Page 38 of Lucky Star

Chapter Fourteen

Sarah

Ituned out the rest of the meeting and focused on not vomiting. When it finally reached its merciful end, Cameron left with Julie. He never even glanced my way as they sailed through the door and out of the office.

Afterward, I sat alone, absorbing the insult implied with his impersonal departure. After a few long minutes, I grabbed my laptop and rose to exit when Broderick popped his head around the door.

“Hey, there you are. Meet me in my office in half an hour,” he said, venturing off without waiting for a reply.

“Sure,” I responded weakly to the space he’d once occupied as I turned off the lights, departing in the opposite direction.

When I placed my computer on the edge of my desk, it slid off and crashed to the floor. I stood there staring at it, feeling the weight of the last several hours on my shoulders. I was exhausted, and I didn’t know if I had it in me to continue on like this.

From the very beginning, fate had conspired to keep Cameron and me apart, and this fake romance with Jillian was just another in a long series of roadblocks to our supposed happily-ever-after. I rubbed at the ache in my chest hoping to ease the physical pain I felt when I pictured them together.

I loved him with every fiber of my being, but I allowed myself to wonder if that love might be bad for me.

Taking a deep breath to stem the tide of my tears, I checked my phone. I left my cubicle, intent on hiding in the restroom before my meeting with Broderick. Tucked away in a stall was the safest place I could think of to avoiding questions from my colleagues about whether I’d known about Cameron and Jillian being together in real life. But when I slipped through the swinging, Jillian and her manager were already in there.

“Hey, Sarah,” she chirped as the older woman nodded my way and then exited, leaving the two of us alone. “Congratulations, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, washing my hands for want of something to do.

She sidled up next to me. “I know about your and Cameron, and I’m sorry.”

I yanked a paper towel out of the metal bin on the wall. “Thanks, I guess,” I huffed.

“That’s a beautiful ring, by the way.” When she grabbed my hand and raised it up for closer inspection, I tried not to flinch or pull away. “You must be thrilled.”

“Yeah, thrilled with my super-secret engagement. It’s what every little girl dreams about.”

I bit my tongue to keep myself from saying what I really wanted to. Knowing that Cameron was engaged hadn’t stopped her from that little display back in the conference room. Then again, it hadn’t stopped Cameron either. At the moment, I didn’t feel like I owed either of them anything, least of all polite conversation.

“I don’t know if it makes you feel any better, but Murray—that’s my boyfriend—he’s not happy about this either. It’s easier for him being in London, and it helps that we’re used to spending time apart, but he hates the whole idea. He’s going to be so jealous.”

That made two of us.

“How long have you and Murray been together?” I asked, curious to know more about the man who was going to share in my private hell.

“Five years,” she responded, her tone wistful and full of longing.

“You’re lucky,” I said. “Cameron and I have been together for like five minutes.”

“Broderick told me you two were close friends for a long time and that it only recently turned into something more.”

“Yeah, something more …” I trailed off. What else was there to say? Sometimes I still didn’t understand how it had all happened. And, as much as it pained me to admit it, I sometimes wished we’d taken the time to just date. To be together without the pressure of marriage, our careers, and looming babies.

“Listen, I know this is uncomfortable, and you probably hate me, but I just wanted to say that I understand this is going to be rough for you. But I’m going to do my best to make it as painless as possible.”

I stared at Jillian for a moment and tried to let the sincerity of her words infuse me with some semblance of calm. It was going to be rough. Not only would I have to watch their romance play out for the cameras in public, but if Cameron’s behavior today was any indication, I’d signed myself up for taking on the brunt of his anger in private as well. Maybe poor Murray and I could become pen pals to commiserate about our shared misfortune?

I sighed. “I don’t hate you. I just hate this business.”

“Don’t we all?” She squeezed my arm and walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Finally.

I splashed water on my face and pulled out my compact, trying my best to fix my ruined makeup. A handful of minutes later, I wandered into Broderick’s office, wondering where I went from here.

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