Page 62 of No Place Like You

Elaine and I both lift our heads to Kyle Viotto standing at the head of the table, his fists pounded into the hard surface and a deep scowl of anger on his face. He has a tablet screen angled in our direction with the emerald high back chair I was just talking about.

“I did,” I answer sheepishly. “I placed it this morning before I knew about the change in the shoot. I can order something else to fit the?—”

“This doesn’t work with the original design, regardless if the wrong looks were sent,” he says harshly. He doesn’t yell at me. Instead, his stern voice is unwavering, almost void of emotion, and that makes it all the more intense. “This is why we had that two-hour-long meeting about the brand’s vision. Were you even paying attention?”

“Y-yes, I was,” I stutter. “I’m sorry, Ky?—”

“If you don’t think you can work with the styles we have lined up for the shoot, then you need to reconsider whether or not you’re the right person to be ordering props,” he says, cutting me off. “There’s a very specific vision that’s a part of this entire campaign, and I need all of the staff, including the interns, to understand that. If you don’t think you can, then you shouldn’t be here.”

I shouldn’t be here.

“I’m sorry,” I say again, tucking my head down.

Kyle turns to Ryan, who’s been standing by Kyle’s side the entire time. “I need to hold a staff meeting in an hour.”

His voice trails off as he and Ryan walk away, leaving me and Elaine completely dumbfounded.

“Are you okay?” Elaine says softly, ducking her head.

I shake my head. “Yeah,” I whisper, my body language the furthestthing from okay.

She looks at me in my current state, breathing shallowed breaths with a dazed look of complete disbelief. “Lucy,” she calls in a reassuring voice. “It’ll be fine. We can start looking for new props. I can help?—”

“I need some air,” I interrupt.

I think I hear Elaine call after me, but I’m not sure. I can’t really hear anything over the loud thundering in my ear, chanting,You don’t belong here. You don’t belong here.

I barely make it out to the stairwell before the tears start flowing.

Every doubt, every validating proof that my place is back at home, steaming hot milk and grinding coffee beans, comes rushing back to me. What the hell am I doing? This is exactly what my mom was talking about. She knew it wouldn’t amount to anything. Just three months of me questioning my worth while working my ass off. She was right. I should’ve never left.

“Lucy?”

I hear my name echo off the stairwell walls just as the heavy metal door opens to the fourth floor. I quickly wipe my cheeks, sniffling back my runny nose before turning around. Elaine stops at the top steps and takes the empty spot next to me.

“Ryan wants to brief us before the meeting,” she says carefully.

I nod. “I’ll be right there.” I turn away and dab at my eyes using my shirt sleeve.

“Lucy,” she says, trying to get my attention. I look at her through blurry tears. “It’s a small bump in the road. I’ve had about four since our first day, and I think number five is about to happen at today’s meeting.”

I chuckle a little, a low, watery laugh that slips through the crack in my voice. “The makeup blunder on the model wasn’t your fault.”

“And neither was this prop issue.”

My chin starts to tremble, and I clamp my teeth on my lower lip to stop it.

“We’re still learning. And all of us have come a long way.” She pauses to rub my back, her soothing hand moving between my shoulder blades. This causes a fresh wave of tears and a tight constriction to form in my throat. “Come on. Let’s hope Kyle doesn’t keep giving us that disappointed parent look for the rest of the day.”

“You mean the one that makes me feel like I should be grounded for a month and have my phone privileges taken away?”

“That’s the one.”

29

Dexter

I’m rushingfrom the subway station to Janet’s apartment, zigzagging through the sidewalks, narrowly sidestepping a couple arguing about where they should’ve met two hours ago. I’m rushing because I just got off the phone with Charles after he told me Janet is already at home. Not still at the hospital, where I was supposed to meet her and bring her home, but already settled in at the apartment she and Charles share.

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