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“Hey man, you got a sec? I need to brief you on my clients before Gen and I leave for Saint-Tropez tomorrow.”
“Can this wait? I need to go do something.”
Jackson pins me with a confused expression, no doubt wondering what I need to do…to which I’m not sure how to answer. I fidget with my hands as I attempt to think of something to say, but I draw a blank.
“Yeah, I have a sec,” I say with an exhale, walking into our office, but my eyes don’t divert from the blonde disappearing down the hallway, her phone pressed firmly to her ear.
I’m convinced Jackson needs to learn what constitutes an emergency and what can absolutely be pushed off by forty-five minutes to allow me to take care of my business. He hands me a manilla envelope full of documents, all of which are on the company server, leaving me unsure why he’s handing them to me.
“I plan on setting up international service for my phone, so I’ll be reachable, so you shouldn’t have to do anything for anyone, but just in case, I wanted you to have the information.” Jackson’s phone starts to buzz and he lifts it up, the screen far more visible than his sister’s with her privacy screen protector.
“Hey man, I gotta grab this. I think it might be the airline.” Jackson disappears out the door without any explanation. However, unlike Hannah, any thoughts about what he’s doing leave with him.
Settling into my desk chair, I rub my eyes, weirdly exhausted despite getting a moderately full night’s sleep.Hannah’s distance since Saturday night has made it nearly impossible to focus, but there is no rest for the wicked and I need to have some level of focus at work.
Knuckles rap against the door before it creaks open. Veronica peeks into the office, a grin plastered across her lips.
“Hey, Liam!” She’s far peppier than I feel in this moment, but I’ll admit it makes me smile. She pulls her hair over one shoulder as she toys with the strands between her fingers, fidgety, though no more so than normal.
“Hey.” I grin up at her. If she notices my demeanor, she doesn’t let it show.
Veronica shifts to sit against the edge of the front of my desk, her proximity significantly closer than I’m used to—or, frankly, comfortable with.
“So I was thinking…” Her voice trails off as she leans in closer.
I attempt to back up to give her space, but my chair quickly hits my filing cabinet and I realize I have nowhere to go.
“…you had said we would hang out, but we haven’t gotten to.” She pouts as her voice shifts to something almost childlike. I don’t like the way it makes my skin crawl.
“Sorry, V. I’ve been busy.” Her office nickname slides off my tongue with ease, but it leaves my tongue coated in bile.
She shifts in closer as my entire body tenses. “Too busy for me?” She pouts.
Veronica continues to shift toward me and I realize too late that maybe I haven’t been clear enough about my intentions—or lack thereof—with her.
FORTY-THREE
HANNAH
“Thank you!” Tears start to pool at the edges of my eyes, but they’re fueled by nothing but unadulterated joy. The sour feeling I’ve been sporting since Saturday melts away with one simple phone call.
“We can’t wait for you to join the cast ofMaybe, Definitely, Nofor our inaugural national tour! You’re going to be a perfect fit…” The man on the other end of the phone continues as he breaks down the details—when I need to report to New York to start rehearsals, when the first leg of the tour begins—but it’s all information he said he’ll be sending over via email, so I don’t hear any of it.
“Thank you, seriously. Thank you.” I don’t know what to say or how to even use my words, apparently, because I can only muster the same two words that have been flying off my tongue since we started this conversation.
“We’re happy to have you, Hannah. I’ll get the details emailed over right away.”
“Sounds great. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Have a good rest of your day—anddon’t forget to pop open that bottle of champagne you’ve been saving for a special occasion. It sounds like you could use it right now.” He chuckles on the other end and I smile in response, feeling my excitement surge with every word we exchange.
We continue chatting, and after a few more pleasantries, we eventually say our farewells. The joy from our conversation lingers, making me feel so energized, as if I could conquer the world.
I need to tell Liam.
We’ve hardly spoken since Saturday night, and while I’m still hurt, there isn’t a single other person in this world that I want to tell first. This is the literal start to my career. Everything I’ve worked for since I was fourteen years old is finally coming to fruition. My stomach won’t stop doing flips at the mere thought of it all. Despite the unfinished business between us, this is a moment I want to share with Liam.
My heart races as I barrel toward Liam and Jackson’s office, picturing all the possibilities of what this next chapter of my life could bring.
