“Where are you putting a new TV?”
I think about the seventy inch in his living room and the sixty inch already in his bedroom. There’s no room for a new one.
“Not sure yet, maybe in the living room, but I need to go. The salesman is in front of me.”
“Nick, I think we need to talk. Something is wrong.”
He sighs impatiently and muffles the phone before coming back. “Grace, let’s talk on Monday night after your parents leave.”
“Monday night? Aren’t we doing brunch tomorrow?”
“Sorry, I forgot. I’ll see if I can make it.”
“What the hell is happening here?”
“I need to go. Can I call you later?”
“Yes, Nick, call me when you’re not so busy.” I hang up and stare at the screen.
Then I scream into the empty gallery.
I swipe the hot tears from my cheeks and concentrate on driving. Anger and resentment fill my mind as I think about what Logan has done. How dare he? This is my life, my decision, end of subject. I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman who can stand on my own.
So why do I feel like a child who just left the principal
’s office?
Because my brother and business partner just scolded me, filling my head with horrible thoughts. And on top of it, he called my boyfriend, exposing my secret. The tears won’t stop, so I pull over until I can regain my composure.
The scene from earlier replays in my mind, making me angrier by the second.
“Grace, can you come to my office when you lock up?” Logan called from the back.
I locked the doors, dimmed the lights, and closed down the computer.
“What’s going on?” I asked, plopping in the chair and kicking off my shoes. It’d been a long day on my feet, and I thought about the bubble bath waiting for me when I got home.
He turned his phone over and over in his hand, blowing out a deep breath. When he looked up, disappointment was written all over his face. That’s when it clicked; he knew.
Seeing no need to dance around the subject, I figured we might as well get it over with. “How’d you find out?”
“I made some calls today. Finally spoke to someone who told me you rejected the opportunity.”
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“You left me no choice. Every single time I bring it up, you brush it off. Mom and Dad are curious, yet, you blow them off, too.”
“So you violated my privacy?”
“Making a phone call is hardly violating anything. Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Okay, so now you know. I decided not to go. The timing is wrong.”
“How can the timing be wrong? This was always in the plan. We’ve been discussing this for over a year.”
I knew he’d be upset when I told him, that’s why I’d been avoiding this conversation. But he was clearly looking for more than a simple excuse. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, ready to defend my decision.
“Plans change. I’ve changed. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but I have a new life.”