41. Clara
Chapter forty-one
Clara
“ H ow in the world are you done with all the newsletters already?” Madison asks me, incredulity in her voice and facial expression.
“I came in early.” I shrug.
Her eyes narrow at me. “How early?”
I spin my ring and avoid eye contact.
“Clara Jane. Answer me.”
“Fine, Mom , I came in at 4:00 this morning.” I admit with an eye roll.
It’s not like I was sleeping. I’ve barely slept since I returned to KC to lick my wounds. Every time I close my eyes, I see the shocked expression on Clark’s face when I pulled away from kissing him. To add insult to the not-sleeping injury, my eyes are even more tired, considering my hasty retreat from Noel meant I left my glasses behind. I don’t mention that extra detail to Madison.
I spilled everything to her the day after I returned. Mads came to my apartment with exorbitant amounts of sugar and watched action movies with me all day. Usually, Heartmark movies are my comfort watch in the midst of emotional turmoil. But they’re the furthest thing from a comfort watch right now.
“That’s it; leave this office right now,” Madison commands.
I meet her eyes with a quizzical look. “It’s the middle of a workday. I can’t just leave the office, Mads.”
“Clara, you’ve finished all the work you were supposed to do for this entire week. And you are a shell of yourself. He-who-doesn’t-deserve-a-name has ruined enough of your favorite time of year already. Go do something Christmassy, right now. I’ll cover for you here,” she concludes.
I drop my head on my desk. “I don’t feel Christmassy, Mads.”
“Then go down to Crown Center. It’s impossible to not feel Christmassy there,” she states decisively. I turn my head on my arm to make eye contact, still sulking.
“Clara, please,” Mads says, her tone of voice softening. “You need a change of scenery. Some Christmas scenery. Get out and be distracted by the holiday crowd for a few hours, okay?”
I sigh. “Fine.”