Page 125 of February

“Kyle. Kyle moved here. She didn’t move because of Mel, but she moved here at least in part because they’re together. They have this house they’re working on now, and you can tell they’re preparing for Mel to move into it one day. Hell, when I called her the other day, she even saidourhouse instead ofKyle’s, so it’s already happening. They love each other, so while it’s still new and exciting, at least Kyle isn’t going anywhere. I can’t even get the new and exciting part because my girlfriend is leaving soon. I know I should’ve been ready for it, but I guess I thought we’d have a few more weeks. I feel like I was robbed of something, and I went for a walk after she told me. I couldn’t process her suddenly not being here anymore. I’m used to it now. I’ve woken up next to her for the past few days, and I don’t even know how to sleep alone anymore.”

“It’s only been a few days, Bridge,” her dad said.

“But to me, it feels like a few weeks or months, even. My heart hurts when I think about her leaving, Dad. And that’s what I’m in for every time she goes if we do long-distance. Eithershe’ll be leaving, orIwill be, and I can’t just pack up and move to New York. I don’t want to. She’ll be the CEO soon and can’t just move here.”

“Well, it sounds like you and Monica have a lot to talk about. Maybe you should go to her hotel,” her mom suggested. “Tell her what you’re telling us right now so that you two can decide what you want to do.”

“And if she says that it’s not worth it? If she tells me that it’s just over because I won’t move there and she can’t move here, or she doesn’t want to do long-distance, or we should stop now before it gets harder? What would I do then, Mom? I’m too far gone now.”

“That doesn’t mean you can avoid this,” her dad said. “Bridgette, you’re in love with someone, and given the look on Monica’s face that I really didn’t understand before, my guess is that she feels the same way. It’s not just two people meeting and going on a date anymore, is it? There are real emotions now, which means you need to tackle this thing head-on. You put your cards all on the table, and she does the same. Yes, it might hurt, depending on the outcome, but you can’t just pretend like it’s not happening at all and let her fly home without talking. You would just wonder what could’ve been or what you should’ve done differently.”

“Your father’s right,” her mom added. “Avoiding does no good for either of you. Talk to her, honey. This probably came as a surprise to her, too.”

“It did,” Bridgette said.

“So, she’s probably still processing this herself. And if you don’t process it together, she might end up leaving without knowing what you want.”

“She knows what I want,” she replied. “I just wanther.”

“But it’s more complicated than that, isn’t it?” her mom suggested.

“Yes.” Bridgette sighed. “Unfortunately.”

“Well, you can do nothing, or you can do something. Either way, it’s up to you,” her mom said.

Bridgette knew her mother was right. They both were. Knowing that Monica was in her hotel room made her feel a little bit better, too. Monica hadn’t gone just yet, and if she was talking to her dad, maybe there were more developments she’dtell Bridgette about. Just showing up right now, though, wasn’t an option. If Monica was working things out with her father, Bridgette didn’t want to interrupt. Monica would text or call her, and they could meet up when she was ready. So, instead of rushing to the hotel, she reluctantly got into her car and drove home at the end of the workday.

There, Bridgette changed into a pair of sweats, grabbed a pint of ice cream from her fridge, and sat on her sofa, eating it while watching some rerun on TV. She checked her phone at least once every five minutes, waiting for Monica to message. When she heard footsteps in the hall, she prepared for Monica to knock on the door, but the footsteps continued on. Bridgette lay down after a while, and when it got so late that she knew she couldn’t keep her eyes open, she fell asleep on the sofa. She hadn’t cleaned her sheets after their night of lovemaking and knew she couldn’t sleep in that bed tonight without Monica in it next to her.

CHAPTER 30

Monica woke up with a piece of hotel stationery attached to her cheek. She also woke up sore because she had fallen asleep at the desk in her hotel room, with her laptop still open in front of her. She hadn’t done that since business school. Her alarm was blaring at her right, so she picked up her phone to silence it. She’d spent hours yesterday, first on the phone with her father and then in virtual meetings with both him and her mother, who had an opinion of her own to share. It hadn’t been a particularly kind one, but Monica had spoken her mind and hadn’t given in.

Her dad had told her that when he had someone else call Dale with the offer, the family had turned it down, saying they were giving the business to their daughter to run. They’d even been offered to go a little higher, and they’d still declined. Her father had been furious because the Musgraves had been the ones to reach out to Arnette about selling, and now, they suddenly weren’t interested. He’d wanted to know what had happened during her time there. Monica had given him only the high-level overview because she didn’t want him to think that she’d only decided against Southern Hospitality selling to Arnette because her girlfriend was the daughter of the two owners.

Her mother had been upset that Monica didn’t want to return home for the emergency board meeting. Monica hadexplained that she’d been promised this time off, and if her father was retiring sooner than she had expected, she would only get busier if she became CEO, so she needed to take the vacation time now. Her mother had caught on to Monica’s use of the word ‘if’ and wanted to know why she’d said that instead of ‘when,’ so Monica had had to play it off by saying that nothing was a guarantee. The board might not want her installed and might bring in someone else. Her mother had seemed to quiet then, and her father had continued on and on about how Good Day would be in trouble now, so Monica told him she’d review their numbers and see what she could do.

She’d continued arguing more than talking with them and then had also had two meetings with the president and the vice president of Good Day before she’d called her dad back to tell him that they had a way out. They’d gone over her rushed plan for the next hour or so before she’d finally disconnected from the meeting. By then, it had been well after eleven at night, and she hadn’t even eaten or showered. Still needing to think through that plan a bit more, the only thing Monica wanted to do had been to call Bridgette and tell her that she’d negotiated a little more time for them, but before she got the chance to do that, she had received two emails about Good Day that she needed to address first. So, she’d replied to them both and ended up falling asleep at her desk.

Her eyes just barely open, Monica picked up her phone to call Bridgette now, but a phone call came through forherinstead.

“Aaron, can I call you back, honey? I’m in the middle of some work, and–”

“Work? It’s super early,” he replied.

“I know. But it’s important,” she said.

“I just wanted to warn you.”

“Warn me?” she asked as she stood, choosing to pace to prepare for whatever he was about to say.

“Mom is on the warpath. She’ll probably call you soon.”

“Why is that, Aaron?”

“Because I applied to Tulane, and she’s still stuck on me going to school in New York. She even tried to negotiate with me and said she could deal with NYU, but I don’t want to go to school here.”

“Okay. Well, if she calls, I’ll handle it, okay? I’m proud of you for going after what you want, though.”

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