Page 126 of Pick Me This Time

He shook his head slowly from one side to the other. “It’s not going to happen because it’s not indecisiveness. It’s your gut telling you that you don’t belong there. You just said so yourself.”

“I know,” I admitted on a quiet mutter as I ran my hands over my face. “I’m just not sure what to do about it.”

“Why on earth not?” the woman asked, sounding genuinely confused. She blinked a couple times, glancing at her husband before frowning at me. “That’s the problem, darling. Ernie is right. You’re not indecisive. You’re at war.”

“I know that too,” I said as I moved my gaze between them. “What do I do about it, though?”

“You said you had to go, but do you really?” she asked, her brow furrowing as she stared at me. “What’s in New York that could possibly be more important than love?”

“My job. My apartment. My—” As I said it, I realized how little I cared about any of those things anymore. In fact, just rattling it off like that made me feel like a superficial, materialistic asshole. “Nothing. Nothing there is more important than love.”

The woman smiled. “Well, then. There you have it. Where are you from, boy?”

“Allisburg,” I said.

She chuckled. “The love of your life lives in your hometown. Your home. What on God’s green earth are you doing at the airport?”

“You know what? I honestly have no idea.” It felt like mental shackles fell off as soon as I finally said it out loud. “I shouldn’t be here.”

As if I’d been struck by a bolt of clarity, all that bullshit indecisiveness I’d been feeling for so many months just disappeared. Fuck the job. Fuck the firm. So what if I worked hard to get there?

I’d done it to make money, and I’d made it. A lot of it. Sure, I’d splurged a lot too, but I was only one person. I hadn’t lived a particularly lavish lifestyle. I’d worked too hard to jet around the world or eat expensive dinners every night.

Besides, I could sell the apartment and the cars, and I’d make a profit on the real estate and I wouldn’t have lost on the vehicles, which meant that my greatest expenses so far wouldn’t really have counted.

With every thought, I felt lighter and lighter. I’d been letting myself be held back by shit that didn’t really matter. I’d left Allisburg for money. To lift my family out of our constant struggle. If we were smart with what I’d already made, I’d have achieved that goal. Even as things stood now, we’d be able to survive for a few years without another penny coming in.

I wasn’t failing by leaving the firm. I’d simply done what I’d gone to New York to do. I was free to leave now, simply moving on to bigger and better things.

Gathering my stuff, I shot up and grinned at the elderly couple who were watching me like I was some long-lost son they were exceptionally proud of. “Right. I’m going now. Thank you.”

They smiled at me, the woman even reaching out to squeeze my hand before I turned and strode away. It caused a bit of a commotion when I tried to leave just before boarding, but the older woman cheered me on. “Let him go, ladies. He’s not going to hold up our flight. He’s going to go get his girl.”

The airline staff who had been telling me that I needed to stay put finally stepped aside, and then a few more people started cheering. I raced out of the waiting area and clear out of the airport, fumbling around on my phone to get an Uber as I ran.

Thankfully, there were a few waiting at the airport and my ride request was accepted instantly, the driver waiting for me right outside the terminal doors. I practically leaped into the backseat, leaning forward before I buckled up.

“Could you step on it? This is pretty urgent.”

“You got it, sir.” The guy pulled away from the curb immediately, muttering under his breath for cars to move as we made our way out of the parking area.

Once we hit the road, he pressed his foot down on the gas, apparently happy to be driving like a race car driver. Thank you, universe.

I grinned as I leaned back in my seat. If I was the kind who was constantly searching for sign, I would have taken getting the speediest of all Uber drivers as a positive one.

Before I even knew it, we were pulling up outside Daphne’s house. I patted the driver on the shoulder. “Thank you, man. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Good luck,” he said. I got out and his tires squealed as he drove away.

Opening the app, I added a generous tip while simultaneously dropping all my stuff on the sidewalk in my rush to get to the LaSalles front door. The squealing tires must’ve tipped Janet off that something was happening outside. She opened the door before I’d even knocked, blinking hard when she found herself looking at me.

“Sterling?” Her brow puckered. “Daphne’s not here, honey.”

“Where is she?” I asked urgently.

Janet arched an eyebrow at me, a slow smile spreading on her lips. “Why, she’s at the airport. She got herself on the red-eye to New York.”

Fuck. No. Fuck. “Thanks, Janet.”