“I’m so sorry.” I couldn’t imagine what I would be going through if my mother were in the hospital an ocean away. “Do you need me to do anything for you?”
“As of tomorrow morning, you’re not my assistant anymore, Sophie,” he reminded me. “I wasn’t calling you for a favor. I wanted to let you know before I left, so you didn’t think...”
“So I didn’t think you were breezing out of my life again?” Uncomfortably, I had to acknowledge that the thought would have occurred to me.
“Yes, exactly.” He sounded sheepish at my quick reply.
While we were keeping things as no-strings as possible, if he ran off on me again the way he had after LAX, I wouldn’t just be pissed. I would take an emotional bruising. I hoped that when our relationship ended, it would happen with mutual respect, but I couldn’t entirely trust that yet.
He cleared his throat. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out and celebrate your promotion with me tomorrow night. Now I’m afraid I can’t, and I’m not sure I’ll be back in time for our weekend, either.”
“This is way more important, obviously. Don’t worry about things with me, okay? Things are fine.” I hesitated before I added, “Look, if there’s anything you need, call me.”
“I will. Thank you.” The keen edge of emotion in those four simple words made my heart ache. “I’ll call you when I get back.”
I hung up with him, feeling oddly empty that I wouldn’t see him again before he left. Then I felt shitty and selfish. He was obviously in crisis mode, and I was worried about myself.
“Is everything cool?” Holli asked, frowning at me.
I shook my head. “No, he has to go to London.” I omitted the part about “going home” to London. That bothered me, and I didn’t want to admit it. “His mom had a stroke.”
“Holy shit, his mom is still alive?” Holli grimaced, and I knew she was imagining the Crypt Keeper or something.
I ignored her. “He’ll be gone for a while, I guess, but he didn’t want me to think he’s taking off permanently, like last time. That’s a good thing, right?”
“I guess.” She shrugged. “I thought it wouldn’t really matter, anyway. You’re just in it for the sex.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but found it strangely difficult. I stammered a little bit. “I— Yeah. Right, but I would miss the sex.”
She raised an eyebrow at me.
“What?” I demanded, and she just shrugged and smiled. I shook my head and walked past her. “I thought we were going to get some food.”
She just laughed as she followed me down the steps.
* * * *
It was totally bizarre to return to work the next day and not go to my old desk. It felt even weirder not to see Neil. I’d gone home the night before and immediately called my mom, like bad mom health was catching or something. We’d chatted about work and friends, but I’d deftly avoided her wheedling inquiries about my love life. She would not be okay with hearing about my casual D/s relationship with a guy older than she was.
After that, I’d lain awake half the night, trying to calculate the length of a flight from New York to London, wondering where Neil was. He’d left the office while I’d been out to lunch, but I had no idea how long it took to get through security or whatever he’d had to do. Deja had mentioned that he’d taken a private jet, so I supposed he wouldn’t be standing in some TSA line with his shoes off, worrying about his poor ailing mother.
It amazed me when I walked into the building and everything hadn’t ground to a halt. To the contrary, when Rudy had taken over running all of Neil’s meetings and appointments the day before, it had felt a little like Gabriella was with us again. Caught up in everything that had been going on with regards to my job, I hadn’t noticed how terrified everyone was of Rudy.
When he stopped me on my way through reception and said, “Good luck today, Sophie,” I noticed the looks that got me, and I held my head up a little higher as I crossed the main office floor.
India Vaughn, senior beauty editor, sidled up next to me as we walked. “Sophie Scaife, I think you just got the seal of approval.”
“Don’t be too intimidated,” I quipped. “He doesn’t really like me all that much.”
She shook my hand, which is actually pretty tricky to do when walking side by side with someone. I was impressed at how professionally I pulled it off.
Let me tell you about India. India had been the office Brit before Neil came to Porteras. She has black hair and light eyes, and looks like she could play a president’s wife in a movie. She knows more about nail polish than any other human being alive. I once went to a Christmas open house at her apartment, and I swear to god, she had an entire walk-in closet of just beauty products, like she’d taken a little slice of Ulta and slotted it into her home.