Page 40 of The Butterfly Effect
“It won’t be, and I’ll miss working with you… but damn, I’m so proud of you!” She jumped up and wrapped me in a hug, followed by Grant and Sasha.
I grabbed my bag from the desk. Without glancing back, I started to walk out of the building. I couldn’t help wonder if William watched me leave, but Sandra was clearly waiting for me in her doorway.
“You know, you’ll come crawling back. I’m willing to bet on it.”
“No, I won’t,” I said without looking at her or stopping to entertain her need to criticize me.
I hit the button for the elevator, feeling the stares of several coworkers on my back. Sandra would send an email, and I was sure she wouldn’t tell the real story. She’d say something about how I was an asset and would be missed, but really, she would make it clear I didn’t leave on good terms. As my dad would say, I burned a bridge, and I was already dreading having to tell him.
* * *
I wasn’t home for long before Katie and Andy barreled through the door, armed with wine and a bag of snacks. The melancholy look Katie had had on her face at the office was gone, replaced with a look of intense pride. Andy was practically dancing next to her. Neither of my friends looked concerned that I had quit my job and walked out today, and I was glad to know they weren’t going to try and talk me out of my decision.
“Finally! I’ve been so ready for this right here.” I grabbed one of the bottles from Andy and walked into the kitchen to open it. I was on edge. William had tried to call me when I drove home, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to talk to him, so I put my phone on silent, and I could use the liquid distraction to stop me from obsessing over it.
Andy set the bag of snacks on the coffee table before plopping into the seat she had dubbed as her spot a long time ago. “Okay, bitch, spill it. I need the details.”
I laughed, pouring wine into three glasses and walking back into the living room. “I just couldn’t do it anymore! You should’ve heard the shit she said to me. I can’t work for someone who so obviously can’t stand me.” I shrugged, handing a glass to Katie as she walked by and following her with the last two.
We sat in the living room with our wine, and I told them about every detail of my meeting with Sandra. They gaped at me, but Katie didn’t look shocked like Andy did. “She has treated you like that for a long time. It’s about time you stuck up for yourself.” Katie winked at me, lifting her glass to me and taking a drink.
“So, it’sjustbecause of Sandra?” Andy asked with a raised eyebrow.
I took a gulp of wine, followed quickly by another. “She was most of it, but it’s not like I could just stay and work with William after everything. I can’t look at his sexy ass and pretend there isn’t something more there, even if he doesn’t want it. I mean, you saw him today! He could hardly look at me, and now he won’t have to. Problem solved.”
“Well, here’s to him realizing what he’s missing,” Katie said, raising her glass and tapping it against mine and Andy’s. “If I’m being honest, I can’t wait to see his face when you don’t show up tomorrow.”
The thought of him possibly missing me made the butterflies in my stomach stir, and I took a swallow of the wine in hopes of settling them. I imagined the stony look of disappointment on his face when I didn’t come to work tomorrow, and I was glad Katie would be there to tell me if anything had happened. That was the one plus side to leaving my best friend behind.
“I don’t think he’s going to miss me. He made it pretty clear Saturday night he was done with me.” I cleared my throat before tossing a pretzel from the bag Andy opened into my mouth. “He was just a fling anyways, right? Someone like that doesn’tactuallyfall for someone like me. It’s okay, really.”
Neither of them looked very convinced by the smile I painted on my face, but they didn’t push the subject. Tonight was about celebrating my new, very sudden adventure. Really, if I didn’t stay positive, I was going to fall into an uncontrollable panic attack.
“I’m think I’m going to go on a trip,” I said quickly. “I don’t know where, but somewhere warm. I want a beach and good views. Will you help me?” As a travel agent, Andy knew all the best places to book a trip and the best deals.
“A trip? Are you sure?” She looked at me, confused, like she thought the wine was going to my head.
“Yes! I just want to get away for a few days or so. You know, clear my head, take a break. It’s something I can do for myself.”
Andy shrugged, probably deciding it wasn’t worth fighting me on it. “You have your passport, right? What about St. Lucia? We could find you a good, all-inclusive option at a beautiful resort for the week.”
“Maybe we can go with you and make it a girls’ trip!” Katie cheered, topping off her glass of wine before moving to Andy’s. “I could so park my ass on the beach for a few days.”
I held out my glass for Katie and took a long sip before eating another pretzel. “You know I love you, but I think I really want to go alone. I’m going to spend five days somewhere amazing, with a cheesy romance novel in one hand and a strong drink in the other, and it’s going to be everything I need.”
Katie whined, hoping I’d change my mind but not insisting. She’d disappeared to France by herself for a month after college, so she knew how therapeutic solo travel was.
As we drank our wine and zoned in on the reality TV we had put on as background noise, Andy leaned across the couch and slid her phone into my hand. She had pulled up the website for one of the resorts in St. Lucia that she recommended. It had private pools off of the rooms, and the rooms opened up to a view of the mountains past the beach. Some had porch swings above the pools, and I pictured myself sitting on one with a book in my hands.
“I want to go there,” I said.
The phone rang onceand then switched to voicemail. “You’ve reached Jules. Sorry I can’t answer the phone right now, but you know the drill. Leave me a message, and I’ll call you back!” I hung up.
It had been three days since she walked out of the office with all of her things, and she’d ignored my calls since then. Half of me expected her to walk into work the next day as if nothing had happened, but Sandra was giddy when she told me about her supposed tantrum and the way she’d quit on the spot. She was too happy about the news for it to be the whole truth, but Julianna clearly had no interest in telling me her side of the story. Realistically, her fight with Sandra was just a convenient excuse. She’d quit because of me.
Frustration swelled in me, a stubborn unwillingness not allowing me to accept she just wanted space. The woman was going to get on my last nerve, but I had to talk to her. It was my only chance to convince her not to quit, if not for me, then for DMI. She was one of the best I’ve seen, and it was a definite loss not to have her on our newest account. But as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I wanted her at DMI because I wanted to see her face every day. The way she motivated her team and the others around her was unlike anyone else, and her pure energy was infectious.
I let out a heavy sigh and got out of my car. If she wasn’t going to answer my calls, she would have to deal with me at her door. Her car was parked in front of the building, and the light in her window was on, but when I knocked on the hollow wood door, she didn’t open it.
