Page 78 of When Stars Collide
“Are you going to ralph again?” She turned back around, confirming my suspicions.
I smiled. “I see you got your hoodie back.”
CHAPTER TEN
I’ve never been one to embrace idle time, preferring instead to stay busy. It felt like I was accomplishing something that way. In keeping with that tradition, so as not to be idle, I kept myself busy beginning the day after my surgery, putting pencil to paper and never looking back. I had months of emotional turmoil to release, and more time than I was accustomed in which to release it. Thankfully, Elle’s material was just as raw and as emotional as I felt, making us a great team.
Her material provided me with so much fuel, in fact, that I was able to finish my illustrations within a week, scanning them in and emailing them to her for her approval after I’d finished. Not one for idle time herself, Elle responded, giving me her consent to submit our work to Phineas under the pen name L.N. Rae—a play on her actual name, Ellen, and her middle name, Rae. After inserting my illustrations seamlessly into Elle’s work, I read through the manuscript, pleased with what we’d accomplished together. If this were to hit my desk, I would be impressed, but in the back of my mind, I knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to garner Phineas’s approval.
I had one week left before I was expected to return to work. One week and zero patience. I peered up at the clock. It was almost five. By the time I got to the office, everyone would be gone. Except Phineas. Phineas would still be there. I drummed my fingers against the upholstery of the couch, trying to decide what I was going to do.
“Oh, hell.”
Just as expected, the office was completely empty when I arrived. Unexpected, however, was Phineas’s empty office.
The one day he goes home at a decent time.
I didn’t want to return home or wait another week to get the book into his hands. I also didn’t want to make another trip back to the office tomorrow. The only alternative was to leave it here. My eyes wandered over Phineas’s desk, spotting a set of post-it notes in the corner. I peeled off the top note, stuck it to the manuscript, and began to scribble a message.
“Mena?”
I jumped, my pen careening off the post-it note, leaving a mark on the top page of the manuscript. “Shit, Phineas. What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing in my own office?”
“Right … sorry. It was dark and I thought you’d left.”
“I was back in the break room, putting my coffee cup in the dishwasher. What are you doing here? You should be resting, not sneaking into the office at random hours, leaving mysterious notes on my desk.”
“In my defense, I thought you’d still be at your desk and I could just speak to you in person.”
“Well, here I am … in person. What do you need to talk to me about?”
I held up a manuscript. “I know we don’t work with poetry.”
“You’re right, we don’t.”
“I know you trust my instincts, and I wouldn’t be bothering you with this if I didn’t think you should make an exception. The author’s overall message is quite powerful and really resonates with the state of the world today. Female empowerment in the face of abuse. I was hoping you would take a look at it, which is why I’m here right now in your darkened office, stealing your post-it notes.”
“Always working.” Phineas flipped on his light. “Isn’t that what you enjoy riding me about?”
“You’re passionate about your work. Maybe it’s beginning to rub off on me a little.”
He shook his head. “No, you’ve always had it. You’re a passionate person, Mena. I knew that the moment I met you. It’s undeniable.”
Our eyes met, locking with each other as my cheeks began to burn. “Phineas, I …”My phone rang from inside of my purse. Still flushed, I reached in and pulled it out, my heart dropping down into my stomach when I saw who was calling me.
“It’s from the hospital. I have to take this,” I said, rushing past Phineas into the atrium.
“Hello,” I answered, my voice more unsteady than I would have wanted.
“Is this Mena Straszewski?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Ms. Straszewski, this is Sharon from Dr. Banta’s office. He asked me to call you to go over the results of your pathology report.”
I leaned against the wall next to my office to support my failing legs, closing my eyes. “Okay.”
