Page 47 of The Fear of Falling
“All I’ve ever wanted—my ex mansplaining my own job to me.” With a huff, she stalks back to her desk and drops into her chair, and her eyes go distant as she stares at her screen.
I lean against the door frame, wishing I knew the right thing to say. But as often happens with this woman, I’m at a loss for words. The right words, anyway. “For the record, he’s an idiot for not bringing you with him.”
She rolls her eyes. “Is he salty because of the whole bloody nose thing? It was an accident!”
An impressive accident that still makes me chuckle when I think about it. “I couldn’t tell you,” I say honestly. “But there’s a chance you’re right. Regardless, he made the wrong choice.”
“I wish I could…”
“What?”
Looking up at me, she bites her lip for a second, then sighs. “It’s stupid, but I want to go back to the way things were. When we were together.”
Oh boy, I don’t like the sharp pain now stabbing me in the ribs. “You want to get back together with him?” Whether she wants to or not shouldn’t matter, but I hate that idea more than I hate the way Eric shut her out with this conference thing.
Avery snorts and shakes her head. “No. That’s over. Probably should have been over sooner than it was.”
The relief that washes over me is…concerning. “So what do you mean?” Somehow I manage to sound aloof and unconcerned when I ask that.
“I mean we had a good partnership when we were together. We were both more willing to compromise because we didn’t want to damage our relationship if we had arguments about work things.” With another heavy sigh, she stands and grabs her purse. “Now there’s nothing to hold our frustrations back, and I’m worried it’s going to ruin us.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m here.” I frown as soon as I say that. What does that mean? “Because I can, uh, bridge the gap.” But only for a few weeks, and then I’ll be off helping someone else’s company.
Avery looks at me for a long moment, her expression inscrutable. “So it’s just you and me for the next few days.”
My heart thuds in my chest. “And Lynda,” I add, almost desperately. Not twenty minutes ago, I was telling myself I need to find a way to put some space between Avery and me if I want to focus and make a proper plan for Rose & Quill.
But I don’t want Avery to think she’s alone when I know all too well how much that can wear on a person.
Avery huffs out a laugh and nods. “And Lynda,” she confirms. “Maybe you and I can make some solid marketing plans while Eric is gone.”
Lynda can help, I want to add, though Lynda only deals with the office and the customer service side of things. Maybe she would be interested in brainstorming with Avery? Without Eric across the hall, I won’t have that steady reminder to stay in my lane, and I’ll have to be extra diligent about keeping things professional, like I told Sadie I would do.
From the little I’ve interacted with Avery’s cousins, it’s clear they’re not a family I want to cross.
And letting myself get close to Avery again? That will undoubtedly hurt her.
“Maybe,” I say because Avery is waiting for an answer. But I need to change the subject. “Are you heading home already?”
Glancing down at her purse in her hand, she shrugs. “I shouldn’t. I’m behind on social media posts, but I’m not exactly in a work mood right now. Honestly, I should just…” She stops herself, her eyebrows pulling low.
My curiosity is too strong to ignore. “You should what?”
Her jaw tightens as she looks at her computer. “I’ve been wanting to hire someone to handle our socials for a while now.”
I tilt my head, sensing more. “But?”
“But Eric always says it’s unnecessary.” She stands a little taller, looking more like the confident woman I didn’t want tosay goodbye to in Florence. “Clearly Eric isn’t always right, and I’m as much of an owner as he is. I can hire someone if I want to.”
Though I shouldn’t be, I can’t help but be attracted to the fierce look in her eyes as she talks about going behind my friend’s back. Fighting a grin, I fold my arms and nod thoughtfully. “You totally can. I was going to recommend it anyway. You have too much on your plate as it is.”
Her eyes jump to mine. “Yeah, I do.”
“Want me to post a job listing for you before I head out?”
Sighing, she rolls her eyes. “I can do it in the morning. But thanks.” Her head cocks to the side as she studies me for a moment, and then she says, “Do you want to go grab some dinner with me? I don’t want to be here, and I don’t want to be alone. We can talk about the job listing and how stupid Eric is.”
Yes.The word almost flies from my mouth, but I manage to swallow it. “Oh. Uh.” I resist the urge to palm my face for that brilliant response. Is that all I have to say?Pathetic.
