Page 79 of Love Me In Color

Claps around the room.

“Over the last few months, a lot of hours have been poured into making this project a success, and I want everyone to know that it does not go unnoticed. Now that it’s official, I also have a big announcement to make. Capital Media will be opening two new locations in the US to serve our Midwest and Southern customers better.”

Cheers spread across the room. Parker made eye contact with me, pride emanating from him. I knew Richard had already been assigned as the Finance Director. Erik was as surprised as everyone else.

“We will have dedicated teams for each region of the country and look forward to placing a more personalized focus on all our customers. Now, you might be wondering how this will work. The details will be announced in a company-wide communication, but we have three representatives of our national leadership team in this room who have all accepted their new roles. Overseeing our national salesforce, none other than one of the individuals who made all of this growth possible – Nathaniel Williams, National Sales Director.”

More clapping. Gabby hugged Nathaniel as if she didn’t already know. Nick high-fived him across the table.

“In charge of ensuring we don’t go broke with wild ideas will be Richard Trenton, Finance Director.”

Slower claps.

“Now, I think we all know where this is headed. This last individual is young but motivated and relentless. She will ensure that our standards are met and that we continue to put forth our best efforts for our customers. She has been with us from the very beginning as one of my first hires. None other than Blake Johnson, National Account Management Director. Now, I do believe she has some words for all of us.”

Claps and cheers rang in my ears, muddled with congratulations. I knew he planned to announce this today, but I hadn’t been ready. The change in my life dragged me out to water like a riptide, but I had enough practice at pretending to be functional to talk for a few minutes.

“Thank you, Connor,” I stood and anxiously smoothed my dress.

I looked around the room and took a deep breath. Parker’s confident blue eyes roamed my body. His attempt to hide it was laughable. Erik’s sad and angry eyes broke my heart again. Richard eyed me skeptically.

“I want to start by thanking every single person in this room. Everyone here has put countless hours of hard work and many brain cells into making this project a success and this expansion possible. I hope you all know how much I appreciate all the work that has been poured into this, and I hope you know that none of this would have been possible without you guys. Jamie was reviewing some initial engagement numbers on our tester posts, and I think we certainly have a great ride ahead of us with many successes. We appreciate you, Amelia, and your entire team for taking a chance on a small company that could take you to a big place. I look forward to continuing to impress you for the duration of the contract and, hopefully, many years of collaboration. Your contract will be moved under the southern regional office umbrella, but I will ensure that whoever heads your account is the best of the best. That is a promise. On a more personal note, I’m going to miss all of you! It has truly been a blast to have some new faces and voices around the office. But it’s time to check off Project Porcelain Phase One from my never-ending to-do list!”

Laughter was heard as dinner was served. I sat back down and sighed. Gabby sat to my right. She threw her arm around me as a congratulation, but I knew she meant it more as a comforting gesture. The feelings of this ending weighed heavily on my heart.

I was incredibly proud of everything I had accomplished over the last three months. My team had been great, and we successfully managed all our projects. We all deserved some time off. I intended to take a few days off to decompress, which was a new thought in my head.

I was also proud of letting myself have fun for three months. Incredible experiences, facing fears, and finally seeing the ocean again. My habit of working late had almost been squashed, except for a few occasions. I was sleeping better and longer. My eating improved.

On the other hand, this spelled the end of Parker and me. We had actively avoided that topic or addressed him leaving, but we could both feel it. He would go home in a couple of days to continue reading long documents and advising Amelia on legal stuff. I would be here, deciphering my new position and how to grow the company I loved the most. The late-night calls, the incredibly creative dates, the gym encouragement, and the relaxed bad-movie binging sessions would disappear.

I didn’t know what my life would look like after Sunday, but I could afford to take a few days to heal.

Chapter Thirty-One

Friday afternoon.

Less than twenty-four hours left.

Amelia rented out a rooftop pool for a few hours to celebrate the rollout of the campaign in a less official capacity. We had all grown as friends over the last three months, and I thought they deserved a proper goodbye. So did the California team.

The place had a beautiful view of the city, nestled deep within the skyline with soaring buildings surrounding us. It was the kind of place where they would shoot movies, so I felt like a celebrity. Part of the wall opened up to a bar inside that had started to get crowded. We only had the pool for another hour before it opened to the public.

I sat at the furthest end of the pool from everyone, taking a few minutes to admire it all and take it all in. Lainee and Amanda sat on the pool chairs, laughing at something on their phones. I would love for her to manage their contract if I could convince Lainee to move to wherever we decided to put the southern office. Nathaniel draped his arm around a content Gabby and chatted with Stephen and Nick. Desha, Jamie, and Melanie were having their own conversation by the stairs of the pool. They reminded me of high schoolers with the way they were laughing. Richard and Erik stood by the bar window, waiting for their drinks.

Amelia sat with Kate at one of the tables off to the side, talking to Parker. She was smiling, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Kate had a stern and concerned look. She was pointing something out to him and kept poking the table. Parker’s head was down, avoiding eye contact with both of them like a kid in trouble. His shoulders tensed.

They were all flying out in the morning. By lunchtime, they would be gone. The California team was leaving Sunday morning. Erik has asked to have one last meal together, but I declined.

After today, my life would go back to normal. Predictable. Part of me was sad about it, but another was relieved.

My eyes found Amelia scowling at Parker now. Kate was trying to run interference between them at this point. I wished I could read lips to know what they were saying. Parker adamantly shook his head and ran his hands through his hair before pushing his chair away and walking toward me.

I looked up and locked into his blue eyes. I sat up straighter and shared a smile with him, hoping to comfort him. His tattoos were in full display, and his swim trucks were probably a little shorter than they should’ve been. Almost everyone had been shocked at how much ink covered his body when his shirt came off.

“Honesty moment?” he said, taking a seat next to me. His thigh pressed against mine as his feet met the water next to mine. “I’m going to miss this place.”

“This place is going to miss you,” I kept my eyes on the movement of the water as I dangled my feet.

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