Chapter 28
OLIVIA
The next time you ignore the
twenty-three reels I sent you,
remember that means I
thought of you twenty-three
times, bitchy Barbie!
Don’t yell at me.
I’m about to quit my job.
Holy shit. Seriously?
Text me when it’s done.
You were always too good
for them, Liv.
You’re the most badass bitch I know.
You’ve got this.
And if you chicken out,
I’ll bring ice cream.
—Serena’s Text to Liv
Isit at the table outside, the same one I’ve come to think of as my office away from the office.
Cheesy, I know. But when you love your office as much as I love mine, it’s hard to believe I’m happily working somewhere else.
But I am. I like being here. I like having breakfast with Logan and Maggie. I like getting to take a break and play with her in the middle of the day whenever I feel like it. Hell, I’ve even agreed to let Pops give me horseback-riding lessons.
So unlike me, but I’m also kind of loving this new version of myself.
The one who kissed her husband goodbye.
The one who knows Logan’s at the rink, Waverly’s at school, Jasper is probably pissing off half the ranch, and Pops is . . . well, Pops is horse-whispering the horses, while Rita and Maggie are off having a picnic by the pond with the newborn baby ducks.
Basically, everyone is doing their thing at the moment, and I’m waiting for my thing to call so it can no longer be my thing. Because that’s not a mindfuck.
I fucking despise waiting on other people.
Especially when I’m dreading doing something.
And I am dreading doing this. Necessary or not. And it’s absolutely necessary.
Even if a part of me still feels like quitting is tantamount to failure, and—
I. Don’t. Fail.
Ever.
My phone buzzes to my right, and I smile at Logan’s name and the silly picture of him and Maggie that flashes across my phone. Seriously . . . when did this become my life?
Logan
On my way home. Want me to pick you up anything?
Olivia
Ice cream?
Logan
Sure. Everything okay?
Olivia
What? Just because I ask for ice cream, you think I’m eating my feelings?
Logan
Am I in trouble if I say yes?
Olivia
No. And maybe I am.
Logan
Should I be scared? You’re sounding a little like Serena.
Olivia
Damn. That’s specific. I’ll fill you in when you get home.
Oh, and Rocky Road, please???
A message pops up that the host has joined the Zoom, and Peter’s face appears on my screen as my pulse thunders a nasty staccato beat in my head.
He adjusts his tie and glances away. “Olivia. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Sure you are, Pete. I’m proud of myself when I don’t laugh.
“That’s okay, Peter. I appreciate your time.” Although it’s yet another way this man shows his complete and utter disrespect for me and my time. “Were you able to email the plan for transitioning Logan to another agent? I haven’t received it and wasn’t sure if it was lost in the process.”
There’s no way it was lost, but I’m trying to be nice until I can finally stop faking it. Logan is the one piece of the puzzle standing in my way from just telling the partners to fuck off.
“I’ll check with my assistant. I believe it was supposed to be sent this week,” he says, clearly disinterested.
“That’s fine. We can just discuss it now,” I stop him before he can switch topics. “I’m concerned with your retirement just weeks away—”
“Months, Olivia. We still have two months,” he interrupts.
“Let me be frank, Peter. You signed my husband under false pretenses. Failed to disclose that you wouldn’t be his agent past a hundred and twenty days and have failed to do absolutely anything for him in the nearly three months he’s been with you.
If a client came to you and said this was how they’d been treated by their agent, you’d think they were ripe for the picking, wouldn’t you? ”
And judging by the muscle that clenches in his jaw, I just hit a nerve.
Peter’s dark eyes stare daggers into the camera.
Men like him don’t like to feel called out or threatened, and I just did both.
“That feels an awful lot like a threat, Ms. St. James.” Way to state the obvious, Pete.
I’m ridiculously proud of the way I keep my inner monologue to myself. Instead of calling him a douchebag, I sit back in my chair and force myself to remain impassive.
“It’s Adler now, and it wasn’t a threat.” My tone is calm, even if I’m feeling anything but. “However, it was me telling you exactly where Logan stands right now. Either you do something about it or I will.”
Now there was the threat.
One Peter will feel in his pocket if Logan leaves the firm.
“Olivia, I’m not sure what’s gotten into you. You seem almost hysterical—”
For fuck’s sake—he didn’t just go there.
“I’m sorry. Does a strong woman stating facts always equate to hysterics to you, or is it just when I do it?” My blood boils with rage simmering just beneath my skin.
“This is not how a future partner behaves, Olivia.”
“Oh, I see. I’m a future partner now?” Time to pulverize the motherfucking carrot until there’s not a shred left.
“And exactly when will I be made partner, Peter? I’ve done everything you’ve asked.
Proven myself ten times over. But now that I’m calling you out on your lack of direction, motivation, and planning for my husband’s sake, I’m hysterical and yet somehow future partner material all at once.
” I force myself to slow down. “Which is it?”
Logan and I discussed this.
Not all of it—but my concerns with his agent.
He can sever his contract at any point, and I know of at least two incredible agents I’d rather see him with. Both would make him a higher priority than Pete’s proven he’s capable of.
“Why don’t you fly into the New York offices tomorrow, Olivia—”
“No.” I don’t let him finish his demeaning demand. “I don’t think I’ll be doing that.”
I take a calming breath and find my center.
I know who I am and what I want.
And most importantly, I know what I’m capable of and what I can control.
“Excuse me?” he blusters.
I’ve given this as much thought as possible.
It’s now or never.
“Consider this my two-week notice. I. Quit. And given the sensitive material I’m privy to, I assume you’ll accept my notice, thank me for my time, and tell me my two weeks are not needed.”
Holy. Shit. That was the scariest thing I’ve ever willingly done.
“You have got to be kidding me, Olivia.” Peter’s face turns an unhinged shade of red. “I trained you. Mentored you—”
“Shame on you for thinking that’s what you were doing,” I murmur under my breath, but he still hears me. And I might just be losing my shit because I smile when he looks like he’s about to blow.
“You’re aware you have a non-compete and signed an NDA. You can’t touch our clients for a year. Can’t say a word against our firm. If you do either, I’ll slap a lawsuit on you so fast—”
“Stop, Peter. I’m aware of how NDAs work. Passed the bar exam on my first try, remember? And I’m not taking any of your clients with me.” Although I will be encouraging more than one of them to change agencies, my husband and my family included.
“What . . .?” he stutters, clearly confused. “What do you plan to do?”
This man doesn’t deserve that answer.
“You know what, Pete?” I smile. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“You were never going to be partner, Olivia,” he sneers, and I feel like I’m seeing him for the first time, suddenly disappointed with how much time I’ve given his firm.
“To be honest, Peter,”—I grin back at him—“I’m all right with that.”
Not making partner brought me my husband.
It brought Magnolia and the insane Langley family into my life.
It forced me to realize there was more to life than working for men who disrespect you.
That making partner wasn’t worth it if I sold my soul and my dignity to do it.
Working for this man showed me what I don’t want in life as much as it allowed me to figure out what I do.
“Truly, thank you for everything, and enjoy your retirement.” I close the MacBook and stare at the blue cover as shock sets in before I pick up my phone.
Olivia
Holy shit. I just quit my job.
Serena
Are you sure?
Olivia
Pretty sure.
Serena
Are you okay?
Olivia
Maybe not.
Serena
I’ll be there in forty-five minutes.
I feel him before I see him.
The same warm wave of awareness blankets my skin before a carton of ice cream is set on the table next to my MacBook. “Hey, beautiful. How was your day?”
I tug my sweater tighter as the adrenaline pumping through me subsides, and I realize for the first time in my entire adult life I don’t have a job. “Umm . . . well, I quit my job.”
“What?” Logan looks at me like he must have heard me wrong.
I rise from the table and turn to face him, suddenly nervous again. Only this time, I’m not even sure why. “I quit.” The words are weak as they fall from my lips, and fear fights with relief as they both build in my chest. “Holy shit. I quit my job.”
“Jesus, Liv. What the hell happened?” He cups my face in his hands, searching my eyes. Concern shining back. “I thought you were close to being made partner.”
“I’m not sure they were ever going to make me partner.
I feel like that was the leash they used to control me.
But the joke was on them. I can’t be controlled.
Not anymore.” My lips tremble as I breathe through the fear.
“I’m so tired of chasing the carrot. Tired of representing people I detest. I want to work for myself. My terms. My clients. My own firm.”
“Did they do something to set you off?” Worry furrows his brow. “Do I have to kick someone’s ass?”
“No . . .” My shoulders relax, and I blow out a long, slow breath. “I’ve known this was coming for a while. I have a few ideas about my next moves. I spoke to my mom earlier in the week, and Serena—”
He drops my face and steps back.
“Logan . . .”
Any joking is gone when he looks at me this time. It’s been replaced by anger. “You knew you were doing this and didn’t think to mention it to me? What the hell, Liv? You talked to your mom and Serena but not me? Glad to know where I fall in rank.”
“What the hell?” I take a step back, as if physically slapped by those words. “I don’t understand. Are you mad?”