Page 3 of The Boardroom: Cassidy
I sat down carefully on her couch, Maggie curled in my lap, as Sabryna uncorked a bottle of red wine that had been sitting on the counter and began to pour. She was in an expensive looking pink silk bathrobe with flowers embroidered on it, and a book lay open on the coffee table. I hoped I wasn’t interrupting her relaxation time after what was probably a grueling day at the Torver Corporation office.
“Drink, talk.” Sabryna commanded, handing me a glass, and I sipped it down gratefully. One of the wonderful things about Sabryna was that she always sensed what you needed, whether it was a glass of wine and space to confess for me, or a glass of brandy and new pens for Johnathan Torver. I sighed and began.
“Well,” I said. “I started driving here at four this morning, and I…” I took another gulp of wine. “…and I don’t really know why.”
Sabryna looked at me skeptically, and it struck me that she could have made a brilliant therapist. “You know why.”
I bit my lip and looked down. “I think I’m having doubts…about Ben. And about the wedding.”
“Ah…” Sabryna said. “What kind of doubts?”
The specificity of her question alarmed me. “To be honest, Sabryna…I don’t really know. Ben is perfect. He really is. He’s always been so kind and supportive of me, always, but—”
“Sometimes,” Sabryna said, resting her feet on the ottoman. “It’s not about what’s wrong, it’s about what isn’t right.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“I don’t mean to interfere too much, and don’t take this the wrong way,” Sabryna said. “But you haven’t dated all that much, and you’re still young. Heck, last time I heard, you were still a virgin. There’s a big world out there filled with all sorts of different men, and maybe you need to…I don’t know, sow your wild oats a bit before you settle down.”
“Goodness,” I said, giggling.
“I’m serious!” Sabryna said. “I only met Ben once, when I visited you last summer, and he was just a bit…bland, you know? He didn’t challenge you, he didn’t make you better. There was no…spark.”
I sat back in a bit of a trance, shocked from her honesty.
“I’m sorry,” Sabryna said, shaking her head. “I’ve said too much.”
“No, no, you’re right,” I said, feeling the weight of all she said solidify in my brain. “I do think I ran because of a sort of…lack of something.”
“Hm…” Sabryna said.
“I’m being silly,” I said, suddenly getting up to pace around the room. “I need to go back. I need to marry him.”
“Okay, no, no, no,” Sabryna said, getting up to follow me. “You marry Ben because youwantto, not because you have to.”
“But don’t you see?” I said, wringing my hands together. “Idohave to! Ben’s been so good to me, and I may never find a man who’s that nice to me again, and everyone back home is excited for the wedding, and I—”
“Okay, absolutely not, Eliza,” Sabryna said, practically pulling me onto the couch with her. “You don’t owe that man shit. You understand me? You don’t marry a man just because he’s nice and treats you with respect.Everyoneshould be nice and treat you with respect. Nice is not your bare minimum. You don’t marry someone unless they make your heart race like nobody else. Okay?”
I stared back at Sabryna, breathless. “Okay,” I muttered, but I was only just getting used to the idea.
“I’m getting you some more wine,” Sabryna said, and walked back into the kitchen to fetch the bottle.
