“What!” Ally yells after I’m done giving her the play-by-play of what happened.
“I have no idea who told him, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he heard that stupid rumor.”
After four hours on the road, a good portion of it sitting in backed-up traffic, I’m certain of what happened. The rumor mill found a way to reach Devon in Chicago, successfully taking another victim. If I ever find out who’s behind all the rumors, I’m going to shove my fist so far up their—
“I thought you told him about that stupid rumor,” Ally says, interrupting my thoughts.
“I tried, a few times, but chickened out. Things were going so good, I didn’t want to ruin it.”
Nodding in understanding, Ally explains where I went wrong. Not wanting to talk about it anymore, I let her explain it all to me. All the things I’ve already figured out for myself. Her words become confirmation for the giant mistake I made, making me feel worse than I already do.
Monday. My least favorite day of the week.
It used to mark the beginning of a long work week. My days were no longer my own. Instead, they belonged to Dixon Advertising between the hours of eight o’clock and six o’clock.
Evenings were spent with the girls or at home with Audra.
The last few weeks, Monday’s were both dreadful and exciting. I didn’t want them to come because that meant Devon was back home in Chicago. I wanted them to be here because that meant I was one day closer to seeing him again.
This morning, I’m even more torn.
My excitement to leave for work is lacking. I’ve spent the last forty-eight hours locked in my apartment. I’ve watched every sappy romantic movie Audra and I own. I’ve eaten two tubs of ice cream and not much else.
So, on the one hand, I need to go to work. My other hand is still smacking myself in the back of the head for everything that’s happened.
Powering my phone on for the first time since leaving Chicago, I’m surprised I have waiting text messages and voicemails. I warned Ally that I was shutting down for the weekend. No cell phone. No Internet. I was going off the grid. I’m not sure she believed me by the sounds of it.
Ignoring the chiming, I toss my phone in my purse and head into the office. I’ll see Ally in fifteen minutes. She can wait to yell at me for ignoring her then.
The office is abnormally quiet when I arrive. Helen pops her head up when I step off the elevator, the phone pressed to her ear, and shoots me a smile.
Ally and Emerson’s desks are vacant.
Tyler’s office door is open, but the lights are off. Same with Ryder’s and Hunter’s.
Did I miss something? Is there a staff meeting I forgot about?
“Helen,” I call as she hangs up the phone. “Where is everyone?”
“In the conference room, Miss Justine.”
“Is there a meeting?”
“Didn’t you get my message?” she asks, shooting me an irritated glance.
Heading down the hall, I approach the conference room as Emerson calls out my name. Popping my head in the door, I clear my throat and all eyes fall on me.
“As I was saying,” Emerson continues. “With the changes about to take place in the office, both myself and Justine will be pulling double-duty until our replacements are hired. Please don’t hesitate to ask us for what you need. We’ll make sure everything gets taken care of for all departments. Now, if there are any questions…”
Her voice trails off as she exchanges a smile with Ryder. He’s beaming with pride. The way he looks at her, with such an enormous amount of love in his eyes, is breathtaking.
It’s also a reminder of what I’ve lost. Of the giant mistake I’ve made that can’t be fixed.
Emerson dismisses the meeting when no one asks any questions. I have a few of my own, but I’ll ask her in private. For starters, what did she sign me up for?
“There you are,” Ally says, pulling me inside the room as people begin to shuffle out. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you all weekend. So has Emerson. And Tyler. We were all worried. I even stopped by the apartment, but Audra said you weren’t there.”
That’s because Audra didn’t know I was home at that point. I came in after she was in bed on Friday night and didn’t emerge from my room until late Saturday afternoon.
“I told you I was taking a break this weekend.”
“I know, but I didn’t think you’d disappear.”
“I didn’t. I was around. What did I miss?”
“More than you know. Come on,” she says motioning for me to follow her. “Let’s chat.”
Chapter Nineteen
Ally was right. I missed a shit ton over the weekend. Following her down to the cafe, Ally starts spilling all the news before I can even take a sip of my coffee.
For starters, Emerson promoted me. She happened to be in Mr. Dixon’s office when Tyler stormed in after his meeting with JP. It was her idea to promote me to her department so JP had no control over whether or not I was involved with his campaign. If I wasn’t part of Tyler’s team, I wasn’t handling JP’s campaign anymore.
Tyler’s meeting… holy crap. JP was demanding I be a part of the campaign, even after Tyler confessed to seeing everything. The way he was harassing me, how he threatened me. Tyler gave him two options. He could either break his contract and the campaign would die, or he could man up and deal with the situation.
Of course, JP threatened to sue Dixon Advertising if I wasn’t present at the ceremony that afternoon. Knowing it wasn’t possible for me to make it back from Chicago in time, that’s when Tyler barged in Mr. Dixon’s office.
Mr. Dixon. I love that man.
Apparently, he called JP and challenged him to sue the company. I can only imagine the look on JP’s face when he realized he wasn’t going to win. Mr. Dixon also promised to charge him with harassment if he contacted me again.
I’ll never be able to thank him enough for that.
So the campaign went off without a hitch. Ally showed me the pictures from the paper. JP looks unhappy in all of them, which of course makes me smile. It’s the first time I’ve smiled in days and it feels pretty damn good.
“So, how are you holding up?” she asks as she calls the elevator.
We need to get back to work. I have a meeting with Emerson in ten minutes. Ally still has files to deal with. I’m sure Tyler wants to meet with me now that my “vacation” is over.
“I’m okay,” I lie. We both know I’m lying, but thankfully she doesn’t call me out on it.
“Well, I’m here if you need to talk.”
“Thanks, Ally. That means a lot to me.”
Nodding, she lets our conversation drop as we ride up to the office. Talking about Devon makes my heart ache. I’m sure it will for a while. I can’t imagine this kind of pain fading away anytime soon.
My meeting with Emerson is long. She explains all the changes that are happening, things I’ve missed over the last few days. She also explains my new position.
Emerson is the new head of Community Planning and Involvement. Ryder, Hunter, and Tyler will fill the advertising needs of the clients and then they’ll be sent to Emerson to “celebrate” their success if they choose. It’s more than party planning. It’s more than hosting fancy events. It’s about celebrating with the community that supports the businesses.
And I get to be a part of that. I assumed I would be working as her assistant but that’s not the case. Surprisingly, I’ll be her co-planner. We’ll be working as a team.
She’ll be working one-on-one with the clients in the field, and I’ll be working here in the office, behind the scenes until I learn more. Eventually, we’ll both be working with clients, doubling the success of our department. We’re starting small. One client. One party.
A local jewelry store. A client Emerson worked with when she was Ryder’s assistant.
Before any of this can happen, we need to find competent people to replace us. Mr. Dixon is already on top of it,
Emerson’s replacement starts next week. He’s still searching for my replacement since it was a last-minute idea to bring me on as part of the team.
“Thank you,” I say, as I pull Emerson in for a hug.
“You’re welcome. I couldn’t be happier to be embarking on this adventure with you. We always have fun together, and this should be no different. Speaking of fun… how was your weekend?”
She doesn’t know.
Ally kept her mouth shut for once.
Opening my mouth to reply, my eyes begin to leak, and the first gut-wrenching sob escapes me. Emerson gives me a once over before guiding me to the only chair in our new office and fetching me a glass of water. Once I’m able to catch my breath, I explain everything that happened.
“Oh, Justine. I’m so sorry.”
“I was so worried that it would be the distance that wrecked us. I never thought it would be a stupid rumor.” My confession catches me off guard.
“You know, I was pissed when I heard the rumor about me and Ryder. It was before anything was going on and I was still with Ian. At the same time, I’m thankful for it. It made me admit to myself that I had feelings for him. I would have suppressed them if people hadn’t been assuming things were going on. I’d probably still be with Ian and suffering in silent misery. Sometimes, the shitty things have to happen to make room for the next amazing chapter.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that next chapter yet.”
“You’re not, but you will be when it happens. I promise you that. Are you still coming for dinner Saturday?”
Friends-giving dinner. Hosted by Ryder and Emerson. Devon and I were supposed to go together. I was planning on telling him about it when I was there.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Taking note of the way Emerson’s eyes are evaluating me, I excuse myself and head back to my desk.
Before I can even sit down, Tyler calls me into his office and asks me to close the door behind me. Any work he has planned for me at this point won’t be accomplished today.
“How was your vacation?” he asks, setting aside a file and turning his attention to me as I take the seat across from him.
“Fine,” I reply, not wanting to relive my current situation for the second time today. Breaking down in front of Emerson is one thing. I consider her a friend. Tyler’s my boss.
“Considering Devon called me asking a lot of questions over the weekend, I have a feeling fine is not the appropriate word to use.”
Devon called him. Why? Is he trying to confirm my story? Or was he hoping for more dirty details to confirm what he heard?
“I didn’t want you to get caught up in it.” My statement holds truth, but it’s also a lie.
“I’m not going to, just wanted to check on you,” he replies, picking up the discarded file and handing it to me. “I need you to…”
Tyler spends the next hour catching me up on what the week holds for me. With only three working days, there’s a lot to take care of in a little amount of time. I’ll have to work late the next few nights to make sure everything that needs to be done, gets done.
Fine by me. It’s not like I have anything better to do. Plus, working should be able to keep my mind focused. Right now, as Tyler gives me the run down, it’s attempting to wander, thoughts of Devon creeping in. If I can keep them at bay for a few days, maybe the sting will lessen.
“Girls’ night tonight?” Ally asks as we’re about to leave the office Wednesday night.
After working two fourteen-hour days and a ten-hour day today, I could use a drink.
“I’m catching the late flight home for Thanksgiving but I’ll take a rain check,” I reply, gathering my things.
My flight leaves in a little over two hours and I still need to pack a bag.
“I didn’t realize you were going home for the holiday.”
“It was a last-minute decision. My mom asked, and since I had nothing going on, I bought a ticket.”
A very expensive, non-refundable ticket. Flying around the holidays is not something I enjoy doing and normally avoid, but this year I’m making an exception. Being around family will be good for me, I hope.
“When are you coming back?”
“Saturday morning. I promised Emerson I would be here for Friends-giving dinner.”
“Good. We’ll catch up then.”
“Catch up on what?”
Ally hesitates, glances around to make sure no one is listening, and leans in. “Life, love, the new rumors.”
“I could go the rest of my life without hearing another rumor and not be sad.”
“But this one has merit,” Ally whines as we step into the elevator.
“They all do until they don’t, and lives are ruined,” I state, my voice cracking as I close my eyes and remember the look on Devon’s face as he accused me of cheating on him.
“True, but—”
“Please don’t, Ally,” I beg, cutting her off before she can share any more information with me.
Parting ways in the parking garage, I head back to my apartment to head home for a few days. My parents are excited I’m able to make it. This will be the first holiday I’ve spent with them in almost four years. As an only child, I use to make more of an effort to be a part of the holidays. I’m not sure what changed, or when, but going home feels like a foreign idea.
It should bring a smile to my face. I should be elated to see my parents. I grew up in Green Bay, was a die-hard Packers fan, and never thought I would leave there. When I was accepted to attend Hope College on a full-ride scholarship, I couldn’t turn it down. It was my dream school and also a place my parents never would have been able to afford to send me.
As I wait for the flight attendant to call my class for boarding, I log onto social media for the first time in a week. As my news feed loads, I realize what a mistake it is. The first thing I see is the last picture I posted.
A selfie of me and Devon, dressed for dinner with his mother.
It has close to one hundred likes and fifty comments. I can’t bring myself to look at them. I already know what they’re going to say.
“Cute couple.”
“Looking great.”
“Nice pic.”
As nice and innocent as those kinds of comments are, they’ll bring me to my knees right now. It’s been almost two days since I last broke down. After the moment I shared with Emerson in her office, I broke down again that night after getting home from work when I saw Devon sent me text messages over the weekend.
I still haven’t read them.
Knowing he talked to Tyler but not what they talked about, I’m curious but not strong enough to read them yet. I thought about asking Ally to read them first but never found the time. Maybe while I’m at my parents, away from everything that’s going on, I’ll be able to bring myself to read them.
The idea causes a shiver to run up my spine.
Maybe not.
“Now boarding Group B for American Airlines Flight 3720 with service to Chicago O’Hare at Gate B8.”
That’s me.
Flying through Devon’s stomping grounds, of course. There wasn’t an option to fly straight to Green Bay from here. I either had to fly through Chicago or Orlando. It made more sense to fly through Chicago, even though I’d rather never visit there again.
As we wait for the plane to depart from the gate, I scroll through my newsfeed, and my post pops up with a new comment. Ignoring it, I keep scrolling when another new comment pops up, followed by another a few seconds later.
The picture is six days old. Why are people still commenting on it?
Sucking in a deep breath, I open the comments, coughing when I read the back and forth happening on my picture.
They started last week when I was still in Chicago.
James Shuran: What a waste of beauty. Why are all the pretty ones sluts?
Devon Graham: Watch your mouth.
JP: Fuck you. You can have my sloppy seconds. She had her chance.
De
von: Your loss is my gain.
JP: If that’s the way you want to look at it.
Devon: Maybe you should open your eyes. Look how happy she is.
JP: My eyes are wide open. You should have seen the way she was looking at me yesterday. I could have taken her right there, on the table in the conference room. She was practically begging me for it with her eyes. And over dinner last week, she couldn’t keep her eyes off me. Her need was practically radiating off her body.
JP: Where’d you go? Nothing to say about that?
Allison Parker: Shut your mouth, JP. Everyone knows she hates you. You’d never have a chance with her again. Not after what you did to her. Why can’t you just leave her alone?
JP: Slut number two chimes in.
Ally: I think the only slut in this conversation is you. The man who sleeps with people for money. The one who was caught red-handed having a threesome while in a relationship.
JP: It takes a slut to know a slut.
Ally: You can call me a slut all you want, but Justine is far from it, and you know it.
JP: I know far more than you do. I know she would do anything to please me in bed.
Ally: What is the point of all this? Are you pissed she shot you down? Are you trying to ruin her relationship? Well, guess what. It won’t work. Devon knows what a good person she is, and he knows what an asshole you are. He’d never believe you over her.
JP: The lack of pictures says differently.
Someone’s typing a comment when I turn my phone off and the tears begin to fall. As much as I love Ally and the fact she’ll always defend me, I feel like her comments may have done more harm than good.
Nothing you say to JP will ever be enough. He’ll never see the truth because he doesn’t want to. He’ll happily live in his little bubble until someone comes along and pops it for good.
That person won’t be me. I don’t want to waste another second of my life on him.
Chapter Twenty
Two and a half days with my parents was more than I bargained for. They spent every waking moment wanting to talk to me, to catch up. Apparently, our weekly conversations weren’t enough to keep up with what’s going on in my life.
Rumors: Justine & Devon Page 14
