Her lavish chest rises and falls heavily. She presses her back against the tall leather desk chair, crosses one leg over the other, and interlocks her hands on her lap.
“I think you’re making a mistake, Miss Murphy,” she says. She only ever uses formalities when she feels someone is above or beneath her. “You should reconsider.”
“I have,” I admit. “But ultimately, I’ve decided to go in another direction.”
She laughs lightly under her breath, easily maintaining her air of superiority without appearing childish. “Oh, Miss Murphy,” she says, “do you have any idea what you’re doing?” She smirks.
OK, now she’s beginning to show her true colors.
“Yes, ma’am,” I answer with respect. “I’m doing what’s important to me.”
I didn’t need to elaborate on that comment for her to know exactly what it meant and where it came from.
Cassandra raises her chin; it takes her a long moment to say, “Well, if that’s what you want, then I suppose this is good-bye.” She uncrosses her legs, raises her back from the chair, and begins sifting through paperwork on her desk, no longer looking at me.
“Thank you for understanding,” I say. “Please just send the other information over and I’ll get to work on the event right away.” I go to take the folder, but she puts her hand on top of it and slides it to the side.
“That won’t be necessary,” she says with a faint sneer, barely looking at me. “I’ll find you something … smaller to work on for your remaining time here. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”
I nod and make my way out, shocked by how Jekyll and Hyde she had become, but I guess deep down I always knew she was that way. As I step through the double glass doors, at first I feel a great sense of regret, but as I get farther away, a funny thing happens—my lips turn up at the corners. And by the time I make it back to my office, I feel like a huge burden has just been lifted from my life and that now maybe I can truly get on with my life.
Or at least try. There’s something missing, but I’m strong enough; I know I can do this on my own. Luke would’ve wanted that for me. He would’ve wanted me to be able to push myself to greater heights whether he was in my life or not. Luke …
I count the following days as if waiting for the world to end. Every day I dread more than the one before it. Every minute that passes brings me closer to the day Luke will be in Norway, the day that might be his last. I come in to work barely smiling back at those who will soon be former coworkers, and I hide away inside my office with the door closed, listening to the sound of fancy shoes tapping against the tile floor outside in the hall. To and from. Happy voices.
The clock ticks on the wall high above my desk. Tick. Tick. Tick. There’s not much for me to do during the remainder of my employment at Harrington Planners other than sit here, alone with my thoughts that only torture me more every day, the closer that inevitable day looms.
Cassandra decided against sending me on any more planning jobs and opted for putting me in charge of random paperwork—no commissions to be made on paperwork.
Another day comes and goes. Another eight hours with my dark thoughts, my fears that rival anything I’ve ever been afraid of in my life.
Wednesday.
Thursday.
Friday.
Finally, as that day comes while I’m in Oregon with my mom, I’m thankful to be surrounded by family to help keep my mind off Luke. Futilely, I admit.