Page 83 of That Next Moment
I rolled my eyes. “First of all, I’ve worked there three weeks, and they've had one conference room meeting, and I wasn’t invited. Second, you know I haven't seenThe Office.”
“But you knew who Michael Scott was.”
I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, getting the reaction I hoped it would. A soft smile on her face, and her eyes starting to get glossy. “Only because of you and Madeline. All the memes.”
She laughed. “I’ll make a note to send you more, but really, how is it? Do you love it? Is it helping?”
“Of course it’s helping. I’ve already been able to pay Milo something in rent, and I was able to buy the food tonight, no credit card from Milo needed. And yes, I love working with numbers again. I know numbers. They make sense and have a definite answer.”
Ophelia’s small voice filled the air. “Compared to what?” she asked, a smidge of hesitation lingering.
“Well, for instance.” I put my fork down and leaned forward. “I got an email today. . .” I grabbed my wine glass, lifting it to my lips before finishing. “From my lawyer.”
Instantly, her eyes went wide. “What did it say?”
“An old co-worker, Brian Walker”—she nodded along, following my words—“he was charged today, confessed to everything, and I may have shot for an appeal and a clear record. Everything could just be. . .” I waved my hand in front of the table. “Erased.”
Ophelia’s jaw dropped, and her shoulders hunched. Her eyes, if possible, went wider. “Erased,” she said, shooting herself back upright. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” I pinched my brow. “I think.”
“Clay. . .” she stumbled. “Clay, that’s amazing. That’s something you lead with. That deserves more than a chicken dinner and a glass of wine. We need to celebrate.”
I chuckled. “You didn’t like the last time I picked our celebration tactic, so I thought this would be better. Plus, we had already planned this before I got the email.”
“Okay, that's true. I wasn’t totally on board for bungee jumping, but next time we go, it’s on me, and it will be a way to celebrate.”
“Next time? You said there wouldn’t be a next time,” I said, a hopeful sound to my voice that Ophelia didn’t even acknowledge. She just kept talking, which made me smile.
“But, Clay, this is huge. Imagine getting all that money back, being able to get your apartment back in Seattle. Registering the Tesla and being able to keep Tessainsured and charged. Imagine all the things you lost just coming back to you.”
“Well, yeah.” I shifted in my seat. My mind had been buzzing all afternoon. Did I even want to appeal? Did it even really matter? At this point, I had gone through so many downs, feeling as if I was at rock bottom. But now I just felt as if I was moving forward in the right direction. There was that small possibility that going for an appeal would cause all ofthisto go away. “But what if I don't want that anymore?” I asked, my voice raspy from the wine.
Ophelia furrowed her brow for a second and looked around the kitchen, as if the answer to my question would be dangling on the surrounding walls.
“Why wouldn’t you?” she finally asked.
“What if I like what I have now.” I grabbed her hand and laced my fingers through hers. “What if I don’t want to lose what I had gained from losing it all?”
Ophelia’s eyes were focused on our hands, her thumb rubbing my knuckles. She rubbed her lips together, and I could see she had no idea as to how to respond. The only thing I truly gained was her. I never wanted to lose her again.
“I think I need to sit on it, really decide if I want to go through that or just take the clear name, not worrying about the hefty price tag that came with it. I really like where I’m going, and I don’t need to go in reverse. I have a great job, one that can lead to more, possibly my own company someday. And I have my family and friends, people I would only see once or twice a year before going back to my empty apartment. And I have you.”
Her dark eyes fluttered up, meeting mine.
“I really,reallylike where I am headed.”
“It seems to me,” she muttered, her forehead resting against mine. “That you may have already made up your mind. That you don’t need to think about it anymore.”
I cupped her face and kissed her. She was absolutely, without doubt, right. I didn’t need to think. I already had my answer right in front of me.
Chapter Thirty-Two
-Ophelia-
When Clay walked me to the rental car, giving me a lingering kiss before closing the door, waving goodbye as I drove out of sight, everything seemed perfect. So why, when I was close to Madeline’s house, did I pull off on the side of the road and start to cry?
The only other time I can vividly remember feeling this way was on my way to the airport, moving to New York for the first time. Madeline drove me, and I was tough on the outside, giving her the smile I knew she needed to see that I was going to be okay. But once I got in that terminal, I hid in the bathroom and cried over my heartache. I allowed every emotion to come pouring out into that stall, and then I locked them up, never letting anyone see them ever again. It’s what helped me become who I am now, the strong and independent fashion designer who just landed her dream. If I had cried my way through those first few years in New York, when my heart hurt the most, I never would have made it here.