Page 32 of This Baby Business
Yeah, right.
“And I bet he appreciates the fact that you were thinking outside the box,” Jill added helpfully.
“That’s the thing. I didn’t think. I just went along with her mistake because it seemed easiest. Just like in New York, I always had the small ideas. Nothing wild and innovative. Just…derivative stuff.” Hence the big fail in the Big Apple.
I couldn’t take the stress. All the posturing and illusion. As soon as I sold RockYourBaby I would never exaggerate again.
I still didn’t know what I’d do after selling my mother’s company, and held no small amount of envy that both Jill and Zoey knew exactly what they wanted out of their lives. What’s more, they were both firmly entrenched in pursuing their dreams. Reaching for it. But what did one do when plan A had been a bust? Where was plan B and how could I find it?
“My break’s over.” Jill, her Rise and Shine and Have a Drip apron now tied on, walked toward the counter, hips swinging.
“Obviously, I shouldn’t have been put in charge of RockYourBaby. But now that the blog post went viral, and the others are doing so well, we have our best chance to sell. What if I blow it before we can?”
“You won’t blow it. Believe in yourself.”
“You’re right. I’ve got this. It’s practically a done deal.”
“That’s right. How’s your dad doing?”
“Oh, you know. Not good.”
“That’s okay. He’ll get better.” Zoey patted my hand.
Yeah, and unicorns would fly.
“What are you going to do after you sell the company?”
Travel? Join the Peace Corps? Or go back to New York City the way my dad thought I should? Maybe it wasn’t too late to try again.
“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out, just as soon as I sell RockYourBaby. It’s got me a little…stuck.”
Even if I had a willing audience, I didn’t want to talk about all the humiliation I’d experienced, thanks to Alec. Reality had cold cocked me. Maybe I’d never fit into that world. A world in which a designer needed tough skin, because there were plenty of Alecs out there.
But I wasn’t sure I belonged here in Fortune, either. Maybe it was copping out to stick close to home where everything seemed easier. Manageable.
“You ever hear from that dude again?” Zoey asked, eyes narrowed.
“You mean my teacher? Alec?”
“Don’t know if you can still call him your teacher.” Zoey made air quotes.
Probably not, since I’d made the colossal mistake of sleeping with him. Once. Because I’d been lonely, and he’d been kind. Encouraging. He’d loved my designs, really likedme.I thought I’d liked him, too. He was tall, dark-haired and incredibly charismatic, if not classically handsome. Full of the energy of the city. And for a while, he’d convinced me I had something special to offer the world. My dyslexia had forced me to tap into my creative side. Surrounded by brothers who were academic overachievers for most of my life, it had finally been my time to shine. Be unique.
Zoey grabbed both of my hands. “What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“I know.”
I couldn’t blame myself for being young and making a mistake. But I’d never completed the program, and that was my doing, not Alec’s. I shouldn’t have let him change my plans. Or allow his hurtful words to decide my future.
“What do you want to do? Go back and finish your degree?” Zoey asked.
“Maybe.”
Finishing now would be one of the toughest things I’d ever had to do. Not doing so meant I’d let Alec have the final say. Sooner or later, maybe I’d be ready.
But not today.
CHAPTER14
