Chapter 6
PRESENT DAY
Mia sat across from her boss, glancing out of the window at the grey clouds billowing through the sky.
Her boss was on a phone call and made another apologetic gesture, but Mia didn’t mind.
It gave her longer to figure out what she was going to say, because now that she was sitting in her boss’s office, she was feeling distinctly tongue-tied.
‘Mia! So sorry. How can I help?’
The woman seated across from her was friendly, her smile genuine as she leaned forward in her seat.
Mia had liked Tabitha from the moment they’d met, but she realised then that they barely knew anything about each other.
But when her eyes fell on the photograph on her boss’s desk, she knew it was time to change that.
‘You have a beautiful family,’ Mia said.
That lit up Tabitha’s face. ‘They’re older now.
That picture was taken five years ago, so they’re more gangly teens than round-faced kids, but they’re great company.
’ Tabitha turned back to her. ‘You don’t have children, do you?
I’m trying to remember, but—’Mia took a breath.
‘We’d always planned to, but my…’ She paused and fought for the right words, not wanting to stumble now.
Just keep it simple. ‘My fiancé actually passed away five years ago. He was involved in an accident.’
Tabitha’s face fell in a way that immediately made Mia want to overcompensate and tell her that everything was fine, that it was a long time ago now. But she didn’t. Not today. She knew that if she wanted to move forward, she needed to accept that look and move past it.
‘I’m sorry,’ her boss said.
‘Thank you,’ Mia said. Be brave, be brave, be brave. ‘I still miss him every day, but the reason you don’t know is because I’ve fought for that anonymity ever since the accident. At the time, I found it was easier for people not to know, and to be honest, it still is.’
‘I understand.’ Tabitha leaned back in her seat and studied Mia. ‘But I have a feeling you didn’t come here today to talk about your personal life.’
Mia grinned, loving how straight to the point she was.
It had also been easier than she’d expected to be honest about her past, and it was refreshing, if nothing else.
‘When you hired me, you very kindly overlooked my limited portfolio of published writing and offered me the job anyway. Something I’ll always be grateful for. ’
Tabitha shrugged, either because she couldn’t remember, or because she didn’t think it important. Perhaps it was a combination of both. ‘I must have been impressed by your samples if I hired you, but continue anyway.’
‘What I didn’t tell you at the time was that I had an extensive portfolio of published photography,’ she said. ‘Until Ethan passed away, I’d spent my adult life travelling the world and making a name for myself as a photographer, but when I started here, I was looking for a change.’
Tabitha’s eyebrows rose. ‘I’m wishing you’d told me this when I was calling every photographer in the city last week, looking to fill a last-minute assignment,’ she said, drily. ‘But again, I do understand the need for a fresh start.’
‘The truth is, I haven’t touched my camera in five years, or even looked at the last set of proofs I took,’ Mia said.
‘Ethan passed when we were on assignment together in Canada, and until very recently, I didn’t think I’d ever want to pick up my camera again. Hence my decision to keep it a secret.’
Tabitha looked intrigued, and she refolded her arms, her eyes fixed firmly on Mia’s. ‘And now?’
Mia closed her eyes for a brief second before answering.
‘Now I want to find my way back to what I love,’ she said, swallowing a growing lump in her throat.
‘And I’m hoping you’ll allow me an extended period of leave to do that.
’ She didn’t want to leave her job entirely, and she found herself holding her breath, hoping her boss was as understanding as she thought she was.
Tabitha took off her glasses and sat back in her chair, her expression hard to read. ‘How about we get a coffee downstairs and we can discuss this further? Because I’m in desperate need of caffeine, and I have a feeling we can find a way for you to stay with us when you return. As a photographer.’
‘Thank you, I’d like that.’
Maybe it was time not to find the Mia she’d left behind, but to discover a new version of herself who was ready to see the world again.
At the very least, she was ready to try.
Because as soon as her meeting with Tabitha was over, she was buying her Eurostar ticket before she changed her mind.
Paris, here I come.