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“Busy day?” Tamara eyes me from over the rim of her glasses.
“I think Bianca took great pleasure in torturing me. She hates me,” I say.
“Don’t worry about her. She loathes anyone who rivals her beauty. Especially if they get near Finn. She’s obsessed with him, but he doesn’t look twice at her. Well, not in the way she’d like.”
Bianca considers me a threat? If only she knew how much Finn hates me. The proof clear in his fierce gaze and harsh words. Besides, I won’t be back tomorrow. “Tamara, I’m so grateful for the job. You didn’t have to help me like this. But I have to quit. I’m sorry.”
Tamara pushes the colored glasses on top of her head. Placing her elbows on the table, she leans forward. “Has this got anything to do with Finn? He came storming into my office demanding I fire you.”
Even though I expected that, it still stung. “If I’m fired, why was I still working today?”
“Because I told him you signed a contract, and without a good reason, it can’t be done.”
I shake my head. “But I didn’t sign a contract.”
Tamara gives a cheeky smirk, pulls open a drawer, and places a sheet of paper on the desk, sliding it toward me.
“He didn’t know that.” Passing me a pen, she says, “Here, sign it.”
“I can’t. I’m not coming back.”
“I don’t know what’s going on between you and Finn. It’s easy to see there’s history. You told me you needed this job. Are you going to let another man determine what you do with your life?”
I straighten in the chair and grip the pen in my hand. Oh my God. That’s exactly what I’m doing. I spent nine years being commanded by Derek. Now I’m finally free from those restrictive chains. I’m not letting Finn scare me away from a job I need. It’s not like I have options lined up.
Picking up the contract, I scan through it. It all looks good. My hand shakes as I sign my name on the bottom.
All I need to do is avoid Finn as much as possible. It’s only for two months. How hard can it be?
After work, Tamara takes me to storage—which is more like a department store filled with beautiful clothes—to find suitable outfits for work. I choose skirts, trousers, and blouses I can mix and match. I have to ignore the gorgeous lace, silk, and satin gowns. They’re not appropriate for work. It doesn’t stop me from running my hands over the textured fabric and dreaming of wearing them one day.
“Thanks for helping me,” I say when I have my selection.
“My pleasure. It was fun. I’ll arrange an Uber and help you take them home.” She picks up the garment bags.
“Oh no, that’s not necessary. I don’t want to bother you anymore.”
“No bother. I have no plans tonight,” Tamara insists and organizes an Uber.
Thirty minutes later, we arrive at my apartment. Tamara sits on a stool in the corner of my bedroom, watching me put the clothes into an old, scratched, faux timber closet.
“Let’s go to a nightclub and celebrate your new job,” she suggests.
“That’s a great idea,” Alyssa says from her propped-up position on the bed where she’s snacking on an apple. She’s dressed in her signature black cargo pants, black leather jacket, and black biker boots. Always dressed in black; the only way I can tell that she’s come home from a dance class is the pink leotard peeking from under the jacket and her hair pulled on top of her head in a tight bun.
I pause with a blouse in my hand. “I don’t think there’s much to celebrate. It’s only temporary.”
“Of course there’s a reason to celebrate! You have a job.” Tamara holds up her hand, stopping me from repeating that it’s ‘only temporary’. “Andyou’re young and single. I bet you haven’t gone out since your husband died.”
I bite my bottom lip in thought. She’s right. I haven’t been out. When I was married to Derek, we didn’t go out either. His boring dinner parties he dragged me to don’t count.
“Come on. I know this great club. Consider this another step to your new life.”
It’s like Tamara knows the buttons to press to fire me up. First it was about quitting my job because of a man. Now she’s planted the seed of starting a new life. Wasn’t that what I wanted to do the second I learned about Derek’s death? To get my life back?
I toss the blouse I’m holding onto the bed. “You’re right. Going out is another step in getting my life back. I want to dance, drink, and not give a damn about anything oranyone.” That includes Finn and his reaction to seeing me. Although, he could be a little harder to push from my mind.
Tamara claps and cheers, “That’s my girl! Now put on that little black dress I can see in the closet poking out from your clothes.”
