Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Serenity allowed the smallest of smiles to shape her lips as she raked in the chips, taking one out of the stack and slipping it into her purse when she thought no one was looking. I didn’t know which chip it was, but I worried about the repercussions if Doyle found out she’d stolen something from him. Even if she’d won the hand, I knew for a fact Doyle would still consider all the winnings as his.
“So,” Ethan said after he dealt another round. “What are you going to do?”
Serenity fell quiet, her eyes flickering around the table while she folded her cards.
I looked at my friends, feeling out of sorts in a way I never had before. I shrugged, my heart less than hopeful. “I’ll try to fix it.”
BRYNN
“I really love the versatility you’ve shown here,” Janice—the head female exec at Nike—said over the line.
I smiled brightly, nodding even though she couldn’t see me. I had her on speaker, working from my little home office in my apartment. I’d used my own contacts to get another meeting with her, and she’d just finished watching my proposal.
“It embodies what we’re trying to show with the new line,” she said. “A line of products to fit all types of women-identifying people no matter the profession, body type, or athletic level.”
“And with a range of styles to fit all personalities,” I added.
“Exactly. You really captured that here, Ms. Allen,” she said. “Unfortunately, we have another proposal meeting in an hour, and I can’t say any specifics until we’ve seen that one as well.”
“Completely understand,” I said. “I just wanted to make sure you saw all your options. I’m grateful you took the time to speak with me today.”
“I am too,” she said. “I can’t speak for everyone here, but this is the best one I’ve seen. You really listened to what we wanted. I know we’ll talk soon.”
I managed to get the phone hung up before I squealed.
She liked it.
She liked my idea, my hard work. That was all me and my team, not Weston or his company. And sure, she had other proposals to consider, but at least I knew I’d done everything I could to seal the deal. It was out of my hands now.
Which meant I was no longer distracted by work, and any time I wasn’t distracted, I was…hurting.
Not only because of the fight with Weston, but also because of the stark realization after.
I’d become so damn dependent on him.
My entire life had revolved around him since after high school—his meetings, his company, his needs, his dreams. And while I loved being such a big part of his life and took value in the work I did, I knew that couldn’t be all I was anymore. After thinking he’d broken my heart on purpose—even though now I knew the truth—it still made me realize one terrifying truth. If I took out all the parts of my life that were tied to Weston, I was left with nothing.
Nothing outside of him.
Sure, I had a resumé with some great experience on it, but I didn’t have my own company, my own position at a firm that he didn’t own. Hell, he was my best friend, and in turn, his friends were my friends.
I was hopelessly tied to a man I’d always loved and after the fight about the Nike proposal and the scare from Lena’s ridiculous antics to try and tie him down, it made it very clear that I needed to figure out who I was outside of him. Which was one of the reasons I’d sucked it up and reached out to Nike on my own with the proposal. I knew it was a long shot, but at least I’d done it without dropping Weston’s name. I wanted to prove it to myself at the very least that I had value outside what I did in his world.
Now, if I could figure out what to do about Weston and me personally, I’d be all set. Because he’d explained what Lena had done, which was vile and cruel, but it had nothing to do with him.
What he did have a hand in was not telling her about me. Not telling her that we were serious or telling me how he actually felt. It’s what left me floundering for answers in the first place, and even with the engagement drama explained, I wasn’t sure where that left us.
I loved him. I always had. But for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t sure what exactly Weston wanted. I hated that I’d gone over every facet of the relationship and still couldn’t tell if it’d been just sex to him and all the other stuff—the caring for me and letting me sleep over—was just part of his normal best friend role that I’d never noticed before. Had I really gotten things that twisted?