Page 88 of My Office Rival

He toasted my departure.

Toasted me when I wanted someone to beg me not to go, to offer to come with me, even though he was terrified. I wanted him to offer to wrestle his demons for me, to be brave for me, to fight for me.

Margo

Toasted you? I will kill him

Cynthia

I need to forget about him. I’m accepting the job offer tomorrow.

Margo

I’m excited for you!

Also, I want to be there when you give notice so I can see Gerald’s face

I smirked at that. It was going to feel really good to get out of there. Now that I had decided to leave, I felt free. And I ignored the part of my brain that reminded me of Jason’s part in encouraging me to take this job.

As I got ready for bed, I saw him texting me. Three little dots. They came and went, until they disappeared completely.Coward.

I had seen the man behind the mask for a few glorious weeks, and now, we would go back to being colleagues, opposing counsel, nothing more.

55

CYNTHIA

Ipaced my office while I waited for Devon’s phone to ring.Pick up, idiot.He was probably surfing or something. I needed this pep talk before I walked into the dragon’s den.

“Hey, sis,” he finally answered.

“Hey, loser,” I responded with affection. “How’s the LA life?”

“It’s great. I met someone last night,” he replied, and I smiled. “I can picture you rolling your eyes right now, but I think she’s the one.”

Devon “met the one” every week, but couldn’t keep a relationship to save his life. He loved love. My chest ached. I’d loved it too, for a few glorious weeks.

“I think I’m going to quit my job, and I need a pep talk.” I whispered the words so no one could overhear. He was silent for a several seconds. “Dev, did I shock you into an early grave?”

“Yes,” he sputtered. “Youare going to quit? You like,love, working. It’s your favorite thing.”

“I do not. Just because we do different types of work.” I was miffed at his perception of me. “I’ll have you know I’m relaxed by law firm standards.”

“I know, I know. I just mean, damn.” He loosed a sigh. “You’re obsessed with winning. So you’re going to another firm, I assume?”

He sounded resigned, so it was with pleasure that I said, “Nope. I’m going to a temporary role in Texas to do immigration defense. I’ve wanted to do this forever.” I hadn’t confessed my secret dream to anyone but Margo. And now, Jason.Don’t think about him.

“Wow. So if you’ve wanted to do this, why do you need the pep talk?”

“Because I’ll be just like everyone else, Dev. Just like Mom and Dad. I know it sounds bad.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Right now, I live in another world. People listen when I speak. I’m important. Powerful people—powerful men—follow my advice without question. I have money to insulate me from difficulties people deal with. If Mom and Dad or you have issues, I can solve them. I won’t be able to do that anymore.” I paused. Was I seeking his blessing for this decision? I guess I was.

“Sis, you know none of us care if you can do that for us. We’ll still love you. Yeah, it’s nice and I appreciate the hell out of how generous you are, but you should be happy. And maybe a life with fewer creature comforts and less status would still bring you more happiness than mortgaging your soul.”

“Are you sure?” I whispered.

“Yes,” he replied with conviction. “Get the hell out of there and don’t look back. Look forward.”

My heart racedand my hands shook slightly as I pushed open the door to Gerald’s office.You got this.Don’t look scared.

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