Follow Me Always (Follow Me 3)

Fondly,

Eugenie

My mouth drops open.

Nothing about my shitty post from two days ago? And already, within sixteen hours, people are clamoring to change the name of the nail polish?

And this all happened in the time since Braden broke up with me?

Of course, that’s not common knowledge yet.

Maybe…

Just maybe…it won’t matter.

I need to get my bearings. I’m poised to respond to Eugenie right away, but I stop myself. The coffee’s done, and I need to think about how to approach this. My first instinct is to write her back and tell her how excited I am, which is true. But I need to think it all through.

I sigh.

I should tell her about Braden and me.

It’s a risk, yes.

But she needs to know.

I’m under contract, and I’ll be paid for four months regardless. I can find alternate employment in that time if they choose to drop me.

I must be honest and up front, and I shouldn’t do it in an email.

I need to call Eugenie.

I take a sip of coffee and stare at my laptop screen. I flip through the rest of my emails, hoping I’ll find one from Braden.

I don’t.

It’s really over.

I stop the tears that threaten to well in my eyes. I can’t become a slobbering mass of emotions again. Not today. Not when I’m trying to prove I don’t need Braden to do my job.

I rise and head to the bathroom, where I turn on my shower. I enter, and as the warm water pelts over my body, I close my eyes and inhale the fragrant steam. I’m still slightly congested from my power sobbing yesterday, and the steam therapy helps.

After my shower, I towel off and don a robe.

Then back to my email.

Still nothing from Braden.

Not that I expected anything. Just hoped.

Hope is a good thing, right?

So…two things require my consideration. First, Eugenie. This is my livelihood, and it requires my attention.

Second…me. I must ask myself the question Braden asked me, which means beginning with a trip home.

I switch to my phone.

Already my bedhead post is blowing up!

My post that has nothing to do with Susanne Cosmetics and Eugenie.

Which makes me realize where my attention must be focused.

I can’t do my best job if I’m floundering, and right now, I’m lost. Sure, I’m creative enough that I figured out a way around my swollen eyes and lips yesterday, but none of that helped me to get where I need to be.

I pull up my travel app and book a flight home to Kansas that leaves two days from now.

Home is where I’ll begin this journey.

Chapter Five

Next…Eugenie.

I inhale a deep breath. I have to tell her my circumstances have changed. It’s only fair. I quickly punch in her number.

“Susanne Corporate,” a woman answers.

“Eugenie Blake, please. This is Skye Manning.”

“Just a moment, Ms. Manning. I’ll see if she’s in.”

More seconds that seem like hours. Time standing still seems to have become part of my life now, and it pretty much sucks.

“Good morning, Skye!”

I gather what little courage I can find. “Hi, Eugenie.”

“I assume you got my email.”

“I did. I’m so glad the post is doing well.”

“Much better than we’d hoped, considering it’s only your second post.”

The first one sucked.

She doesn’t say it, but I hear it in her tone. Should I mention it?

Hell, no.

The words are in Braden’s voice, and he’s right. Why should I bring up something negative if she’s not going to? That’d be ridiculous.

“Thank you,” I say simply.

“What’s your schedule? Can you fly back to New York next week?”

“I just booked a trip home to Kansas for Sunday,” I tell her. “I suppose I could fly to New York tonight and meet with you tomorrow. But tomorrow’s Saturday.”

“That’s no problem,” she says. “We work around the clock here. I haven’t worked less than a sixty-hour week in years.”

I clear my throat. “All right. I can rearrange my flight home and fly from New York to Wichita on Sunday.”

“I’d be happy to have my assistant make the arrangements for you,” she said. “Especially since it’s so last minute.”

“That’s kind of you,” I say, “but there’s something else we should discuss first.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s… Well, my circumstances have changed.”

“How so?”

“I’m no longer…” I sigh. God, Skye, just spit it out. “I’m no longer seeing Braden Black.”

Silence.

Again those seconds that pass like hours. Do I enter some kind of time warp when I’m waiting for bad news?

Finally, Eugenie says, “I’ll have to run this by the VP of marketing, but I’m not sure it changes anything.”

“How can it not?”

“Your following has grown exponentially since you started influencing. Yes, it took Braden to get you going, but you have huge potential to grow on your own.”

“I do?”

“You do. You know what? I’m not going to bother Elaine with this. She’s the VP of marketing. The company is bound for the first four months under your contract, so let’s give it a try. If your growth taps out and we’re not generating sales, we won’t exercise our option under the contract. It’s that simple.”