Page 89 of The Law of Attraction
“Yeah, sure. Come in.” She sat up straight.
Olivia came into the room in a weird slither and pulled a box with a bow on it from behind her back.
“What’s that?”
“A gift for you.” She held it out for Whitney to take. “It just arrived.”
“For me? It’s beautiful. Who is it from?” The shiny flat box had a luxurious bow on top. A wide ribbon in a soft turquoise made a feminine looped bow, with perfectly scissored Vs at each trailing end. She ran her fingers across the glossy box top.
“Open the card and find out.” Olivia placed the box on her desk.
“Think Dad might have left a ticket for me for the awards banquet tonight?”
“I wouldn’t get my heart set on that.” Olivia pursed her lips.
Whitney knew that was wishful thinking.
“The box was sitting on my desk when I got back from the post office,” Olivia said.
“That’s odd.” She touched the ribbon again on the box. “It’s almost too pretty to unwrap. Are you sure you didn’t do this?”
“Positive. I’m more of a gift bag girl. You know that. It’s nice timing, though. I know you’re upset.” She sat in the chair across from Whitney. “Everything is going to be better than ever soon. You know that, right?”
She managed a grin.
“Whitney, change is never easy, and this whole mess, well, I believe it’s just readying us for some priority shifting. Not you. All of us. You, Carina, and me too. We need to trust this is going to clear a path to what we should be focusing on. And we’ll all be in it together, whatever that is.”
“That’s very philosophical.”
“I know. It came out kind of preachy, but…” Olivia crossed her legs. “I didn’t mean for it to. I’ve been feeling some of those things too. You’re not alone here. One thing I know is we have to trust the journey in whatever direction it takes us. We can’t fight the current, and I think that’s what we’ve been doing—trying to force acceptance of family law into a practice that had forced it out long ago. Maybe that’s why things have gotten so messy.”
Whitney toyed with the pretty ribbon. “I don’t understand the social media thing and how it can grow into this big thing overnight. It would be different if it were positive.”
“It’s notthatnegative. It’s silly and unprofessional, but I think you’re mostly upset about how your dad is feeling about it more than the actual videos. You didn’t bring this on, and you can’t control your dad’s response.”
“He’s my dad. I hate disappointing him. I need his approval.”
“But do you really? You are a brilliant businesswoman. You’re at the top of your game. What you need is what pulls you toward your joy.”
“I don’t think I really knew what that was until recently.”
Olivia stood there for a long moment. “I think you do now. You might just be afraid to face it. Enough philosophizing. Open your present.”
Whitney looked up at her. “This really isn’t from you, is it?”
“No. It’s not. I wish I’d thought to get you something now, though. There wasn’t a card, just your name written on the wrapping paper, just like you see it. I’m dying to know what’s inside.”
The silver swirlingWhandwritten on the paper was so elegant the way it tailed off from the thick loop into a tiny wisp at each end of the letter. It almost looked as if it were part of the printed paper, but she knew it wasn’t.
With one tug, the ribbon slipped from the box. She lifted the shiny white top, revealing pretty silver, polka-dotted tissue paper.
“Someone went to a lot of trouble,” Olivia commented.
Whitney pulled the tissue back; it crinkled beneath her fingertips as she peeked inside. “Oh my goodness.”
“What is it?” Olivia asked.
She sat there staring into the beautiful colors, knowing immediately what it was. A silver frame reflected brilliant colors back at her.
