Page 65 of Blindsided

We hang up the phone, and I hurry to get ready. I’ve known Veronica for ten years, and I have never once met her in anything short of full makeup. I always believed she wouldn’t take me seriously if I wasn’t putting forth all my effort.

I’m sipping a horrible cup of coffee from the pot on the desk when Veronica knocks on my door. I let her inside and sit back down at the little table at the side of the room. She sits opposite me, pulling out her gargantuan agenda and smacking it down on the table.

“Okay, we’ve got a lot to cover. Did everything go well at the title office?”

“Yes, I got all the paperwork signed yesterday. I’m good to go, as far as I’m aware.”

“Great. I took the liberty of picking out a few new places I think you’ll love.” She passes me a stack of listings, each with pages of photos. “We are scheduled to do walk-throughs next week. I’ve kept your work schedule free like you asked. I figured we could talk about the direction you wanted your career to go in first. There are many options, despite your age.”

I gape at Veronica. “Hold on a second. You’ve been house hunting for me?”

“Of course. You can’t live in a hotel forever.” She rolls her eyes.

With a deep breath, I prepare to tell her I don’t plan on staying in the city. “Veronica…”

“You’re not coming back.” She leans back in her chair, pulling off her glasses and tossing them onto the table. “I should’ve seen this coming.”

I deflate. “After everything that’s happened… I don’t have it in me to continue at the pace we’ve been going. And as I get older, the jobs are going to be harder to get. I’ve always known this wasn’t a forever career. This is just my opportunity to get out on my own terms instead of being told I’m too old to do the jobs I love.”

“I would never let that happen.” Veronica’s ferocious response makes me smile.

“I have no doubt you wouldn’t. But I still think it’s time.”

Veronica’s sigh is long and filled with an emotion I can’t quite interpret. I don’t think it’s disappointment, but I’m not sure it’s sadness either.

“Do I have any commitments I legally cannot get out of? I know you’ve put off a lot of things, given the circumstances, but I have a feeling I can’t just drop off the face of the Earth.”

“Honestly, Talia, you could. There are a couple of designers who have said they’ll wait, but for the most part, everyone else has moved on.”

“Then let them know I’m not coming back. I wouldn’t be any good to them, and we both know it.”

Veronica makes a couple of notes in her agenda. “Are you 100 percent confident in this decision?”

“Yes,” I say without hesitation. There is no doubt in my mind that I’m ready to move on from this life. It’s been incredible. I’ve gotten to do so many things many people would never get the chance to do. But I’m ready to start my next chapter. Whatever that may look like.

“Okay. I’ll get the termination contracts for the agency drawn up, and once they’re signed, you’ll be done.”

“Thank you, Veronica. For everything.”

A rare smile tips up the corner of her mouth. “You were always my favorite, Talia. I’m truly going to miss the ease of working with you.”

I laugh because, of course, she isn’t going to miss me, just how little drama I brought to her life. She pats my hand and then packs all her things to leave my hotel room. When the door clicks shut behind her, it’s quite symbolic of how I’m closing this chapter of my life.

* * *

I wipe my sweaty palms across my shorts. This is going to go horribly. I’m prepared for that. I think…

I walk up to Desmond’s building, holding my breath that I don’t get turned away at the door. Would he block me as a visitor? I wouldn’t put it past him.

Hank smiles at me. “Miss Areneto.”

When he opens the door for me, I finally exhale. My smile is wobbly, and I can tell Hank notices. He’s too professional to say anything, though.

I wave at Derrick, who’s manning the front desk, and he waves back. Whew. Two obstacles down. Now I just need to get my legs to take me to Desmond’s apartment. I think I’m less confident about that than I was about Hank letting me inside the building.

The elevator whirrs as it takes me up twenty floors. My fingers tangle together. This is stupid. I shouldn’t be this freaking nervous to talk to my brother. I know we should’ve told him. I’m not denying I made a mistake. But him being this mad is ridiculous. Plus, his words were like a knife slicing into my skin.

With that thought, I hold my head a little higher as I knock on his door. I hope he’s home. It’s two in the afternoon, so there’s no telling where he could be.

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