Page 52 of Worth the Fall

Enjoy it while it lasts.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to push the still-nagging knot that’s rooted so deep in my stomach now I’m half convinced it’s a full-on ulcer. From the second I stepped out of that new client meeting with my boss and Celine, my stomach started churning.

"She’s not even a client," I say, shaking my head. "It was just a new client meeting; she hasn’t signed a contract; she hasn’t placed a retainer," I remind myself, after checking to make sure the second I got into the office this morning.

So technically… TECHNICALLY, I’m not doing anything wrong.

That’s the same excuse I said over and over and over again in my head this weekend until I was finally able to drown it out the second Miguel kissed me when we got back from the zoo. I smile, my body growing warm at the memory of the hours I spent beneath him, on top of him, in front of him…

"Miss Mason?" Linda appears in my doorway, taking in the color-coded files now spanning every surface of my office. "Your ten o'clock is here. Though, I should warn you…"

Before she can finish, Cameron sweeps in, wearing what appears to be meditation robes and carrying… is that a crystal pyramid?

He’s already on my schedule! Time to tell Linda to put him on the blacklist.

I'm still replaying Celine's latest subtle dig when Cameron bursts into my office, sage bundle in hand and a manic gleam in his eye that makes my already fraying nerves snap completely.

"Mia!" he declares, waving the smoking bundle like some deranged spiritual warrior. "Your aura needs immediate attention!"

I shoot Linda a desperate look, but she's already backing away, mouthing "good luck" as she escapes.

"Cameron," I manage, professional mask firmly in place. "I wasn't expecting… any of this. In fact, I didn’t expect to ever see you again." I can’t let the chance to offer a bit of a snide remark pass by.

"The universe guides us where we need to be," he says sagely, setting up his crystal pyramid on my newly organized desk. "And right now, it's guiding us toward contract enlightenment."

"Right. About our last conversation?—"

"First," he interrupts, pulling out what I recognize with growing horror as a sage bundle, "we must cleanse the negative energies. Your corporate vibrations are seriously misaligned."

"We can't burn sage in my office again!" But he's already lighting it, waving it around my meticulously organized space while chanting something about chakras. I can feel the anger start to radiate through my body and I know I’m about to blow. Like Mt. St. Helens style.

"GET OUT!" I yell, my finger trembling as I point toward the door. My voice echoes off the walls of my office, drowning out Cameron’s chanting and the faint crackling of the burning sage.

Cameron freezes mid-wave, the sage bundle still smoldering in his hand. His serene expression falters, replaced by a wide-eyed look of disbelief.

"Mia," he begins, his tone now alarmingly calm, as if speaking to a wild animal. "This resistance to cleansing energy?—"

"Cameron, I swear to God," I snap, grabbing the sage out of his hand and stubbing it out in my coffee mug. The bitter smell of extinguished herbs fills the room as I jab my finger at the crystal pyramid on my desk. "And this? What even is this?"

"It’s a crystal pyramid," he says, his voice dripping with faux patience.

"I know that! Why is it in my office?"

"To channel positive vibrations into the contract?—"

"Get it off my desk before I throw it out the window!" I bark, my tone leaving no room for argument.

Before Cameron can respond, the door creaks open again, and in steps Jasmine, his so-called life coach, wearing flowing linen pants and an oversized scarf that looks like she raided Stevie Nicks’ closet.

"Cameron, love, is everything alright?" she coos, eyeing the chaos with mild amusement.

"Oh, great," I mutter under my breath. "The enabler is here."

Jasmine places a hand on her heart and tilts her head at me, her voice dripping with condescension. "Mia, your energy is practically screaming. Have you considered journaling your frustrations? Perhaps?—"

"That’s it!" I cut her off, standing so abruptly that my chair wheels backward and bangs against the wall. "Cameron, Jasmine, you’re officially banned from the premises. Both of you!"

They stare at me, stunned into silence for the first time since they arrived.

---