Page 14 of Heart Like Yours
“There were so many times I thought about calling it quits and coming back to Vermont. At least you were there. But back then I thought you were happy with Cam and didn’t want to crash that. And we both know my dad wouldn’t have given me a warm welcome.”
“I didn’t know you went through any of that,” she whispers and I wince when I catch sight of the tears lingering in my friend’s eyes.
“I didn’t want you to. I felt like I was flailing to keep myself afloat, but I was stubborn enough to think I couldn’t ask for help.” A smile finally tugs at my lips. “And then Garrett asked me to plan the first team outing and suggested that we get some lawn tickets for a concert. Everyone had a blast and I finally had fun. The team felt closer and after that, Garrett just kept finding things for us to do. Even when work started getting busier, he would stay late with me and do whatever he could. His company some nights was more than enough. He might not know it, but he helped me finally start living.”
Lilly tightens her grip. “I’m glad you had him.”
“Everything in here,” I point my gaze to the folders and shake my head. “It’s so tempting. It’s the perfect amount of new, exciting, and terrifying. But I can’t help but wonder if I’m actually the right person for the job. I mean, what if I fuck it up completely and let him down? He did say that he consulted with a partner and had them look over my résumé, and they agreed I was the best option.”
“You know what we have to do then, right?”
I shake my head and the laugh that comes out is borderline hysterical.
“Lil, again, if I knew what to do, then I wouldn’t be here.”
My friend smiles, finally letting go of me, and jumps to her feet. She sets her can down on the coffee table before turning toward her bedroom.
“What are you doing?” I yell after her, but the only response I get is the sound of drawers opening and closing.
After another minute of rummaging, Lilly comes back with two legal notepads and colored pens. A giddy grin is stretched across her face as she practically skips back to me.
“It means, we get to make a pros and cons list.” She drops one of the pads in my lap, barely giving me any warning to move my glass. As she sits back down, she puts the pens between us. “You’re in charge of writing out the pros list and I will take the cons. That way, if you say anything that’s a con but it’s actually just you doubting or being overly harsh on yourself, then I get to be the voice of reason and tell you that you’re wrong and to go to the next thing.”
“Sometimes I think you’re like my fairy godmother for positivity.” I laugh, setting my glass down, and grabbing the bright pink pen. Lilly beams at me, reaching down to take one of the blue ones.
“Being your hype girl is one of my favorite things to do. However, glass slippers are outside of my job description. That sounds like something your boss would love to give you, though.”
I snort. “Please, we both know I don’t need any glass slippers…flip-flops are so much more practical.”
“They really are!” Lilly laughs while resting her notepad on her knee. “All right, let’s go over everything in there so that I have all the information.”
By the time we’ve drained an entire bottle of wine, finished the pizza, and had more ice cream than we should have, one of the pads has three full pages while the other barely fills out one.
I drop my pad beside Lilly’s on the coffee table.
“Well, there’s my answer,” I say, staring at the glaringly obvious answer.
Lilly nudges her shoulder against mine and grins. “Told ya so.”
Despite all my doubts and fears, thanks to my friend being my voice of reason and thwarting anything that was my own insecurity, the answer is clear.
I’m going to say yes.
GARRETT
“Sir?” someone says and it’s only then that I notice how silent my office is, despite the three other people sitting around me.
Shit.
This is the third time during this meeting alone that I have completely zoned out. That’s not counting the two calls before this that I struggled to focus on as well. It’s a good thing that I always make sure to have my assistant present to take notes during business calls and meetings. Something I’ve never needed to rely on as heavily as I will today or until I get my head on straight.
Which is something I don’t expect to happen until Paige gives me her answer.
It took all my self-control not to message her over the weekend asking if she’s made up her mind. To give her the space she rightfully deserves while making a life-changing decision.
Part of me had hoped she’d just say yes without hesitating simply because it was me asking. But even with the slight disappointment at not having her answer just yet, I can’t ignore the pride that tugs in my chest. She’s thinking this through, making sure that saying yes is the right choice for her, and Irespect that. If anything, it solidifies that she really is made for this job.
Paige doesn’t make decisions based on emotion. That much I’ve known for a long time now. If she says yes, it won’t be because of me.