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1
PAIGE
Iwince a little as I burn my tongue on the hot coffee I am sipping, trying hard not to spill any on my all-white pant suit. However, despite my singed tongue, I moan with appreciation as the liquid gold slides down my throat.
I’m not entirely sure that adding coffee on top of the nerves I’m feeling today is a good idea, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I need my caffeine fix.
I start to walk out of theDreamy Bean, my favorite coffee shop. Someone pushes the door open. A gust of wind rushes in. I close my eyes and inhale a lung-full of that distinct New York fall smell; the unique mixture of rain on concrete, browning leaves on the sidewalk, and exhaust fumes. There’s nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world.
My eyes flutter open and my heart stops. The only man I’ve ever loved is standing in front of me.
He looks just as surprised as I feel.
“Paige…” He scratches his head jostling his blonde curls as he shifts from one foot to the other.
I clear my throat to make sure my voice doesn’t shake when I speak. “Jason… It’s been a while.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, it really has. How are you these days?”
“Good. You?”
“Everything’s good…”
We stand there, staring at each other in silence.
Then Jason speaks. “By the way, I guess congratulations are in order. I read in the paper that you sold your company. If I remember correctly, for 200 million?”
I smile. “250, and thanks.”
He whistles. "That's a nice amount. I guess I was wrong." He smiles and then casts his gaze to the ground.
He should be embarrassed. I remember the words he threw at me as he stomped out of my life four years ago.
You’re wasting your life on a company that will never get off the ground.
You should give up and get a real job.
I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but what makes you think you’re so special that you will make it in fashion? It’s a cutthroat business.
He takes a step closer. “Hey, Paige, I just want to apologize for all the bullshit I said when we broke up.”
“Thank you, but your lack of support is what lit a fire under my ass and spurred me on for years. So I guess I have you to thank for all my success.” I smile.
He takes a deep breath. “Still, it was a shitty way for a boyfriend to act.”
I chuckle. “You won’t get any pushback on that from me.”
He laughs too. “Let me make it up to you. What do you say I take you out to dinner sometime?”
I don’t even need a moment to think.
“No,” I say.
He actually looks surprised. “No?”
“No,” I reply plainly.
“I don’t understand.”
