Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
The next day was Thursday, and it was Debbie’s final day in the office. The rest of the staff was long gone, as was the furniture. Thankfully she’d managed to get a good price for it, which meant it wasn’t a total loss. And she stood in the empty office space in her jeans and T-shirt, spinning around to take it all in. This was it. The end of an era.
The computers had been returned to the vendor. The floor was scattered with rubbish and dust. The kitchen was empty. No more dirty coffee cups in the sink for Phil to complain about. She wandered through the empty space and stopped where Evelyne’s desk had been. Evelyne had given her a call a few days ago to let her know she’d landed a job at the Brisbane City Council as a project manager. Debbie was happy for her. She knew she’d do the job well. And she’d be happy there.
With a sigh, she stepped into her empty office. It looked so different without the heavy desk and the leather chairs. There was an indentation in the carpet where the furniture had stood. So much dust in the air made her sneeze. The office looked old and tired, in need of a facelift and a good scrub. It’d been such a dream to work there for all these years. A dream she’d harboured all her young life—to be a successful barrister who won the big cases, wore stilettos and carried a briefcase to the courthouse as she clacked across the cement footpath.
She’d done it all. She’d achieved her dreams and then some. And now it was time for those dreams to be put away for new ones. She no longer had a burning desire to win, to achieve, to strive. Now all she wanted was to spend time with her loved ones, to travel and enjoy good things to eat. Maybe even to write another book, but this time, it wouldn’t contain recipes.
There was a knock at the office door. She went to open it and found cleaners with their vacuums on the other side. With a smile, she opened the door wide to let them in. Then with one last glance around the empty space, she walked out into the hallway. She left it all behind. This season was over, and a new one was beginning. It felt strange but good. She didn’t know what the future held, didn’t know what she’d do tomorrow. That wasn’t something she was accustomed to. Her days were usually planned by the hour. But now it was wide open, like the office door when she walked away from it.
Downstairs, she handed her keys over to building management. They waved her goodbye, and she walked out through the marble lobby. Outside, she looked around at all the people in business suits rushing here and there. They were either on phones, or speaking to colleagues in animated voices, or hurrying with their heads down to the next meeting. She smiled to herself, thinking of all the times she’d done exactly those things and how much joy it had brought her.
It wasn’t for everyone. Gwen had never wanted to live that way, but it had been perfect for Debbie. It had fulfilled her in ways she found hard to describe. Her husband understood. They were so similar in that regard. And it was nice to have someone who knew and recognised in her what he found in himself. He’d often told her that he loved the ambitious part of her, the go-getter, the businesswoman. It was what had attracted him to her in the first place.
She climbed into her sports car where it was parked in the garage. Then she took down the top, leaving it open to the temperate spring air. There was a scarf in her glove box. She pulled it out and wrapped her hair up in it. Then, donning a pair of oversized sunglasses, she revved the sports car’s engine and inched out of the parking garage. As soon as she was on the open highway, she gunned it, the car flying easily along the smooth road. The wind whipped at her scarf, and she laughed into the sky.
When she arrived at the beach house, she parked outside the garage and climbed out, then took off the scarf and returned it to the glove box. The house was quiet inside, but she could hear the sound of nineteen-seventies beach music outside. She found Caleb out there, wearing an apron and holding a pair of tongs in the air.
“There you are,” he exclaimed with a grin. “Steak or prawns? I couldn’t decide, so I’m making both.”
She laughed, then hurried to kiss him passionately on the mouth. He pretended to faint. “Wow. What was that for?”
“It’s over,” she said. “I handed in the keys. Everything’s gone. I’m finally done.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You okay?”
“I think so. I feel a little empty—lost, maybe. But I’m good.”
He wound an arm around her waist. “You’re very good. I’ve always told you that.” Then he kissed her neck.