Thorn Kiss (Whynot #2)

Madi

Mascara streaked down my face as I sat down in front of my laptop. My eyes were bloodshot and my cheeks bright red under the foundation I’d just slapped on.

It didn’t help. I attempted to drag air in through my nostrils and then winced as I made a sound closer to a dying lawnmower than a human.

“Come on,” I whispered. “Fuck.”

I snatched a tissue from the blue box on my desk and blotted it under my eyes.

Everything was going to be fine. It was going to be great.

This was the big meeting I’d been waiting for, I just needed to plaster on a big smile and focus on the positive instead of the fact that I’d wasted eight years of my life on someone who never loved me.

Like I said, it was going to be great.

The all too familiar ache lanced through my chest as I tilted my head back.

Pull it together, Madi. I closed my eyes and visualized my future.

The one where I was the art director at Dream Ink, I had enough money for bills and for fun, and I was happy.

It’s right within my grasp, too. I just needed to stop crying and get through this meeting.

Exhaling slowly, I held onto that seed of hope. I focused on the camera and the virtual waiting room. My pulse skyrocketed as the screen flashed.

My boss appeared in one box, and then a second popped up. Melanie in HR. That made sense, right? For a promotion.

Working at Dream Ink had been my goal since I was eleven years old. They’d animated the movie that completely changed my life and had ignited the sort of dream everyone warned you about.

The dream to be an artist.

And I’d done it. I was an animator with a full-time job at a huge studio, making it in LA, and I’d been doing everything I could to show them I could handle a bigger role. Taking on extra tasks, working overtime, ensuring that all of my deliverables were perfectly executed.

“Hey Madison,” Tom said.

A warning bell went off at his perfectly neutral tone. He wasn’t his normal chipper self. Did I do something wrong?

“Hey, Tom,” I said. “Melanie. Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Melanie chimed.

It would be good soon. I wrenched my hands together under my desk.

“Right.” Tom’s brows furrowed together. “Well, let’s get started.

So, Madison, I just want to start off by saying that we’ve valued you here at Dream Ink the last few years.

You have been such a strong team member.

You’re talented and wonderful to work with.

I’ve truly enjoyed having you on our team. ”

Some of the tension eased out of my shoulders. I’d been waiting for this. Waiting for—

“That’s why it pains me to inform you we have to let you go. Dream Ink is having to rationalize the . . .”

The oxygen sucked out of the room. My ears started to ring as Tom kept blabbering, but I couldn’t hear a single word he said.

“. . . We’ve valued you as an animator on our team, but . . .”

Everything was clammy, too hot, too close. The texture of my clothes felt wrong. The weight of my favorite cardigan I always wore while working was simply too much.

It was all too much.

My heart sank. “You’re firing me?” I blurted out.

Tom paused, his expression softening. Melanie immediately jumped in.

“Unfortunately, Dream Ink is having to let you go, yes, that’s correct.” The perfectly practiced compassion in her voice made my skin crawl.

All the years scraping by at school. All the years spent pushing myself to be the best animator. The countless interviews, the constant ass-kissing, the nights I’d eaten cheap ramen just so I could spend money on new makeup so I’d look presentable by LA standards during networking events.

Justin telling me he wanted to break up because I was married to my job. Justin cheating on me with a woman named Veronica.

“We’re deeply sorry for this separation,” Tom continued. “We wish you the very best. Melanie will take over from here.”

“All right, Madi. So I have some paperwork that I’m going to email over to you—”

I could barely breathe. Sweat sprouted on my skin as I stared at Melanie’s perfect face until my eyes burned.

Everything I’d worked for was gone.

My hands shook as I leaned back in my desk chair. Tension burned in my temples, a hollowness swallowing me whole. Sunlight poured in through the windows behind me, painting my tiny apartment in soft verdant hues, far too beautiful of a setting for my life ripping apart.

It didn’t feel real.

“Madison, are you listening?”

Nope. I couldn’t do this.

My finger jabbed the keyboard. I ended the call.

I snapped my laptop closed.

Why was this happening? I’d been working so hard for a promotion. Had they made a mistake? Was there another Madison working at Dream Ink being fired?

I shoved back from my desk and stood, planting my hands on my head as I stepped into the middle of my living-room-office-bedroom.

All one space just big enough for me to pace like a maniac.

I undid my topknot and let my dark hair spill down in waves that reached my lower back, pushing my fingertips against my scalp and trying to massage the fear away.

My phone rattled on my desk, but I ignored it.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

The tears weren’t coming yet. The dam would break at some point, but right now, I couldn’t feel it. I’d already cried so much that the well was currently all dried up.

This was what I’d worked so hard for. The dream. The fucking dream job. The one that everyone in my life always told me I’d never achieve.

My phone rattled again and I marched to answer it without looking, expecting it to be my boss.

“Am I really fired?” I rushed out.

“Oh, um. Hi, I think I may have caught you at a bad time?”

The woman’s voice had a southern lilt to it that definitely did not belong to my New Yorker boss.

“I’m sorry, I was expecting someone else. Who is this?” My voice was high pitched as I wrangled the ice in my chest.

“My name is Avery Whynot. Is this Madison Fletcher? I’m calling about the six-week artist residency in Whynot, Texas.”

I blinked a few times and then a soft, panicked laugh bubbled up. Oh god, I was going to have a full-on breakdown.

I’d completely forgotten about this.

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks and I wiped them away. “Yes, I’m Madi. I never expected to hear from you. Are you calling to reject me?” I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. It would be my luck.

“Oh no! No, I’m calling because we’d love to have you.

I wanted to see if you were still interested in the residency, and if so, we can send over the welcome packet and nail down the dates.

” Her words picked up to a speed that had my head spinning.

“Really, I know Whynot is a small town, but I promise it’s so charming.

Have you ever been to Texas? It’s out in the desert, but the sunsets are to die for.

I’m also an artist. And while I’m biased, this place really is inspiring and wonderful—”

A man’s voice echoed in the background, and she cut herself off with a snort.

“Sorry, that was one of my boyfriends. He says I’m rambling. He’s probably right, though.”

Boyfriends?

“Madi? You still there? Did I scare you off?”

Another laugh slipped out, and with it, more tears. “No,” I sniffled. “You didn’t scare me off. Are you sure—are you sure you want an animator as your artist? I figured most residencies are for people who paint or create things people can buy for their walls.”

“Well, most of the time, yes. But here’s the thing, I get to make all the decisions about it, and I’ve never met someone in animation. So, I’d love you to come to Whynot.”

I stared out my windows. One edible-induced night after a long day that had left my hands aching led me to research artist residencies in the states, and I’d stumbled across one in a tiny town in Texas. Maybe submitting to this residency was the lifeline I needed to haul myself back to shore.

My phone started ringing again and I pulled it away from my ear, rejecting the other call trying to come through that was definitely from HR. Melanie could fuck off right now.

If I didn’t have a job and didn’t have a boyfriend, what did I even have?

“Um, can you remind me of the dates and stuff?” Every swallow felt like glass as I wiped away my tears. God, I was sick of crying. I was so sick of it.

“Sure. It’s a six-week residency and you’d be staying in the loft at Whynot Stay, which is a local inn here in Whynot.

I know you work with digital art, but you’d still have access to materials at Whynot Paint, as well as a private studio space if you’d like.

Additionally, your stay would be covered, and you’d receive a stipend for food.

After the residency is up, we host a gallery show—we can change up the format to accommodate whatever you make.

Maybe a viewing at homecoming? It’s one of our biggest events of the year. Football is a big deal in Whynot.”

Despite everything, a smile ghosted my lips. I couldn’t help but wonder how many times she could say Whynot in the same breath.

“I have to warn you properly, though, since I saw that you live in a big city. Whynot is a really small town. Everyone knows each other. Everyone is kind of nosy. There’s a lot of old people.

We don’t really have a nightlife, unless you consider howling with coyotes entertainment.

” She laughed at her own joke. “But, the loft is really nice. We made some updates to it, so it has a perfect view of the Davis Mountains in the distance.”

“Avery.” The man’s voice in the background was full of amusement. “You’re going to scare her away.”

“Mateo, shush.” Avery cleared her throat. “I’m pretty sure that covers it. What do you think?”

I chewed on my bottom lip as I stared out the window. My apartment had the perfect view of the valley. I loved this city with every fiber of my being.

But without Dream Ink, what was tying me to LA?

The rug had been yanked out from beneath me, and the last thing I needed to do was run off to Texas. I should apply for new jobs and figure out what to do next.

Financially, I was fucked. Justin and I had split the rent. After our breakup last night, I was on my own. Unless I put all my stuff in storage, I wasn’t sure what to do.

Well . . . that thought wasn’t half bad.

Why not leave it all behind?

Slowly, I drew in a shaky breath. “When does it start?”

“Two weeks from today. September first.”

I wiped my tears away. Fuck it. “I’m in.”