Page 57 of Fireworks & Forehead Kisses

“I love working with Stella. The job is fine. And it’s not even Mr. Suha. It’s just…not what I thought I would be doing after graduation.” The truth was, I hadn’t ever planned to have as much responsibility as I did. I’d done my best to step up to the challenge. But I’d gotten thrown into the deep end and did my best to doggie paddle. There were definitely days I’d barely kept my head above water and days that I sank. As much as I appreciated the fact that Stella had so much faith in me and had seen so much potential in me, the corporate side of things wasn’t really where I saw myself.

Art was my passion. I was going to start teaching again, and I had just finished a grant proposal that I was going to apply for, that if I received would give me funding to start my afterschool program.

“What about you?” I asked Zoe, wanting to get the attention off of me. “How was New York?”

Zoe had gone to New York a couple of weekends back with Miles, and I hadn’t seen her since.

“Good. Are you guys all going to be able to make it to the premiere?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Nadia exclaimed.

“I can’t wait to see the movie.” The premiere happened to fall on the same day as the online launch, after which I would be handing in my resignation. I planned on using the premiere as my celebration of the new chapter I was going to start.

“Are you going to bring anyone?” Zoe asked Nadia.

“Nope. I’m a single pringle.” She turned to me. “What about you? Are you seeing anybody?”

“No, I’m not.”

“When’s the last time you’ve gone out on a date?” she asked.

“It’s been…not since Big, and that wasn’t really a date.” It was actually better than any date I’d ever been on.

“Is it because of Garrett?” Zoe rested her hand on my arm.

“No.” I shook my head.

“Is it Big?” Nadia asked. “Are you still pining?”

“No.” I shook it again. Although not quite as emphatically. I wasn’t sure who would ever live up to the bar he’d set. In fairness, I may have built up the night we’d shared together in my head just a little bit. I definitely thought about it, fantasized about it, and dreamt about it on a regular basis. “I’ve just been busy. This job has been a lot.”

“I know it’s been a lot, but you’resureyou want to quit?” Daphne challenged.

“Yeah, the job just sort of landed in my lap. And I’ve enjoyed the challenge, and I’m grateful for the experience it has given me, but I just don’t think it’s a good fit for me.”

“Is Mr. Suha really that bad?” Nadia popped another tortilla chip in her mouth.

“He’s not the reason I’m quitting, but yes, he’s pretty bad.” He pushed buttons I didn’t even know I had. I wasn’t sure what frustrated me more, the underlying tone of condescension that each of his emails possessed or the blatant arrogance and God complex that dripped from every word he typed. It was really a toss-up.

“Does he live here? In Firefly?” Daphne asked. “Why have I never met him?”

“No. He lives in Atlanta, but he’s a pilot and has his own plane, and when he’s in the country, he commutes here to see Stella.”

“A pilot,” Nadia repeated. “Damn. That’s sort of hot.”

Hot. That was definitely not a word I’d ever associated with Declan Wolfe. Not that I’d ever seen him. But I’d definitely gota vibe from him, and it was not hot. Asshole. Prick. Obnoxious. Know-it-all. Pretentious. Jerk. But hot? No. Not hot.

20

DECLAN

As the wheelstouched down on the airstrip next to the estate, I let out a breath of relief. When I retired, I wasnevergoing to fly another day in my life. I’d spent the last six months on planes flying to over eight different countries. Thankfully, while in Europe, I was able to take the high-speed train to most of the locations I needed to visit, which I preferred. I wished we had something comparable in the States.

I sat in the cockpit and went through my post-landing checklist while mentally preparing for what lay ahead of me. I had no idea what was in store or what I may be facing. Two conversations needed to happen. I had to get to the bottom of whatever that stunt with Serena was and also address Ashley’s demotion. I’d wait for both until the launch was over, which was happening at 10:00 a.m. EST. By the time the sun set today, I was determined to have both issues resolved.

Before heading into the house, I walked over to the pasture and said hello to Bonnie and Clyde. The two truly were inseparable. Craig sent me updates, including photos and videos of the horses, and they were never more than a few feet apartfrom one another when they were grazing. Clyde was obsessed with Bonnie.

He wasn’t the only one who’d sent me photos of the horses. I smiled remembering the random text I’d received from Ashley saying she wanted to find a man who looked at her like Clyde looked at Bonnie, and she wouldn’t mind if he were hung like Clyde, too. I immediately knew I was not the intended recipient. She texted back within thirty seconds, confirming my suspicion. A few weeks later, when Hannah sent me the quarterly projections to approve, I adjusted Ashley’s, adding her goal. I assumed she’d seen it, although she hadn’t responded to the email.

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