Chapter Seventeen
Taylor
I rush into Becca’s workspace like it’s a confessional, and my stomach drops. She’s not at her desk. Of course she’s not. She’s busy working like a normal person, not expecting her half-crazed sister to show up two hours early for lunch.
I hear her in Aubrey’s office. I can’t make out what she’s saying, but the cadence of her voice carries a calm I haven’t been able to grasp since losing my freaking mind a week and a half ago.
I glance at the hallway, considering leaving.
It’s unprofessional to show up unannounced, not to mention annoying, but I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin after spending the morning with my father.
Thankfully, he didn’t fight me on resting.
His body probably wouldn’t let him. But watching him struggle for energy to walk around his house made me feel like I had no right to be worried about my problems. They’re not as critical as his health issues.
But they still matter, because if I can’t pay my bills and if I don’t have the flexibility to take care of him, everything falls apart.
That’s why, once I was certain he’d continue resting, I came straight here to see Becca, hoping she could use her big-sister magic and talk me off the ledge.
Aubrey’s office door opens, and Becca steps out midsentence, stopping short when she spots me. “Tay?” Her expression morphs to serious in an instant. “Oh no. What happened? Is Dad okay?”
“Yes. I’ve been there all morning. He’s resting,” I say quickly. “I’m sorry for showing up without calling. I really need to talk, but if you’re too busy, I can come back.”
Before Becca can answer, Aubrey steps out behind her, her golden hair loose around the shoulders of her blue maternity dress.
Even six months pregnant she looks as effortlessly put-together as ever.
Her eyes sweep over me, sharp and assessing.
“Taylor, honey, you’re shaking.” She glances at Becca.
“Come on. Both of you. Let’s sit down.” She waves us into her office.
I’ve known Aubrey for years and only stopped working for her husband, Knox, when I decided to work solely for Seth. “It’s okay—”
“Like hell it is,” Aubrey says. “Get your pretty little ass in my office.”
We head into her office, and she lowers herself into the chair behind her desk with the poise of someone who’s used to juggling the impossible and making it look easy.
“All right, sweetheart,” Aubrey says, resting a hand lightly on her belly. “What happened?”
“I blew up my life.” The words tumble out before I can stop them.
“Again?” Becca asks with surprise.
I nod. “Yeah.”
Aubrey smiles. “Lucky for you, I’m the queen of cleaning up explosions. Just ask Knox.”
“What happened?” Becca asks imploringly.
“I resigned from working with Seth.” The words don’t feel real, and at the same time, they leave my insides shaking.
“You resigned?” Becca asks.
Aubrey’s mouth drops open. “Honey, that’s like resigning from NASA mid-launch.”
A weak laugh almost escapes, but it catches halfway out. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“Dynamos like you always have a choice.” Aubrey leans forward. “Explain.”
The words tumble out too fast to stop them.
“I made some decisions that felt like they were the best decisions of my life, but they turned out to be the worst, because then I had to tell him I was lying the whole time, and now he doesn’t trust me.
Which is why I had to quit. But I have bills to pay, and my design work isn’t enough to cover everything, and I need to have the flexibility to take care of Dad, and it’s not easy getting a VA job that pays as much as I’m making.
” I finally take a breath. “Ohmygod. What have I done?”
Becca’s hand finds my arm, grounding me, as she says, “You slept with a man you adore. Give yourself a modicum of grace, okay?” She turns to Aubrey.
“She and Seth spent a weekend together, but he thought she was Ellie Nunnally, not Taylor Mitchell. They caught feelings, she took off, he came after her, and when she told him the truth, he took off.”
Aubrey inhales deeply and exhales slowly. “Well, hell, Taylor. That is a mess.”
“I know,” I say. “That’s why I had to quit. But you know me, Aubrey. I don’t sleep with clients, and I certainly don’t jump into bed the night I meet a guy.”
“Seth’s not just some random guy,” Becca says.
“You’ve been crushing on him for years, and you two have an amazing friendship.
I’d be surprised if there wasn’t white-hot chemistry between you two after all these years of midnight texts and two a.m. emails.
And even if he was some random guy, there’s nothing wrong with that either. ”
“Damn right there’s not,” Aubrey says. “The fact that you and Seth have known each other for so long is what makes it complicated. No doubt you have a special bond. You have to in order to work remotely the way you two do. The problem is, you hit him right in the ego.”
“What?” I look at her like she’s nuts. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did,” Aubrey says gently. “Babe, think about it. Seth’s a great-looking man, and a billionaire to boot.
I’ve been to events with him. Women fall all over him, telling him whatever they think he wants to hear.
You did the opposite. You told him what he didn’t want to hear.
That’s a shock to the system for a man like that. ”
Becca nods. “She’s right, Tay. You dropped a truth bomb he didn’t see coming.”
“Plus, he thought you were a man,” Aubrey says, sitting back with a mischievous look in her eyes. “Which means you know how he thinks without his man mask on.”
“I never thought of that,” Becca says. “That’s got to be a little unsettling for him.”
“Man mask?” I ask, shaking my head. “What do you mean?”
“You know, when a guy doesn’t realize a woman might be in earshot,” Aubrey explains. “What they say to other guys is unfiltered. We do it, too, with other women.”
I mull that over. “I guess, but it’s not like he’s ever said anything about other women or that type of thing.”
“That’s not surprising either,” Aubrey says. “From what I know of Seth, he’s a pretty private guy. And for what it’s worth, he’s out of his damn mind letting you resign.”
“I don’t know if I agree with that. He needs to trust his right hand explicitly.”
“I’m sure he does,” Becca says. “Unless he’s a lefty. Then that’s the one he trusts.”
Aubrey and I laugh.
“That makes me feel a little better, but I need to figure out what to do about a job. I don’t even know if Seth wants me to help him find a replacement or if he’s going to tell me I’m done.”
“He hasn’t replied to your resignation letter?” Becca asks. “That’s a dick move.”
“Becca, don’t do that,” I say. “This is on me, not him.”
“Here’s the thing, Taylor,” Aubrey says authoritatively. “We’re strong women, right?”
“Usually,” I say.
“Strong women don’t wait for a man to make a move, even if we’re the ones who screwed up. Assume you’re done with him. What do you want to do now? What’s your next career move?”
I swallow against the lump in my throat, hating that it’s come to this.
I don’t even want to think about it, but here we are.
“I want to do VA work and design. I need to maintain a flexible schedule for my father. I hate the idea of starting over and learning the habits and quirks of someone new, but I’ve done it before, and I can do it again.
I just…My head is a mess. I am usually on top of things, but I can’t figure out where to start. ”
Becca smiles. “That’s the easy part. You start with people who’ve got your back. Like me. We’ll make a list of your contacts, and you can reach out to spread the word that you’re available again.”
“Or,” Aubrey interrupts. “You can fill in for Mila while she’s on maternity leave.”
Mila is Knox’s assistant who I trained years ago. “Mila’s pregnant?”
“Not anymore. She had a little girl last month,” Aubrey says.
“She’s been trying to keep up with Knox’s schedule part time.
She’s doing a pretty good job of it, but he’s got big projects next month, and I’m sure Mila would love to spend that time with her baby.
That is, if you think you can put up with Knox again for two months. ”
“Maybe you could have led with that,” Becca says.
“I had to see where Taylor’s head was,” Aubrey says, like the exemplary businesswoman she is. “I couldn’t offer up my husband’s sanity if she needed to be ankle deep in tequila.”
I smile. “I respect that, and I appreciate your help, but do you think Knox would be okay with it?”
“Are you kidding?” Aubrey waves dismissively. “He’d be thrilled.”
“What do you think, Tay?” Becca asks.
“I think there must be a guardian angel watching over me,” I say. “I would love to work with Knox again.”
“Great,” Aubrey says. “I’ll talk to him and have him reach out to you to work out the details.”
“Thank you.” I try to smile, but as grateful as I am to have this opportunity, and I know at least my bills will be covered, there’s no escaping what this really is. Two months to get myself organized, keep my father out of the hospital, and learn to live with the black hole in my chest.