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I want the closest thing to closure we can manage, and acting like a clingy girlfriend with hurt feelings isn’t going to accomplish that.
There’s also a small kernel of warmth in my chest because he wants me to check in. Kyle is more considerate than most guys I’ve met. But the list of people he cares about seems to be really short and include people he’s known for most of his life. That I might have a spot on it, even if it’s far down, is more than I expected.
“You have everything?”
“Yeah.” I’m confident I do, but it feels like I’m leaving something behind.
A little of myself maybe. The woman I discovered who likes wearing cowboy boots more than heels and who can stay on the back of a mechanical bull.
Kyle exhales. “Okay then.”
He’s letting me go. And even if it’s what I expected—what part of me wants—it still stings.
I nod, quick and jerky. Hug him before I can overthink it, one that’s meant to be quick and impersonal but that stretches for a lot longer after his strong arms band behind my back. Inhale the scent of leather and wood and soap and something that’s justKylebefore stepping away.
“Don’t forget, Bailey is supposed to come over later.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and takes a step back. Nods. “I didn’t.”
“Okay.” I offer him a small smile and send a wave in Mabel and John’s direction. Round the rear of the sedan and climb into the driver’s seat, keeping my gaze straight ahead the whole time. I don’t let it stray to the rearview mirror once, not when I turn on the car or when I start down the driveway.
By the time I finally do, a few miles from the ranch, my eyesight is too blurry to really see anything.
* * *
No one in the Texas airport gives my boots a second glance.
It’s a different story once I land in New York.
Some of the looks are confused, others amused. I ignore all of them.
A car is waiting for me past the baggage claim, just like Linda said. It feels strange, tucked in the back seat of an SUV that smells brand-new, rolling past looming skyscrapers at a snail’s pace. Familiar yet also foreign. Same with arriving at the label’s offices. Waving hello to Jasper, the security guard, and then swiping my badge to get past the gate and reach the elevators.
My foot taps out an uneven rhythm as the doors close and the elevator ascends, trying to expel a little of the nervous energy. My fingers grip the strap of my purse tightly.
I have no idea what to expect. Linda’s email didn’t provide much information—or assurance.
I failed. I was supposed to get Kyle to sign, and I didn’t.
Will Carl call me into his office and chew me out? Are they giving up on Kyle, or are they sending someone else to attempt what I couldn’t manage? Is it possible I’ll still be transferred to A&R, or will I be stuck right where I was before I left for Texas with a bruised heart?
The doors open on the label’s floor. Linda glances up from her desk in the center of the reception area with a prepared smile that turns genuine when she sees me. The knot in my stomach loosens a little. For the first time since the plane wheels hit the tarmac, I feel like I’m home.
“Piper!”
“Hi!”
Linda stands, rounding the side of her desk to give me a warm hug. “You look different,” she says, still smiling.
“Throw a city girl in the Texas wilderness, and that’ll happen.” The words are light, but my mood isn’t. It still smarts when I think of the scene I pulled away from this morning.
“You impressed Carl,” she tells me. “Not many people would have been willing to do what you did.”
My exhale is relieved since that doesn’t sound like I’m going to get fired.
“I failed,” I remind her. The words taste bitter on my tongue.
Linda shakes her head, making her gray bun wobble. “Everyone knows what a challenge you were handed. The team of lawyers Kyle Spencer sent made it quite clear where he stood. The whole office heard.”
