“Skye! Where are you? I’ve been worried sick.”
“I’m so sorry. Braden had to fly to New York in the middle of the night last night, and I came with him so I’d be here for my meeting tomorrow. I’ve been exhausted, and I forgot we were supposed to go shopping today.”
“You couldn’t be bothered to send a text?”
“Seriously, it was the middle of the night, Tess. I just wasn’t thinking, and I’m really sorry.”
“Okay. I guess I understand,” she says, her tone weakening.
But she doesn’t. I hear it in her voice. It’s not like me to blow her off, and she knows it. Consequently, I feel like complete shit, especially since I did two posts during the shopping spree that Tessa clearly hasn’t seen yet.
“I’ll make this up to you. The next time you ask me to go shopping, I won’t whine.” I force out a laugh.
“What are you going to wear tomorrow, then? In the middle of the night, you probably didn’t even think about packing.”
“Braden sent me out today with a personal shopper. I’m set.”
“A personal shopper? I’ve been replaced?” She laughs, but like mine, I can tell it’s forced.
She’s feeling distant, and I can’t blame her. I’m not sure what to say. My life has taken a drastic turn, but she’s still my best friend and she always will be.
“Look, Tess—”
“It’s okay. I get it.”
“I had to go with Braden. He had already canceled my other flight, and I didn’t want to take a train.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself, Skye. I said I get it. If my billionaire boyfriend wanted to whisk me away on a jet in the middle of the night, I’d go, too.”
I believe she understands. I also believe she would have gone. Still, I feel like a shithead. A good friend would have called her and let her know.
“I know you understand, Tess. That’s not the point. I’m not sorry I went. I’m sorry I didn’t call you and let you know. That was shitty of me. Please accept my apology.”
A few seconds pass before she says, “Of course I accept your apology. Did your personal shopper get you something nice to wear tomorrow?”
“Yes, but she’s not as good as you are.”
Tessa scoffs. “A professional personal shopper? I’m sure she’s much better than I am.”
“Are you kidding? You’d have had me looking like a million bucks for about a hundredth of the money she spent.”
Finally, Tessa laughs. A real laugh. I think. “You got that right.”
I sigh in relief. We seem to be friends again.
“Take a selfie,” she says. “I want to see your new duds.”
“I will. Tomorrow before my meeting.”
“Is Braden going with you to Susanne headquarters?”
“Originally he planned to, but now, with this contract emergency—that’s the reason we had to fly here in the middle of the night—I’m not sure he’ll be available.”
I’ll be on my own. The thought both exhilarates and petrifies me. I want to handle my career on my own, but to be honest, the thought of Braden being there gave me some strength. Now I’ll have to find that strength on my own.
I’m a professional. I can handle a business meeting. Yes, I can handle a business meeting with a top cosmetics company in Manhattan. Why not?
“You got this, Skye,” Tessa says, as if sensing my apprehension.
I clear my throat. “Yeah. I suppose so. Of course, whether I’ve got this or not really doesn’t matter. I have a meeting tomorrow.”
“You’ll kill it. No doubt in my mind.”
I smile into the phone. “Thanks, Tess. For always being in my corner.”
“Besties forever,” she says. “Call me after the meeting, okay?”
“I will. Thanks again for understanding.”
“Always. Talk to you tomorrow.”
I end the call.
And I still feel like a heel. My relationship with Braden cannot interfere with my relationship with Tessa. I’ll never leave her behind, and I already sense that’s what she fears. Tessa is beautiful and outgoing and has a large circle of friends. Still, she and I have something special, something unique. A closeness that thrives despite our differences.
I can’t—I won’t—give that up.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
We arrive at Gabriel LeGrand, one of Manhattan’s finest restaurants, and the maître d’ leads us to an exclusive table. A votive candle flutters in the center.
Braden gestures to it. “Take that away.”
“Of course, sir.” The maître d’ picks up the candle holder. “Seth will be with you shortly.”
The chef himself has created a menu for us. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s costing Braden, but it’s delicious so far, and I’m only on my salad. Our amuse-bouche—a pre-appetizer, who knew there was such a thing?—was a rye toast point with avocado and caviar. First time I’ve ever tried caviar, and it won’t be the last. It was briny and delicious, better than the best oyster from the northeastern shores.
My first amuse-bouche! Rye toast point with avocado and caviar. Delish! #veryamusingtomybouche #caviarrocks #gabriellegrandmanhattan