Page 94 of Coffee Shop Girl
Finally, Mallory called.
That one I picked up.
“Hey, Mal.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
I winced. Despite the strength of her tone, I heard love in her words. All evidence to the contrary, I had deeply missed her and Baxter. Our board meetings. Late-night dinners of high-end sushi while we hashed out problems with the sales force.
I leaned back, resting my head against the seat, and watched a nightly parade that moved around the town square. Tourists clapped, enjoying the cheeky actors and cheap flares.
“Good to hear your voice too,” I said dryly. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Why are you ignoring the family?”
“I ... needed some space.”
“Bullcrap. You’re running away again.”
“I haven’t decided on the promotion yet. I still have time left on my leave of absence. But I’m definitely leaning toward taking it.”
She paused. “You did decide, Mav. When you took that leave of absence, you already knew. We all did. You’re not coming back to work at Epsilon. Why do you think I was so pissed? My therapist said denial, but whatever. Go with that if it makes you happy.”
“Maybe.”
“Doesn’t matter, anyway. The job is gone.”
I sat up straighter. “What?”
“I gave it to José.”
“José?” I cried.
“He’ll kill it, and you know it. You bloody trained the man.”
I closed my eyes. An unexpected rush of relief pulsed through me. Joséwouldkill it. He was made for the CRO position. He had a drive that I didn’t. A love for corporate culture and all its weirdness at times. Despite my own ego, Mallory had made the right move. That meant I didn’t have to go back. There was no proving myself there anymore.
With the elation came a heaping side of guilt.
“I’m sorry, Mal. I shouldn’t have left you hanging.”
“Mav, you needed an out. I get it, all right? This world isn’t for everyone, and you’ve been looking strangled for a while, anyway. Ever since your dad’s suicide, you’ve—”
“Stop. Stop saying it.”
“No.”
My hand gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles.
“He died, Maverick. He took his own life because he was in more pain than any of us could ever comprehend. Avoiding the issue is not going to change it.”
I forced my jaw to relax before my teeth cracked. Trust Mallory to say it outright when the rest of us skirted the issue like old professionals.
Which, admittedly, could have been part of the problem.
“You know what else?” she said. “It had nothing to do with you, either.”
“It did.”
