Page 51 of Last First Kiss
“Can you tell me a little about your background and what drew you to Limon Creative?”
I give her a well-rehearsed answer about their brand, their mission. She asks a few more questions. I do my best to respond, keeping my voice steady. But inside, I’m not really here. My thoughts keep drifting.
I’m trying so hard to pay attention to Mazzie, but guilt washes over me like a wave. How am I going to tell Clara? Will she be disappointed? Angry? The thought knots my stomach tight. Panic bubbles up, but I try to push through it. I have to focus. This is what I want, this is my opportunity to leave Stanwood behind. But even as I think that, it sounds so far from what I want. A few days ago, I was so sure, but now I don’t know. This opportunity is incredible—Limon is one of the biggest commercial photographycompanies in the US. I applied genuinely expecting a rejection, but now that it isn’t, New York sounds like an opportunity, not just a place to run away to in order to escape my ex.
I don’t know what to do.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CLARA
Iwake up to a slight dip in the bed and Alejandra’s arms wrapping tightly around me.
“Morning,” she says as I stir.
“Morning.” I smile lazily.
Alejandra leans in and kisses me, slow and deep. Heat unfurls through me, a low ache blooming in my belly. I smile against her lips, eyes still half-closed.
“What if we played hooky today?” I murmur against her lips.
She pulls back enough to meet my eyes, a slight grin on her lips.
“I wish,” she pouts. “I need to be in the studio all week.”
I groan softly. “That’s a tragedy.”
She laughs, brushing her fingers through my hair. “Tell me about it.”
“Rain check?”
Alejandra tilts my chin up, her eyes soft. “Definitely. As soon as I get a day off, I’m all yours. But right now I need to get ready for work.”
I nod, watching her as she slips out of bed, already missing the warmth of her body next to mine.
I grab my phone from the nightstand and stare at my calendar. Mondays are usually a nightmare, and after how stressful last week was, I’m not entirely ready to dive back in. So I’m calling in sick today.
I send my boss a Slack message letting him know I’ll be out of the office today, and mute the notifications on the app so they can’t reach me. Then I scroll through my contacts and find Diana’s name.
I know Diana doesn’t work on Mondays, and with the wedding so close, there’s always something to do. It’s the perfect excuse to distract myself until Alejandra’s done for the day, while also getting to hang out with Diana, who I don’t see nearly enough.
I press the call button, and she answers on the second ring.
“Hey,” I say, not waiting for her to greet me, “you need help with anything today?”
There’s a pause, then her voice brightens. “You don’t have work today?”
“Nope.”
“If you’re free, yeah, Mom should be heading this way soon to help arrange centerpieces. I haven’t started on any, so I welcome the extra hands.”
“Perfect,” I say, already swinging my legs out of bed. “Be there soon.”
I text Cathia to see if maybe she wants to ride together.
Clara 7:00 a.m.
Hey mama C, do you want a ride to Diana’s? I’m driving there soon
