Chapter 27
Seconds tick by on the clock on the wall, and with every tick, my stomach coils tighter.
Barry’s eyes scan across the page from left to right with a quiet precision that tells me he’s taking in every word.
From the moment I sat across from him this morning, I knew this could go a million different ways.
He’s not going to be happy, that I’m sure of.
What’s in his hand is not the story he wanted, nor is it the one I intended to write, but it’s good.
At least, I think it is. Good enough to fulfill what he needs for his feature; different enough not to be like every other story out there about Elite Wrestling Entertainment.
It draws back the curtain without giving too much away.
No, that other article is hidden away on my laptop, labeled something no one else would ever bother to look at.
Turning over the final page, Barry sighs and lifts the glasses from his nose.
He sits back in his chair, hands threading over his stomach, and stares at the papers sitting on the desk.
“Well.” He clears his throat, lifting his gaze.
“It’s not what I was expecting, but…it’s good.
Really good. You should be proud of yourself, Sloane. ”
The butterflies in my stomach settle, and I finally exhale. “Thanks.” There’s a lot more I should probably say—like explaining to him why I didn’t deliver what I promised—but I can only manage to get the one word out.
“It’ll hit stands next Wednesday, and go up on the website, too.” He reaches for the mouse of his computer. “Email it over, so—”
“I sent it this morning before I came in,” I say, folding my hands on my knee.
“Great, if I need any edits from you, I’ll reach out, but I don’t think there will be anything needed on your end.” Barry shuffles my article into a pile of papers to his right. “As for your next assignment, I’d like for you to continue—”
“Actually,” I interrupt him, sitting on the edge of my seat. “Please accept this article as my formal resignation from The Baller.”
Barry stares at me for a long moment before a slow smile tugs on the corners of his mouth. He breathes out another hard sigh and tosses his glasses on the desk. “I had a feeling you were going to say that.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Barry. You took a chance on me and helped me get my foot in the door in this world. I owe you tremendously, but I think it’s time I go out on my own. Try something new.”
“You’re not secretly taking the real story over to Diane after this, are you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I wink, and he chuckles, shaking his head softly. “I think I’m going to weigh my options as a freelance writer. Test the waters a little. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a more permanent place somewhere outside of Boston.”
“Somewhere like Tampa?” Barry smirks and leans back in his chair.
He chuckles softly, fiddling with his pen.
“I’ll have Andi send over a freelance contract.
Sign it, and you can pick up stories here as you see fit,” he says, standing from his chair.
He extends his hand and gives mine a gentle squeeze when I do the same. “You’re always welcome here, Sloane.”
Walking out of Barry’s office, I retreat to my desk on the other side of the floor, where my two friends wait.
Gabe spins in my chair, gaze toward the ceiling as he rambles to Daphne, who leans against the edge of my desk.
He plants his feet the moment he spots me and stands, albeit a little wobbly. “So,” he draws out. “How’d it go?”
“He liked it,” I say with a shrug.
“That’s it? That’s all he said?” Daphne asks, brow furrowed.
Crossing my arms, I look between them. “It wasn’t exactly the story I pitched him, but he liked it. There isn’t much more to say.”
“Is he keeping you on features?” Gabe’s eyes wander away from me to Kaci, who approaches with an empty box.
“Well, he was going to, but I quit,” I say, taking the box.
Kaci glares at me softly, the same way she did earlier when I asked if we had any empty ones laying around.
I knew the moment I woke up this morning—hell, maybe even before that—that I was putting in my resignation alongside the story.
I didn’t have the heart to tell anyone else, or admit it out loud.
“You what?” His voice rings out across the floor, earning a few glances.
Kaci scoffs, sharing an eye roll with Daphne. “Oh, please, Gabe. You can’t honestly be that surprised.”
I begin packing my personal items in my desk while the three of them go back and forth.
I’m surprised Laura hasn’t come out of her office yet to tell them to get back to work.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her all morning—surely, she wanted to be in my meeting with Barry—and the door to her office is still closed with the blinds pulled.
“Where’s Laura?” I ask, interrupting their conversation, which has finally moved on to something about lunch.
A Cheshire grin pulls on Gabe’s lips with a matching look in his eyes.
“Did I not tell you on Friday? Laura got fired.” I gape at them.
No, he most certainly did not tell me on Friday.
How could they forget to tell me something like this?
That’s not like Gabe. Normally, he’s chomping at the bit to spill whatever the latest gossip is. “I swear I told you!”
“You did not! What happened?”
“No one knows for sure.” He glances at Kaci, but she avoids his stare.
If anyone besides Gabe would know, it’s her, even if she likes to deny any knowledge of office secrets.
“All I know is she and Barry were having a meeting, and he fired her. Rumor has it she got caught fooling around with Greg in her office the night before by some of the cleaning staff.” Greg?
One of the interns? Gross. Looks like Troy wasn’t the only one sleeping his way to better stories.
“And how do you know that?” Daphne asks with a soft chuckle.
“Andi told me,” Gabe says with a devilish grin. “Anyway, she came storming out and started telling him what a terrible boss he was and how he treated her like his personal slave so he didn’t have to do any of the actual work around here.”
My mouth falls open.
“Guess I was too busy catching you up on everything else”—everything I didn’t care about, apparently—“not to mention, I wanted to know about Wolf. That’s far more interesting than who Laura is fucking in her office after hours. How’s he doing, anyway? Are you heading back to Tampa after this?”
My heart aches at the sound of his name, and there’s a prick in the corner of my eyes.
I have spent the last day and a half trying not to think about him, trying not to think about what that conversation may have looked like had I done what Savannah suggested and waited for him at the hotel…
Instead, I packed my stuff and left before he returned from the party.
I still have unread text messages from my best friend and his sister, who probably returned with him to find me gone.
Knowing Bennett, he made up some lie, but Sophia would have seen right through it, and Lexi would have waited until they were alone to question my sudden disappearance.
Still, the only person I wanted to hear from, I know I never will again.
“No,” I say, clearing my throat. “No, that’s done.
” My stomach sinks when I meet their stares.
Picking up my box of belongings—four years packed into a small cardboard box—really puts things into perspective.
I force a smile and turn, weaving through the maze of desks.
I force back the emotions clawing at the wall I’ve held in place since I left the EWE anniversary party.
Daphne calls after me in a quiet hiss, trying not to draw attention our way. She grabs my arm when she catches up at the elevator bank. “I’m sorry, I must be hearing things,” she says. “Are you saying you broke up with him?”
Ignoring her stare, I keep my own on the increasing digital number and wait for it to hit fifteen. Ten…Eleven…How fucking long does this thing take? Normally, it feels like the elevator in this building goes double the speed it should, but of course, today it decides to go at a normal pace.
“Finally,” I hiss under my breath when the doors part. I step inside, Daphne hot on my heels. Gabe slips through before the doors close.
“Sloane.” Her voice is far gentler this time, but I still refuse to look at her. “I thought you said—”
“He found out,” Gabe says softly. “Didn’t he?”
I don’t answer, holding my gaze straight ahead, facing my own reflection in the stainless-steel doors.
“Wow.” Gabe scoffs, shaking his head, and Daph smacks his arm.
The doors open, and I escape while they exchange glares, making it out the front door before I hear Gabe’s voice again.
“You knew this was coming, Sloane.” He walks a few paces behind me, almost crashing into my back when I stop in my tracks and turn to face him.
Taking a step back, Gabe digs his hands into the front pockets of his slacks.
“Was it worth it? Because I don’t see how you’re coming out on top of this one.
You don’t have a job, just lost your boyfriend, and—”
Daphne hisses, “Gabe!”
“No, he’s right,” I say, adjusting the box in my hands.
Sunlight reflects off the glass building above us, casting a heavy shadow on him and making me squint without sunglasses.
“You’re right, Gabe. It’s my own fault. I should’ve told Bennett from the start, but I thought—no, I knew—he never would’ve introduced me to any of his friends had he known the truth.
” My eyelids flutter closed with a deep breath, and I swallow back the tears that coat my eyes.
I will not cry on a sidewalk in the middle of downtown Boston.
I can’t, because if I finally let the dam break, I don’t know when I’ll be able to stop it.
Clearing my throat, I force back the burning liquid and swallow the knot in my throat.
“I know what I did was wrong, and now I’m living with the consequences.
I didn’t…I didn’t plan on this. Any of this.
And I certainly didn’t think I’d fall in love with him in less than a month. ”
“Oh, Sloane,” Daphne says, a solemn look on her face.
“I’ll be okay,” I say, offering her a reassuring smile when she reaches out to give my arm a gentle squeeze. “I just need some time to figure out what I’m going to do and where I’m going to go.”
“Are you leaving Boston?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “We’ll see what’s out there. A week ago, I was looking at options in Tampa, but now I have no idea.”