Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Whitney couldn’t shake the dull ache in her chest knowing the rest of the family was headed to Arlington for the awards ceremony, and she wouldn’t be with them. It was a big deal to earn the National Licensing Law Firm award.
She was sad that she’d miss the event.
Concentrating on work was nearly impossible. She slogged along at a snail’s pace.
Later that afternoon, William texted pictures from the luncheon.
It looked like the typical pretentious soiree, rubber chicken and all. Chocolate desserts with shimmering edible gold logos, that probably cost more than the meal, were at each place setting.
Her brother texted:
I’m totally bringing one of these home for you, even if I have to steal Grant’s!
Whitney sent a thumbs-up icon and pushed the phone aside, slouching back in her chair.
Olivia tapped at Whitney’s door. “You got a minute?”
“Yeah, sure. Come in.” She sat up straight.
Olivia came into the room in a weird slither and pulled a box with a bow on it from behind her back.
“What’s that?”
“A gift for you.” She held it out for Whitney to take. “It just arrived.”
“For me? It’s beautiful. Who is it from?” The shiny flat box had a luxurious bow on top. A wide ribbon in a soft turquoise made a feminine looped bow, with perfectly scissored Vs at each trailing end. She ran her fingers across the glossy box top.
“Open the card and find out.” Olivia placed the box on her desk.
“Think Dad might have left a ticket for me for the awards banquet tonight?”
“I wouldn’t get my heart set on that.” Olivia pursed her lips.
Whitney knew that was wishful thinking.
“The box was sitting on my desk when I got back from the post office,” Olivia said.
“That’s odd.” She touched the ribbon again on the box. “It’s almost too pretty to unwrap. Are you sure you didn’t do this?”
“Positive. I’m more of a gift bag girl. You know that. It’s nice timing, though. I know you’re upset.” She sat in the chair across from Whitney. “Everything is going to be better than ever soon. You know that, right?”
She managed a grin.
“Whitney, change is never easy, and this whole mess, well, I believe it’s just readying us for some priority shifting. Not you. All of us. You, Carina, and me too. We need to trust this is going to clear a path to what we should be focusing on. And we’ll all be in it together, whatever that is.”
“That’s very philosophical.”
“I know. It came out kind of preachy, but…” Olivia crossed her legs. “I didn’t mean for it to. I’ve been feeling some of those things too. You’re not alone here. One thing I know is we have to trust the journey in whatever direction it takes us. We can’t fight the current, and I think that’s what we’ve been doing—trying to force acceptance of family law into a practice that had forced it out long ago. Maybe that’s why things have gotten so messy.”
Whitney toyed with the pretty ribbon. “I don’t understand the social media thing and how it can grow into this big thing overnight. It would be different if it were positive.”
“It’s not that negative. It’s silly and unprofessional, but I think you’re mostly upset about how your dad is feeling about it more than the actual videos. You didn’t bring this on, and you can’t control your dad’s response.”
“He’s my dad. I hate disappointing him. I need his approval.”
“But do you really? You are a brilliant businesswoman. You’re at the top of your game. What you need is what pulls you toward your joy.”
“I don’t think I really knew what that was until recently.”
Olivia stood there for a long moment. “I think you do now. You might just be afraid to face it. Enough philosophizing. Open your present.”
Whitney looked up at her. “This really isn’t from you, is it?”
“No. It’s not. I wish I’d thought to get you something now, though. There wasn’t a card, just your name written on the wrapping paper, just like you see it. I’m dying to know what’s inside.”
The silver swirling W handwritten on the paper was so elegant the way it tailed off from the thick loop into a tiny wisp at each end of the letter. It almost looked as if it were part of the printed paper, but she knew it wasn’t.
With one tug, the ribbon slipped from the box. She lifted the shiny white top, revealing pretty silver, polka-dotted tissue paper.
“Someone went to a lot of trouble,” Olivia commented.
Whitney pulled the tissue back; it crinkled beneath her fingertips as she peeked inside. “Oh my goodness.”
“What is it?” Olivia asked.
She sat there staring into the beautiful colors, knowing immediately what it was. A silver frame reflected brilliant colors back at her.
A single touch confirmed it was a painting. The careful brushstrokes created a vivid nature scene. She didn’t have to look for a card.
The weighty silver frame had a delicate scrolling design etched along the edge. She lifted it from the box and set it on her bookshelf so Olivia could see it.
She whispered a wow and moved closer.
“It’s the rendering of the mural Matthew designed for Chloe’s nursery for her birthday,” Whitney said.
Olivia flashed her a glance. “That is awesome. Stunning. I’d like it in my room.”
Whitney’s heart fluttered. It was even more beautiful than the stained glass at Maymont.
His words replayed in her mind. It’s truly a work of art when something touches your very soul.
A tickling chill chased up her arms. “I know it hasn’t been long, but there’s something special there.”
“He must think so too.” Olivia looked like she was contemplating. “Maybe he’s part of this sea of change too.”
“I do feel different when I’m with him,” Whitney admitted. “Like I’m seeing things through his lens. Things so familiar now look different, even feel different. I hadn’t realized how little excitement was in my life before, and I’m liking this new pace.”
“Trust the tide,” Olivia said as she walked out of her office.
Whitney dialed Matthew, but the call went to voicemail, which was odd.
Excited to thank him, she put her things away and headed out to see if she could catch him at his place.
When she got to the block where he’d painted the mural, she noticed the group of young artists hanging out in front of it, getting their picture taken.
Whitney walked closer. “Hi, excuse me. I was looking for Matthew. Will he be here too?”
A girl used the back of her hand to push her bangs aside. “You missed him. We’re getting our picture for the paper. Cool, huh?”
“Very. Thanks.” Whitney wondered if he had a meeting. “This looks amazing. You all should be really proud of your work.”
“Matthew is awesome. We’ve all learned so much,” the girl said. “We hope he lets us work on something with him again.”
“Well, from the looks of this, you might even be ready for your own project. Keep up the good work.” Whitney turned to leave, texting Matthew a quick note that she was sorry she missed him, but he didn’t respond to that one either.
When she got back to the office, she stopped by Olivia’s desk to check for messages.
Olivia shook her head. “No messages. You okay?”
“Yeah. Sure. I wanted to thank Matthew. I thought maybe I missed his call.”
“No. I’ll be sure to let you know if he calls,” Olivia said.
Hours later, Whitney had procrastinated as long as she could, hoping Matthew would call or show up. Finally, she reboxed the painting and left the office to go home.
There was still no word back from Matthew. No message. No text. She didn’t want to continue to leave messages. There was something a little too needy about that, but it bugged her. They’d had the best time together. They’d even kissed. Had she said something wrong?
In her apartment she placed the painting on the table near the window. Sitting on the couch, she could get lost in the vivid colors and never tire of them.
It was getting close to nine, and although it had been years since her parents had given her a call curfew, in her mind she still considered it impolite to call after nine. So at 8:55 p.m., she dialed Matthew’s number one last time, hoping for the best.
This time, he picked up.
“Matthew? Hey, I’ve been trying to call you all day.” It was good to hear his voice. “I love the painting. I’m looking at it right now. It was such a beautiful surprise. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Glad you like it.”
“I do,” she said. “When did you sneak it in?”
“This morning.”
“Why didn’t you stop in and say something?” she asked. “I was right there.”
“Your door was closed, and Olivia was away from her desk.”
“You sound funny. Is everything okay?” She braced herself, not wanting one more thing to go wrong.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” Then silence. “No. It’s not okay. When I was there to drop off your gift, your friend, Roger, stopped me.”
Roger?“He’s just a colleague.”
“That isn’t exactly how he positioned it.” Matthew’s voice tightened. “According to Roger, there’s quite a history between you two. He said he’s practically family. I didn’t realize you were dating someone else.”
“Matthew, it’s not like that. I can explain.” How could Roger have done that? “Can I come over and talk to you?” she asked. “It has been a troubling day. Troubling couple of weeks, but you have been the best part of all of it. I have no idea if I’m doing the right thing about work, but I do know I’m doing the right thing with you.”
“You don’t really owe me an explanation. I mean, we just met, and you and Roger?—”
“I wasn’t being deceitful. Roger was my plus-one for work events, and yes, some family ones since he knows everyone, but it was never anything more than that.”
“It meant enough to him to approach me about it.” Matthew’s voice grew quiet.
She swallowed back her anger toward Roger at that moment. Calmly, she said, “I really don’t know why he did that.”
“You’ve got a lot on your plate. Let’s not get into this tonight. Things are moving fast, anyway. Let’s slow down a bit. Maybe talk in a couple of weeks. Okay?”
The answer caught in her throat. It wasn’t okay at all. “You really think that’s best?”
“Slowing down is probably a good idea.”
“Matthew, I promise I’ve been completely honest with you. I shared the most important and personal things with you, and you are the first person I’ve ever felt this close to. You’ve opened my eyes. My heart. Please believe me.”
She wasn’t sure if he didn’t believe her or was hurt, or angry. But she hated that it was her fault. “I love the painting.”
“I knew you would. We’ll talk soon. Okay?”
“Matthew, I love the painting,” she repeated. She closed her eyes. In her mind, she screamed, And I’m falling in love with you. But the words didn’t come out.
His silence frightened her.
She willed him to say something. To give her a chance.
“I’m glad. I’ve got to run,” he said. “I’ve got somewhere to be.”
He hung up and her heart felt as if it had been dropped. As angry as she was with Roger, she knew he wasn’t the problem.
With everything falling apart, the only thing she knew to do was to take control. She dialed the contact at the television station.
The producer told her they’d moved the slot from noon to the morning show, but they’d love to have her be a part of the segment.
“I’ll be there,” she said.
At least with the show being moved up, it was a lot less likely Mom and Dad would stumble upon it when they got home. Whitney took that as a good sign. She called and filled William in, not taking a chance on leaving him out of the loop again.
At midnight, Whitney woke from an exhausted sleep when William texted her a picture of her parents on a crowded dance floor, not looking like they planned to stop celebrating anytime soon.
WILLIAM: We won the award. Dad’s over the moon. They’ll sleep until noon with any luck. You’re clear for tomorrow.
WHITNEY: Thanks.
She set her alarm and put a cold washrag over her eyes to limit the swelling from the tears she’d cried.
She fell asleep, exhausted from the stress of the situation and heartbroken that things had gone sideways with Matthew.