Page 69 of Tomorrow Belongs to Us
“If there's anyone who should feel bad, it's me. Knowing what you've suffered and what you went through, I hate that I did that to you. Now that I know what really happened, that you didn't go to college, that you failed your exams and you didn't get your scholarship, I hate that you went through this alone. I hate that I couldn't be there for you. I hate that I didn't reach out.”
She lets out a sigh. “Life conspires against us. Maybe that's how it was meant to be. I'm sorry your sister was in that accident. I'm sorry your niece lost her mother. I'm sorry your whole life was derailed and I'm sorry mine was, too.” She looks at me with understanding in her eyes.
“How are things at work?” I ask her, wanting to talk about something else. Something safe and uncomplicated.
She sighs. “Preston takes over next month.”
“You'll be working for him?”
She appears to consider this, before answering with a “Yes ... no. I'm looking for another job.”
“It's a shame you have to move.” I don’t want her to, and she shouldn't have to, but I completely understand why she feels the need to. “It's a shame when the company doesn't value you, but when one door closes, it's a stepping stone to somewhere else.”
She gives me a look which I can't decipher. “I'm looking out of state.”
“Out of state?” It’s like a punch to my gut. I don't want her to go. I like the idea of her being close by. I like that we have come full circle and have met up again. All I want is for her to be happy, but there's still a sadness in her eyes. She's told me that her mother is okay now, and that her family is fine, but some wounds never fully heal. The scab might have gone, but the scar remains.
“I want a new start.”
I was hoping we could try again and have a new start together, but she’s not thinking about that. “You wanted to see me,” I prompt, hoping to discover what this meeting is about.
She nibbles the corner of her lower lip. “I don't know how to ask.” Her mask slips and she's no longer poised.
“Just say it.”
“I need to ask you for a favor.”
“Anything,” I say quickly, relieved to finally be of service.
“You don't know what the favor is,” she points out.
I lean forward and hold our gazes. “Then tell me.”
“Are you free next weekend?”
For her, I will be. “Yes.”
“I need you to be my fake date for an event my company is holding. I really don’t want to go this year but that would make me look weak and sulky about the promotion.” She speaks quickly, as if she can't get the words out fast enough.
“Aren't you sulking?” I play devil's advocate.
“I have every right to be, but I don't want to leave the company by quietly tiptoeing away.”
“You want to hold your head up high.”
“I just need you to get Preston off my back.”
My gut involuntarily flinches. “Is he making moves on you?”
“When isn’t he?”
She rolls her eyes in a way that confirms my suspicions. My muscles tighten. I don’t want that slimy rat anywhere near Megan.
“He thinks I like him because I kissed him once.”
I try not to react. “I don’t blame him.”
“I'd had a bit too much to drink.”
