Page 54 of Somewhere Along The Line
“You don’thaveto do anything if you don’t want to. It’s only been a couple of weeks. You could let the relationship continue to play out organically and try to temper the anxiety that says you need an answer now.”
That is a terrible plan. Absolutely awful.
“Or you could tell him you’re falling for him for real and see if he reciprocates.”
I like this plan even less.
“Or,” I interject, “I could call the whole thing off and go back to being a focused person who has her shit together.”
Sami gives a hearty laugh, rumbling out from somewhere deep in her chest. Whatever she’s about to say will be true.
“Piper, the day you met this guy you were only wearing one shoe. You have never been a focused person who routinely has her shit together andthat’s okay. Your people love you despite thatandbecause of it.”
She pulls me in for a side hug, and I lean my head against hers with a sigh.
“You don’t have to decide what to do this second or this month,” Sami says softly. “If you need to take a step back, you can do that while you figure out what you want.”
She straightens and clears her throat, putting on an air of authority before she continues. “And if you want to bail, I’ll happily be your escort while you do it.”
The image of Sami dressed in head-to-toe black with a stern expression appears in my mind, making me grin.
“Thank you, Sam. I think I’ll sleep on it. The whole day has been tiring, and some of this anxiety is probably left over from the event. You always know how to keep me in line.”
I steal her champagne and finish it off before sliding the glass to the coffee table.
“Stealing the rest of my drink is a heck of a way to say thank you!”
Our giggles fill the room, and I feel ten times lighter than I did when I walked in. Sami reaches for the remote, and we settle into our usual Saturday night routine, spending forty minutes debating which movie to watch before deciding onTitanic.
My phone buzzes with an email from my boss, stealing my attention away from Leo. I open the message with trembling fingers. My relationship with her has been tense since I fumbled the meeting with Mr. Cargill the morning after my night with James.
Sherry Adkerson, Executive Director, Hope First: Piper—just a quick note to congratulate you on an excellent event. We needed the fundraiser to overperform, given the loss of the funds we had expected from Mr. Cargill, and we certainly made up the difference.
Great work tonight. Loved seeing what you’re capable of; can’t wait to see more.
Once I’m able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I let the compliment settle into my bones. Maybe the promotionisn’toff the table? Maybe itcouldbe possible to see where things go with James and not entirely ruin my life and career?
A thread of hope weaves around my heart, but my anxiety knows not to trust it. This entire night has been a whirlwind. It’s going to take a few days to wrap my head around all of it.
Sombreros is not whereI want to be right now but then again, it never is. And yet I’m here, listening to Kyle talk about the game this weekend, the bet he plans to win, and his ideas for the prize money.
I smile and nod, waiting for my fajitas and wondering if Piper will text to ask why I missed the train this morning. With a father-son date in the suburbs after work, it made sense for me to drive today. She doesn’t know that though.
“Dude, are you with me right now?” Kyle waves a hand in front of my face, and I refocus my eyes until I’m present.
“Sorry, was just in the zone,” I reply, blinking as I take a drink of water and wishing it was a margarita with a Casamigos floater.
“What’s got you so distracted today? Are you trying to figure out how to increase cash flow for the Athena project?” He smiles as he says it, knowing that’s not what’s on my mind.
“If only that was something I could do,” I say with a laugh, swirling the straw in my glass. While I still maintain that Kyle is not my friend, per se—we’ve never once seen each other outside of work hours—he’s the closest thing I’ve got. He is also the only person besides my dad who knows about Piper.
Pressure builds tight between my teeth as I clench my jaw, steeling myself to share.
“It’s Piper.” I lean back in the booth, the peeling plastic sticking to my blazer and groaning as I shift my weight. “I’m not sure what’s going on with us. We had a great night last Monday with a terrible morning after, and then an amazing time on Saturday with a weird, awkward ending. I haven’t heard from her since. It’s two steps forward, one step back—sometimes two steps back—with her.”
“Gotcha.” Kyle nods, eyes narrowed seriously. “That doesn’t sound like a problem, though, since you swore nothing was going to happen between you two.”
“Hmm, I did say that didn’t I?” I reply, twisting my neck in a stretch. “Guess I’m not just a hard-ass but also a liar.”
