Page 84 of Strictly Business
“We’ll pretend that’s true,” she scoffs. “You expect me to believe you’re happily going back to David because of a stupid misunderstanding with Finn? That doesn’t make sense!”
“Y’all keep telling me I need to grow up, right?” Everyone, including Nina, has been telling me I need to grow up. Consistently late to work? Grow up. Hiding things from everyone about my personal life? Grow up. Sneaking around with my brother’s best friend? Grow up. Everything led back to one thing… I needed to grow up. Running into David seemed like fate working its magic when I was trying to decide what growing up looked like. “That’s what I’m doing. For better or worse, Nina — that’s what David and I promised each other, and the adult thing would be to honor that. This thing with Finn has been—”
“He left you, Michaela!” There’s a small silence after her outburst, and Nina takes it to recenter herself. She takes a deep breath and continues in a quieter tone, “David left you, and he’s been a total dick since. Now he wants to come crawling back, and for what? What is he getting out of this?”
“It’s not like that, he…”
“No?”
“…missed me. Being apart made him realize he was wrong.”
Nina scoffs. “And somehow, you’re back in the same impossible situation as before, except this time, you’re going to do whatever he wants — example, moving to Washington.”
“Being there is the only way this is going to work.”
“Oh, stronzata!” I swear her entire body goes into the eye roll. “That’s bullshit, Michaela, and you know it. You’ve worked your ass off to get where you are. Even if you leave the company, you could get a job anywhere.”
“That includes Washington.”
“Are you going to get a job in Washington?” The question hangs between us. “All it takes is one phone call, and you’ll have a job tomorrow.”
“I don’t need you to do that.”
“But I would.” Nina touches my hand gently. “Michaela, what are you going to do in Washington?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure something out.”
Nina scoffs and licks her lips. “Why do you have to make all the sacrifices for this relationship to work?”
“He’s making sacrifices, too.”
“Name one.”
My fingers instinctively reach for the metal heart dangling from my neck. What is he sacrificing? I can’t think of one thing. I’m selling the condo. Leaving my job. Leaving my friends. Packing up everything and moving to D.C. I’m doing all of it with the knowledge that my life is about to do a complete one-eighty because that’s what he wants. What he’s always wanted. If this marriage is going to work, Washington is where I have to be. Short term pain for long-term gain. Once the dust settles, I’ll start looking for a job, there has to be something out there that I can do.
“Exactly.” Nina reaches for her phone. I hadn’t even realized it had been vibrating between us. She checks the name and contemplates answering before double-clicking the side button setting it upside down. “Look, if you want to throw away everything you’ve worked for to be with someone ready to throw you away like a doll he was tired of playing with, be my guest. Don’t expect the rest of us to be happy about it.”
“I can’t just walk away, Nina.”
“Two weeks ago, you were on the road to divorce. You were dating Finn. Finn Sheffield. A man who doesn’t open up to anyone. Who helped you grow out of the rut you’ve been stuck in. Now, you want me to believe you’re going to live happily ever after with the man who put you there? Who has been treating you like shit for the last five months! Over a fucking engagement ring and selling your condo.”
“He’s my husband,” I sigh unable to look her in the eye. “You should understand what that means.”
She swirls the red liquid in her glass, “David is no better than Brina.”
“Oh, please. That’s a little unfair, don’t you think?” It was unfair. David didn’t cheat on me. He didn’t date any of my exes. He wasn’t a terrible person, he just liked things a certain way. There’s nothing wrong with that. Nina likes things a certain way, too.
“Did you know he was dating someone else, too? Someone named Karina Miller.”
Of course, he’d run back to her. Karina was his high school sweetheart, the girl he always went back to when things didn’t work out with any of his other girlfriends. She’s the girl his mother wanted him to marry. It doesn’t surprise me he’d run back to her. I pinch the bridge of my nose, “Nina, for the love of God, Please tell me you didn’t have him investigated.”
“Something seemed off.” Nina shrugs nonchalantly. Of course, she doesn’t see an issue with it. She never does. “Michaela, they’ve been together practically since the day the divorce was filed. Don’t you find it a little weird he was dating someone else until he asked you to get back together?”
Yes.
“No.”
Nina shakes her head, “You’re smarter than that, Mic.