Page 66 of Latte Girl
The same lump in my throat that appears each time I try to talk about my mom starts to choke out the rest of my words, so I change thesubject.
“And those pictures, that girl, I know how cliché this sounds, but she came right at me. If someone had taken a picture a second later you would have seen me trying to get her off me. There’s nothing between us. I left the party right after that happened. I never meant for things to get this bad. Please just call me. I need to hear you. I need to know you’re okay. I’ve done a shitty, shitty job of showing how much you mean to me but...please. Pleasejustcall.”
The beep of the message cutting off stops me from sayinganythingelse.
People in winter jackets file past me on the stairs as I continue to sit there in just my suit. I don’t know if I’m shaking from the cold or from how angry I feel at myself. I stare up at the concrete buildings around me, searching for an answer among the miles of tinted windows. They givenothingaway.
My phone buzzes. There’s a text fromHailey:
You told me not to let other people’s expectations control my life. I wish you’d taken your own advice. Please don’t contact meanymore.
Whatever lifeline I’ve been holding onto until now slips through my fingers. I tumble down into the despair I’ve been trying to claw my way out of, but for the first time in my life, I land on something solid: rockbottom.
I get up and square my feet on thestairs.
“No,” I say out loud, my voice as sharp as a knife. “This is not howthisends.”
A man walking past me on the stairs gives me a look. I turn my attentiontowardshim.
“Do you hear me? THIS IS NOT HOW THIS ENDS!”Iroar.
Everyone within a ten meter radius pauses to stare at me in alarm, but I’m already running through the entrance of KnoxSecurity.
I fly across the lobby and launch myself into the elevator just as the doors are starting to slide shut. My momentum slows a bit when the ride up is packed with people and takes about five minutes to reach the top floor, but I regain it when I get out and stride towards my father’s office, ignoring the protests of hissecretary.
I’m just about to fling the door open when Uncle Ludo walks out. He jumps back when he finds me standing a few inches in front him. I step back and he closes the doorbehindhim.
“Jordan, my boy. Speak of thedevil.”
“What?” I growl, wishing he’d move and let me into theoffice.
“Your father and I were justdiscussingyou.”
“I have some things to discuss with him too,” I answer through grittedteeth.
Ludo raises his eyebrows. “Well, Jordan, I don’t think this is exactlythetime.”
He reaches to put a hand on my shoulder and draws me away from the door. “Your father is a bit...unimpressed with the whole incident thismorning.”
“Incident?” Irepeat.
“Yes, he’s unhappy that there was such a...scene, if you will. He says he hoped you’d be capable of being more professional. I did mybestto—”
“More professional?” I shout, cutting Ludo off as the blood starts boiling in my veins once again. “He’s telling me to pretend to have an affair with a client and he wants to talk to me about beingprofessional?”
“Jordan, this really isn’t the time or place. We’ve just had to fire that intern you had a meeting withthismo—”
“Youfiredhim? What the hell did you firehimfor?”
My voice echoes around the reception area. Ludo casts a glance over to the secretary, who’s staring at his computer in an attempt to pretend he’s notlistening.
“Why don’t we go to my office,Jordan?”
“I don’t want to go to your office. I want to tell my father I hate him and that he’s an insane person bent on ruining my life for hisowngain.”
I’m panting now, all of my muscles tensed as I glare at my father’s office door. Ludo still has his hand on my shoulder and he pulls me backwards as I go to takeastep.
“Trust me, my boy, you don’t want to go in there now. Notlikethis.”
