Beloved (Toni Morrison Trilogy #1)(15)

“Oh, if you would have seen me, I don’t think you’d be saying that.” I laugh and squeeze her hand.

Gretchen smiles with warmth and love. “I did see you. I saw the mess you were, but I saw the strength behind it too. Look at you now. You had a f*cked-up day, but you’re not sitting here sobbing. You’re surviving, and you’re up for yet another promotion. Of course there are going to be bad days, but you dictate how many. I don’t want to mother you, but anytime you want to talk, you know I’m here.”

My phone rings, interrupting our heart-to-heart. Taylor’s name flashes across the screen, which is odd because we usually text or email. She never calls, not unless it’s an emergency.

“I gotta grab this.”

“No worries. I have to get going anyway. I love you! Remember what I said, though.” She stands, giving me a kiss on the cheek before heading to the door. I smile at how great our impromptu visit was, waving as the door closes behind her and the phone rings again.

“Hi, Tay.”

“Sorry to bother you, but I thought you’d want to know immediately,” she replies excitedly.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“Raven Cosmetics called. They’d like to speak with you first thing tomorrow morning. They asked if you’d be available for an 8 a.m. phone conference with the CEO. I said absolutely. I hope that’s okay,” she says nervously.

“Yes, of course. I hope this is a good thing.”

“I’m sure it is. I’ll confirm the meeting and email you the details.”

“Thanks. I’ll work from home in the morning and be in the office around eleven,” I tell her.

“See you then. Let me know if you need anything before you come in.”

“I will. Have a great night.”

I hang up the phone, surprised that we’re having a conference call instead of another meeting. I don’t know what that means, but I need to stay positive. I did the best I could, and all in all I feel good about how I presented. Even with Piper being in my face and unwanted thoughts of her and Neil resurfacing every time I looked at them, I kept it together.

There’s a part of me that still doesn’t understand how it all happened. What could possibly have brought them together? Sure, she has beautiful blond hair and bright blue eyes, but I never thought Neil saw her as more than a friend. I never imagined she’d be the demise of our relationship.

I hear my phone chirp and look down, hoping it’s Ash letting me know she’s close.

Ashton: Hey. I got tied up at work.

Me: It’s fine.

Ashton: I think I’m staying in the city tonight. You ok?

Me: I’ll be fine.

Of course she’s not going to come home the one time I need her to. Is anything going to go my way today? I needed my ex-fiancé to act like an adult, I needed him to leave me alone and not make an attempt to further obliterate me, and I needed my best friend to help me cope when said ex * ignored my needs completely and behaved like a selfish bastard. My phone starts ringing and I see Ashton’s face pop up on my screen.

I smile to myself, swiping to answer. “I’m okay, Ash.”

She giggles. “Liar. I can tell by your text message that you’re not. What happened today?”

“Well, let’s see. First, Piper consults for Raven Cosmetics, so she was in the meeting.”

“What?” she shouts. “Did you punch her in the throat? Or bitch-slap her? I wish I could’ve seen that.”

“Yeah, Ashton, that’s what I did in a client meeting. No, I didn’t, although I wanted to.” I take a deep breath and quickly tell her the story of my afternoon with all the sordid details and drama.

“What did you do to piss God off? I’ve never met anyone who has such shitty luck.” Ash laughs. “No matter what happens, this will work out. If not, we’ll get drunk and make fun of people.”

“I still don’t know why the hell I keep you around. I gotta go. I have an early phone meeting with the Raven people and I need to be prepared.”

“Okay. I probably won’t make it home. The new doctor is up my ass about the clinical trials he’s running. I need to be in the lab in case something happens. I’m sorry I can’t be home for you today, but please promise me you won’t eat a pint of ice cream. Just break out the old rabbit and—”

“And that’s where we hang up. Thanks for the advice. I love you.”

“Love you too. Seriously, an orgasm will

totally—”

I disconnect before she can finish, laughing at her ability to change my mood. There are no words for that girl. She really is my twisted sister. I decide it’s time to throw myself into work.

As I sit at the table, I replay the day’s events. If I were an outsider, they’d be hilarious. Since I’m the one involved, however, they’re not. I have two choices: either I do my best and win the only way I can, or I lie down and let Neil win. Right now, I’m more eager than ever to nail this phone interview and win this job. I go straight to my desk, change my email password, along with the passwords for any other account I may have logged in to from his computer, and get to work on my Raven project.

When I finally look at the clock, two hours have passed and I’ve accomplished a lot. I crunched numbers with an intensity I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m ready for tomorrow.