Page 18 of Unless It's You
She laughs, too gleeful for my taste. “Well, who else do you talk to these days?”
“I dunno. You? Tessa? Oh, how about Graham, he’s the creative director here. Does he count?”
“Jesus, your life is sad.”
“Gemma!”
“Listen. You gotta let other people help you once in a while, okay? Find someone else at work. Or a stranger on the street. You obviously need more friends.”
“Shut up.”
“Ha. Go figure this out. Love you! Gotta run!”
She hangs up, and I realize I hadn’t told her about working with Ethan. A story for another time, I guess.
Did Evelyn really think I can’t make the right decisions for my life? That I don’t know for sure I made the right choice breaking up with Ben? That I need to go on a hike in Scotland to prove something? Adopt an animal? Why didn’t she trust me? I thought she and I were kindred spirits, like me and my dad. Strong,independent adventurers, even if my dad never got to experience all of that.
After he died, Reese stepped in as a mother figure for Maddie while Mom pulled herself together. And a father figure, I suppose. But I was determined not to need her, or anyone. Only Evelyn seemed to understand my fierce independence. She approved... just like my dad would’ve, I’m sure of it.
Now I feel like she thought I’m living my life wrong.
But I can’t ignore the bucket list. I won’t deny Reese and Maddie their inheritance.
I grab a sticky note and jot down a few names of people to consider for an advisor. After five minutes of thinking, all I have are three names: Tessa, Chloe, and Graham.
This is a disaster.
8
ETHAN
Wednesday, 10 July
Back at Pepper Me Marketing for a meeting on storyboard ideas, my heart does a funny flip when I see Stella huddled over her desk, her light hair fanned around her face. Something to do with the arch of her neck as it curves above the back of today’s tank top makes my breath catch.
“Hart.” A more polite and less awkward greeting might’ve gone something like:Good morning, Stella,but I can’t bring myself to say her first name.
Her head turns sharply in my direction. She lifts a hand to me in a reluctant greeting.
“You asked Tessa already?” a voice projects from her mobile, set on the desk in front of her. It’s the familiar voice of our mutual friend, Gemma.
“Yeah, and she said she’s renovating her flat so can’t spare any time outside work.” Stella swoops up her mobile and takes Gemma off speaker.
“No. Chloe is not an option.” Stella’s whispering now, her body turned away from me, her voice wispy and higher thannormal. She’s panicked about something. “Gemma! Take this seriously.” Her voice goes down a notch for the next words: “He is not an actual option for the bucket list, and I’m freaking out.”
Bucket list? And who is he?I swallow and strain to hear Gemma’s side of the conversation, but it’s too muffled now that she’s off speaker.
Another silence, and then Stella mutters something that sounds likechaos monkeybefore saying goodbye and tossing her mobile on the desk with a clunk.
“Everything okay?” Why did that come out sounding sarcastic? I’m still standing in the cubicle next to her, the one Tessa instructed I use during the project. I’m hovering, like a bystander watching the aftermath of a car accident.
Stella sighs deeply. “Yeah. It’s fine. Just some... personal stuff.”
Personal, but dealing with Chloe and Tessa as well?My interest is piqued.
“Bucket list related?” I settle into the black office chair and peek over the low partition. Stella’s got her head in her hands, elbows on the desk.
“Yes.” She huffs out with deep exhaustion. For a second, I think she’s done talking, but she keeps going. “My great-aunt recently passed away and left me a bucket list to complete.”
