Page 125 of From Rivals to I Do

Normally, driving from Manhattan to Queens would take anywhere from thirty to forty minutes, but it seems like traffic is slow. So, I do my best to avoid

awkward silences with my new boss.

“I live on the Upper East Side,” he says.

“That makes sense,” I say jokingly.

He laughs awkwardly at me, and I regret my words immediately.

“So, why did you move back here from LA?” he asks me after a minute.

“It just felt like that was best for me and my daughter,” I say offhandedly.

“I didn’t realize you have a daughter,” he says.

I pull out my phone to show him pictures of Charlee.

“Her name is Charlee. She’s four now, but she’ll be five in a few weeks,” I say proudly.

“She’s adorable,” he says, looking at me for a moment. “She looks just like you, too.”

I smile and put my phone away, thanking him. “It’s weird being back here, though. I feel like so much has changed, but it’s still so familiar,” I add, changing the subject,

“Why’d you move to LA, to begin with?” he asks. “Let me guess, you wanted to be an actor,” he adds before I can answer.

“That’s exactly it,” I laugh. “I took theater in high school, and my mom paid for some acting classes, so I thought I had what it takes. I got there, and there were hundreds of women much prettier than me, and we were all competing for the same things. I guess I just didn’t stand out.”

He nods his head slowly, and I immediately feel like the mood of the ride has changed.

“I did land a few small roles, though,” I add with a cheery tone. “You might recognize me as smiling woman number three from those antidepressant commercials.”

“You know what, that is where I know you from,” he says, nodding his head. “I knew you looked familiar.”

“Please just treat me like you would anyone else,” I say, pretending to be a bashful celebrity. “I just want to be normal.”

He shakes his head and laughs at me. “I’ve actually dabbled with art a bit myself,” he says. I’m surprised to hear that. He doesn’t look like the kind of person who would spend much time on creative projects.

“Really? What kind of art?” I ask, curious.

“I used to paint a lot. Once I started working at the company, though, the art got pushed aside so I could focus more on business,” he says.

“You don’t paint anymore? Not even just to relax or anything?” He shakes his head back and forth with a half-smile. “Well, I’d love to see some of your work sometime.”

“It’s not impressive. I wouldn’t be bringing it anywhere to hang up or anything,” he says, quickly dismissing the idea.

Traffic lets up, and we’re pulling up to my house before I know it.

“Thank you so much for the ride, Mr. Kapino,” I say before I get out of the car.

“It was great getting to talk to you. And call me Leonard,” he says.

I wave at him and his driver before they drive off.

Chapter ten

Chapter Ten

I sit silently for the rest of the car ride back to Manhattan. I liked Rayne from our interview, but I hadn’t thought much about that initial impression. Now, I can’t help feeling like there is something more to her.

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