Page 67 of If You Love Me

“I’m not sorry,” I said, crossing my arms.

“I know you aren’t. You shouldn’t have hit her here. There are cameras—”

“She had it coming.” I huffed as I smoothed my clothes out. “And I don’t wanna talk about her again. Now, I’m headed toCurated Realmto see about getting my job back. You head to work or wherever. I’ll see you when you drop Summer off.”

I opened the car door. Before I climbed in, I looked back at him.

“If you really want this family back, I need to see action behind that declaration, Tyrion.”

He nodded. “I can do that. I promise.”

I stared at him for a moment. “I love you too.”

He blushed and grinned as he backed away and rounded the driver’s side of his car. I closed my door and cranked up, praying that I was making the right decision in letting him work to get me back.

After leaving the school,I finally made my way over toCurated Realm. The little powwow with Iona had threatened to shift my mood, but I didn’t let it. I knew I was going to have to talk to Dr. Stewart about that shit because she was going to ask how things were going. Of course, she was going to frown upon my actions, and maybe I would feel bad about it later, but right now, I couldn’t care less.

I pulled into the parking lot and took a deep breath.

The place still looked the same. According to my research, it was still holding on to that award-winning title, and that made me proud. I’d planned to call before I just showed up, but I talked myself out of it multiple times. The truth was, I was a little nervous to come here. This was my first and only job right out of college. I loved it so much that I wasn’t sure I’d want to do anything else if they didn’t take me back.

I mean, I guessed I could always think about opening my own business, but I didn’t think I was ready for that. This had been home. Lacey Tommin, my old boss, was the best in the business. She’d been in the game for over twenty years. Before she settled here and openedCurated Realm, her clientele ranged from actors to musicians, to sports superstars.

I’d watched her on reality shows, and once upon a time, she had her own show. As a teenager, I dreamed of working for her, and when I finally got the chance, I soaked up every bit of knowledge I could from her. It started with an internship in high school. She saw my passion and told me I had a lot of potential. When I told her I was going to school for interior design, she told me to come back when I graduated. I hadn’t expected her to remember me, but when I walked in with my degree, she interviewed me on the spot and gave me the job.

I’d only been here a few years before I was kidnapped, but I’d made a name for myself. Hopefully that meant enough to get me back in the swing of things. Climbing out of the car, I smoothed my hands over my outfit before closing the door and heading inside. As I walked in, I looked around the place, taking in the familiar air. Sitting up front was the receptionist I remembered as Jaclynn.

She looked up at me and smiled. When her smile faded, her eyes squinted, then widened.

“Oh my gosh! Evenie!” She jumped up from behind the desk and rushed around to hug me. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It’s really you!”

I smiled as I hugged her back. “It’s me.”

“Ms. Lacey!” she screamed.

So much for making a quiet entrance.

Ms. Lacey came strutting around the corner in all her fabulous glory.

“Jaclynn, this is a place of business. Why are you—Evenie!”

She screamed just as loud as Jaclynn as she ran over to hug me.

“Oh my God! You’re back! When? How? It’s so good to see you!”

She squeezed me tighter, damn near cutting off my air supply. I had to gasp when she released me.

“It’s good to see you too, Ms. Lacey,” I said, clutching my chest.

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I was too excited. Back to my question, though.”

“I’ve been home about a month. Slowly getting back into things.”

“How did you… maybe I shouldn’t ask. I don’t want you to relive that. The important thing is you’re home.” She cupped my face and gave me a tearful smile. “I can’t tell you how devastated we were when we heard the news. It felt like we lost part of the family. I’ve thought about you often.”

“Enough to give me my job back?” I asked hopefully.

She laughed. “Come to my office. Jaclynn, get back to work.”

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