AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The one thing I know about Kyle is that he loves you. Tell him you’re ready to move on, and he’ll be back.”
Chapter 16
The buzzing alarm clock woke me from a fitful sleep on Monday morning. My temples throbbed, and I felt nauseous, the beginning of a migraine. I’d never experienced one until I started taking fertility drugs. As I thought about this, my anger toward Kyle for refusing to do another round intensified. He hadn’t sacrificed as much as I had, so it was easier for him to give up our dream of having a baby. I glanced toward my phone on the nightstand, expecting to see a message from him, but there was none. We hadn’t communicated since he walked out on Sunday.
I’d been waiting for him to cool off, but he’d had enough time. I pounded out a text and waited for the dots that indicated he was replying to appear. They didn’t. I flung my phone back on the bureau and pulled the covers over my head. If only I could stay in my cozy, warm bed all day, but I couldn’t. Today was the new managing editor’s first day at the magazine, and I didn’t want to make a bad impression by calling in sick. I swallowed two ibuprofen and forced myself to make the drive across town.
As I circled the parking lot, my headache worsened. A candy-apple-red Range Rover with a New York license plate occupied the spot I had been using since my first day more than a decade ago. While there wasn’t a sign designating the space as mine, everyone else knew not to park there. How could I tactfully bring this up with my new boss?
There were no empty spaces in the lot because the maintenance crew had plowed the snow into mountainous piles that swallowed up the last four rows. I drove a quarter of a mile down the street to the overflow lot, a property of an abandoned warehouse, and huffed back over the slushy sidewalks. My phone, tucked away in my coat pocket, vibrated. I sighed in relief, expecting a response from Kyle. The message was a group text to Dana, Kyle, and me from Aunt Izzie, reminding us she was cooking us dinner tomorrow night.Artichoke gratinata because Kyle requested it, she wrote. A gust of icy wind blew as I stared down at my screen, waiting for my husband’s response. Surely he wouldn’t ignore my aunt. He’d come up with an excuse: working late or hockey.
My phone vibrated in my hand, and Page’s name flashed across the screen.Where are you???????
The series of question marks at the end of her message made me quicken my pace. Inside the building, my coworkers sat at attention behind their desks, focused on their monitors. Usually, at this time of morning, they milled through the hallways, cups of coffee in their hands, chitchatting with one another. In the corner office that used to be Leo’s, a pale, dark-haired woman sat behind the enormous mahogany desk, talking to Andrew. She stared toward the door as I passed. Our eyes locked. I smiled. The corners of her mouth curled downward. She glanced at her watch and pointed at me. Andrew turned and looked in my direction. As he spun around to face her again, he nodded. I wasn’t sure if his nod was to acknowledge me or a response to whatever Elizabeth had said.Are they talking about me?
As I made my way down the hall, Page called out to me. “Andrew was looking for you to introduce Elizabeth. They stopped by three times.”
“Did you meet her?”
Page wrinkled her nose. “Yup.” I waited for her to elaborate. “I stopped by Eli’s, bought her a blueberry muffin and coffee to welcome her.”
“Kiss-ass.”
“It didn’t work out so well. She’s allergic to blueberries and doesn’t do caffeine.”
I laughed. “So I get to have them?”
“Andrew scoffed them down while she droned on and on about the importance of native advertising.” I tilted my head, and Page clarified. “Advertorial content.”
Elizabeth wiped her mouth with a napkin when I entered. A greasy paper plate rested on the desk in front of her, and the room smelled like bacon. She certainly hadn’t wasted any time making the corner office her own. Framed posters of inspirational quotes hung from the walls.
PLEASURE IN THE JOB PUTS PERFECTION IN THE WORK.
THE FRUIT OF YOUR OWN HARD WORK IS THE SWEETEST.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRY AND TRIUMPH IS JUST A LITTLE UMPH!
If Kyle and I weren’t fighting, I’d sneak a picture with my phone and send it to him. I smiled as I imagined his snarky response.You didn’t tell me Tony Robbins was your new boss.
Covers of past issues of the magazine that had decorated the walls when the space belonged to Leo spilled out of an overflowing garbage can. A chill ran down my spine. Elizabeth wouldn’t think twice about making all kinds of changes. Would I survive her regime? Would Page? Or would Elizabeth discard us as easily as she did those old issues?
“I wasn’t particularly impressed with any of those covers,” she said.
She had spoken fewer than ten words, and I already thought I might not enjoy working for her. I pulled my eyes away from the trash. “I look forward to seeing your ideas.”
She rolled her chair back and stood, extending her hand. “Elizabeth Sanders. I’ve heard a lot about you, Nicole. It’s nice to formally meet.”
“Nikki,” I corrected, wondering exactly what she had heard.
“Andrew tells me you wanted the managing editor position.”
Andrew had told me she had moved to Mount Stapleton from Manhattan, so I had expected her to be a fast-talking New Yorker. Instead, she spoke excruciatingly slow, pausing after each word as if there were a period there.
We were still standing. I wondered if she was trying to intimidate me with her height. She was at least six feet tall. I drew up my shoulders and stood as straight as I could. “I’ve been doing it for the past six months.”
“Will you have trouble working for me, then?”
I admired her directness. “I’m going to be a sponge, learning everything I can from you so if the opportunity arises again, I’ll be ready.”
