Page 78 of Beauty Of Her

Great. Well, I’m going to try to sleep. Goodnight, sleep tight.

Me

Goodnight.

I placed the phone facedown onto the nightstand and gazed into the navy sky, speckled with diamonds. I sighed and turned to my side, hugging the duvet closer. The room was quiet, just the occasional tick-tock from the wall clock punctuating the silence. My mind whirled with thoughts of earlier when my phone buzzed again, pulling me out of my musings, and a new message from Brett lit up my screen.

Brett

I forgot to say something. You looked beautiful tonight. Now, goodnight. For real.

Even in the solitude of my room, heat rushed to my cheeks. A slow smile spread as I typed out a simple response.

Me

Thank you. You did too…Goodnight.

A sense of peace washed over me when I put down the phone this time. The room wasn't so quiet anymore, and the silence felt comforting rather than oppressive. I couldn't ignore our connection, and about ten minutes later, I drifted off to sleep peacefully for the first time in weeks.

Brett

How’s your day going, beautiful?

My face hurt from smiling when I read his message, and it dawned on me. Why was it so easy to text with Brett? Every day, I woke up to a ‘good morning’ message, and at bedtime, he wished me ‘sweet dreams.’ We hadn’t spoken about seeing each other in person yet, and sometimes, I wondered if we ever would. Or were we stuck in a pendulum motion of saying sweet utterings to each other with the promise of nothing? All the balls were thrown high into the air, but no one knew whose court they would land.

Two knocks thundered from my office door, and my head shot up to Amelia’s figure leaning halfway into my room. “What’s up?” I asked.

“You have a new client,” Amelia said, none too convincing.

“A new client? I didn’t see anything on my calendar.” I shuffled the mouse, awakening my screen, and the desktop calendar showed no meeting of this kind.

“She’s looking for a fresh direction for her supermarkets.” Amelia leaned on the door frame and thrust a tongue into her cheek.

“Supermarkets?” An eerie heat flooded my cheeks, and my stomach flipped. This sounded too familiar.

“Should I send her in?”

“Um, yeah, sure.” I quickly smoothed my already flat hair and pressed the front of my blouse to my chest and stomach.

Seconds later, Amelia escorted Natalie into my room. Brett’s mother and I locked eyes, and when I shifted my eyes to Amelia, something told me she knew exactly who it was. She left silently, leaving me and Natalie alone. I eyed the woman, looking perfect in her pale yellow cashmere sweater and pleated charcoal gray trousers.

"Julia," she said, her voice tinged with a hint of formality. "It's been a while."

"Yes, it has," I replied, trying to sound composed and unaffected by her presence. But deep down, my insides screamed and twisted. What was she doing here? Did she know the latest with Brett? The questions swirled in my mind, threatening to overwhelm me. “Please, have a seat.” I gestured to the empty chair across from the desk. I sat, and she followed. We stared momentarily at each other before I reached for a pen and clicked it open. “So, how can I help you? You want to rebrand your supermarkets?” I winced, never sounding so lost and unprofessional.

“I don’t want to waste your time.” Natalie laughed. “You know why I’m here.”

I squinted, unsure if I was staring at a bitch or not.

“I came here to apologize,” Natalie blurted, frowning. “I see how Brett’s handling this whole schism, let’s call it. And then I think about how I treated you at the gala and bringing up his ex.” She shook her head. “I was out of line, and I’m sorry. You know, I only want what’s best for Brett. He’s my son.” Her eyes fell to the floor briefly before lifting to meet mine. “And it’s you. So, how could I be upset about that? You’re a good person, and I was selfish. Maybe controlling? I acted out.” Natalie pressed a hand over her heart. “I hope you’ll forgive me.” Natalie’s eyes scanned me, feeling completely exposed. “There’s some sadness there. I see it in your eyes.”

The lump in my throat grew too large to swallow, so I nodded instead.

“Stop fighting it, Julia. Go see him.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, averting my eyes to the ceiling, and prayed the tears wouldn’t fall. Natalie's words echoed in my mind, reverberating through the hollow chamber of my heart. Stop fighting it, Julia. See him. It was as if she had reached inside my soul, plucking out the fear and uncertainty that had kept me paralyzed for weeks.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Natalie began, “but what happened with your first marriage? Why did you divorce?”

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