment and scrutiny of admitting what I did. But I can’t listen to that voice anymore. I have to take responsibility for my actions—for my life.
After telling Ebele everything that happened with the project and how Jasleen should be in charge of it since she’s the one who came up with the idea, I shift uncomfortably under her scrutiny for what feels like a lifetime while Ebele taps her fingernails on her desk.
“Thank you for bringing that to my attention,” she says, finally. “In that case, Jasleen will be taking over the project. I appreciate you coming clean, Aubrey. I know that was difficult to do.”
A long-held breath whooshes out of me as I press my palms flat on the desk and lean forward. “Thank you. And I’m totally excited to help on the project any way I can. I was thinking I could—”
“You’re fired, of course.” Ebele regards me with a slight lift of her chin.
My mouth falls open. “Fired?”
She tuts. “You didn’t seriously think you could steal an idea from your co-worker and not face any sort of consequence for it.”
“I thought maybe I’d get written up, or—”
“A write-up is for stealing someone’s lunch from the fridge. Stealing work is not something we tolerate.”
I sink into the chair as her words permeate my brain.Damn. How did I not see that coming?
“Please gather the items from your desk and make your way out. Best of luck on your next endeavour, Aubrey.” Ebele turns from me back to her computer, dismissing me without so much as a handshake. I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to shake my hand, either.
I let myself out of her office and shut the door behind me. Kindness Forward has been my home for the past several months, but it feels foreign to me now, like I’m a parasite it’s being cleansed of.
As much as I want to tuck my tail between my legs and run out of there as fast as I can, I’m not done here yet. I force my feet down the hall to Jasleen’s office. Her door is open a crack and she’s inside, typing away. I knock quietly, the door pushing open a bit more as I do. Jasleen looks up and does a double take, her expression morphing quickly from surprise to contempt.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, her upper lip curling into a snarl.
