The Friendly Fall (Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice #8)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Eliza

“Eliza, can we speak for a moment, please?” Mr. Hudson’s voice catches my attention, and I pull my eyes from the screen of my computer, turning to look at him.

“Of course.” I smile at him, but he doesn’t return it, sending my heart into a borderline panic.

Maybe it’s nothing.

Or maybe my last marketing campaign didn’t do well.

He continues to stare at me in silence as I stand up from my white leather chair, pushing it back into its place. “Let’s chat in my office,” he says in an unsteady voice, the graying strands in his dark beard appearing white under the light.

I keep my breathing steady as we exit my cubicle and head down the hallway, passing the wall of windows that overlooks the city of Chicago. It’s a breathtaking view of the city, but this morning, Mr. Hudson’s silence has captured my attention.

Why is he being so quiet?

He’s never this quiet.

My boss of five years is usually chatting my ear off, talking about future projects, and things that need to be done. But today? Right now? He’s making me antsy.

“You might want to take a seat,” he mutters as I step into the luxurious office, with another incredible view of the city.

“Did I do something wrong?” I ask carefully, smoothing out my pencil skirt as I take a seat in one of the high-backed leather chairs.

His lips purse as he walks behind his desk and takes a seat. “Well … you didn’t do anything wrong, per se. It’s just that…”

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

“I’m going to have to let you go, Eliza.”

My mouth gapes, and my heart sinks. I feel like I might pass out.

“Why?” I manage to choke out, completely and utterly confused. “I don’t … I don’t understand.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “It’s budgeting, mostly. But also, Ted is going to be taking over your role. He’s multi-talented, whereas—”

“I understand,” I interject, not needing to hear anything more.

I’m one of only three women who work at this tech firm, and I’m pretty sure they’re just tired of dealing with me.

“You don’t have to finish out the day,” Mr. Hudson continues, audible relief in his voice. He must’ve been worried about telling me, thinking I would break down and cry or something.

Nope. Not me. I’m not crying in front of this guy.

“We’ll provide you with a severance package, which will cover about two months of your current salary. You’ll just need to sign a few papers, pack up your things, and turn in your badge on the way out. There are boxes in the lounge if you need them.”

I stand to my feet, albeit shakily. “Thank you, and thank you for the last five years.”

“Feel free to use me as a reference on your resume. I’ll give you a good review if asked.”

“Thanks,” I reply.

Why the heck am I thanking him after he just fired me?

I swallow the lump in my throat as I make my way back to the small cubicle I’ve spent the last five years of my life in. My heels click against the floor, seeming to echo with every step.

What am I supposed to do from here?

I bat away a rogue tear that’s threatening to spill down my cheek.

I just need to get out of here. Then I’ll tell Devon. Ugh. So much for that vacation in Mexico this summer.

“Eliza?” Nelson peeks over the top of the cubicle, eyeing me through his black, thick-rimmed glasses. He was hired around the same time I was, and considering the pained look on his face, he’s either really great at guessing … or he already knew.

I bet everyone did.

“Are you okay?” His voice comes out uneven.

I nod. “I guess it’s just time for new opportunities.”

“I heard that Ted was taking over your job a few days ago, but I didn’t really know what that meant. I thought maybe you were getting promoted.”

“Yeah, right.” I sniffle, wiping my nose on my cardigan sleeve. “We both know that Mr. Hudson would never promote me. The man’s only given me one raise in the last five years.”

“You deserved more than that,” Nelson says quietly, slipping out of his cubicle and coming around to join me.

I glance at the clock; it’s twelve-thirty. If I hurry, I can be out of the office before the rest of the team comes back from lunch.

Lunch that I intentionally skipped out on so I could pick up some extra work.

Ugh.

“Maybe it’s a good thing,” Nelson continues, leaning his slender frame against the cubicle. “Maybe you can finally find a boss that likes women.”

“Maybe,” I mutter, opening the drawers and pulling out my things. I don’t have much—I’ve always kept a minimalist approach to my office.

And now I’m glad I did .

“Don’t let it get you down. You’re great at what you do—you’re great at everything you do.”

I finally look up at him. “I don’t really want to talk about it right now. I’ll deal with it later.”

He frowns but nods in agreement. “Yeah, I understand. That makes sense. You’ll keep me up to date on where you go, right? It’ll be weird without you here.”

My shoulders slump, knowing that—more than likely—I won’t keep him up to date. Nelson and I have never talked about anything other than work things, and I know he’s just extending his sympathies because I’m upset.

“I wish you the best,” he adds, before tapping on the frame and disappearing back into his own workspace.

I pack the rest of my things and make it out of the office by ten minutes to one, avoiding the walk of shame I inevitably would’ve endured when the majority of the team returns from lunch.

Now, I just have to tell Devon.

I lean back against the back of our velvet couch in the sitting room of our apartment, trying to breathe. He’ll be home in five minutes.

Five freaking minutes .

And I still have no idea how to tell him I lost my job today. I haven’t told anyone yet, not even my granny.

The sound of the apartment door chiming catches my attention, and I turn to see my boyfriend of eight years walk through the door. He’s got a grim look on his face, but that’s his norm.

Being a lawyer isn’t fun most days.

“Hey,” I say in a shaky tone. “How was your day?”

“Fine,” he mutters, shutting the door behind him. “You?”

“I got let go,” I blurt out with a sharp sigh.

“You … what?” He furrows his dark brows in confusion, setting his briefcase down by the couch. “You can’t be serious.”

I nod, fighting to hold back tears. “Mr. Hudson called me into his office at lunch and fired me. He said that Ted is going to take over my position. It has something to do with budget cuts.”

“Typical excuse.”

“Um…” my voice trails off. “I don’t really know what that means.”

“It means that he just wanted to get rid of you but didn’t want to make a scene about it. It’s a classic move.” He chuckles, rolling his eyes at me.

My shoulders slump. “Okay…”

“So, what’s your plan now?”

Devon’s indifference to my situation stings, but it’s not entirely unexpected. He’s always been more wrapped up in his own career than anything else. I take a deep breath, trying to compose myself before responding .

“I … I don’t know,” I begin, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just found out this afternoon. I haven’t really had time to come up with a plan yet.”

He studies me for a moment, his expression unreadable. “Well, you can’t just sit around moping. You need to figure things out, fast.”

I stare at him for a moment, my mouth agape as his words sink in.

“I’ll figure it out,” I say with more conviction than I feel. “I always do.”

“Yeah, and um, while we’re on this subject.” He leans against the counter, giving me a weird look—one that makes my heart sink. “I know it’s bad timing … But…”

“But what?” I ask, panic rising in my chest.

“I think we should take some time apart.”

“Time apart? Are you serious, Devon? Why?” I explode, throwing my hands in the air.

“Woah. Calm down, Eliza. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. And now that you’ve lost your job, I don’t really have time to deal with this right now. You know I have a lot on my plate.”

I can’t believe this. After eight years together, he wants to take a break because I lost my job? The anger swirling inside me reaches a boiling point as I stare at him in disbelief.

How could he be so selfish?

“Are you seriously breaking up with me because I lost my job ?” My voice trembles with a mixture of hurt and rage. “You’re really going to abandon me when I need support the most?”

“C’mon, don’t be so dramatic. I can’t handle you like this.” He rolls his eyes. “It’s more than just the job. You also keep harping on the marriage thing, and it’s been bugging me for a while now. I’m just not ready for that kind of commitment.”

“So … you’ve just been stringing me along for eight years? For what?” I fume, shaking my head.

Devon lets out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think it would be an issue.”

“ Seriously ? I’ve been open about what I want for our future from the beginning, and I thought we were on the same page. If you weren’t ready, you should’ve told me instead of leading me on.”

“I thought you were happy with how things were—us living together and stuff. I mean, what even is the point of getting married? It’s just a piece of paper.”

My chest tightens at the realization that the man I thought I knew so well, the man I’ve built my entire life around, is nothing but a stranger.

“You don’t understand at all, do you?” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Marriage isn’t just about living together or a piece of paper. It’s about commitment, partnership, building a life together…”

He shrugs. “I guess we just have different priorities. Look, let’s not make this more difficult than it needs to be. I’ll go stay with Jared for a few weeks until you can find a place, or figure something out. ”

With that, he heads to the bedroom, and based on the shuffling and banging around, he’s packing a bag. I swallow the emotions welling up in my chest, threatening to spill over in the form of some sort of mental breakdown.

Blinking back the tears, I swoop my phone up from where it sits on the couch and head for the spare bedroom on the other side of the apartment. Scrolling through my contacts, I make it to my granny’s number and hit the call button.

Thankfully, she answers on the first ring.

“Hey there, Eliza Kate,” she greets me, her voice as chipper and sweet as ever.

“Granny, I need you.”