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“Wow.” I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to think. The solution that comes to mind is to sprint past the reception desk and through the office. Get to his desk at any cost.
But he’s not there. He’s already gone.
“It’s not too bad,” she says, conspiratorially. Because I’m like her. An assistant. The help. Not one of the fancy executives. “We’re getting paid double time to finish up. And no one’s getting laid off.”
There’s an awkward silence while we both register that I was, essentially, laid off. Not because of this merger with Hughes Financial Services, but because Will is tired of me.
It was temporary, and now it’s over. He couldn’t be any clearer. Paid leave. Out of the office.
The twins are waiting for me back at the apartment. We need to start making plans. If Will’s walking out of my life, his people will be leaving soon, too.
I force the smile back onto my face. “Okay. Thank you. Good luck with everything.”
“You too, Bristol.” I take two numb, faltering steps away from her desk. “Oh! Wait.”
A call from Will. A message. Anything.
The receptionist holds up a small cardboard box. “These are your things, right? One of the interns got them from your desk. I was going to mail it to you, but this is perfect.”
“Yes,” I agree. “It’s perfect.”
I take the box.
There’s a pencil holder inside that technically belongs to Summit. A tube of chap stick. A dish of tropical Jolly Ranchers. And my plastic palm tree. It looks sad sitting there in the tiny pile of cheap drug store items.
I follow the agent back into the elevator and outside to the SUV. I have two people to take me home, but that’s not reality, is it? This isn’t furniture I picked out and paid for. This isn’t real life for me. It’s imaginary, just like the idea that Will might care about me. The reality is that I’m left with a cheap miniature replica of my dream, alone as I was when I came to Summit for the first time.
On that day I dreamed about visiting a beach in the Bahamas, but that won’t happen. Not ever. My dream expanded to include Will Leblanc. It wasn’t only me that I imagined on that warm sand, coated with salt and sunshine. It was me and Will—and even the twins. It was a family.
It wasn’t reality.
He might as well be on that beach in the Bahamas, because he’s out of my reach.
Forever.
* * *
