Victoria tried to think of how to voice her words without sounding like a complete idiot. Roslyn was right. She would be crazy not to take up the offer, there was only one strong reason for her not to do it. She hesitated before saying anything, but somehow they knew.
“It’s that lawyer you’ve been crushing on, isn’t it?” Deedee asked.
“Any other time I would’ve jumped on this without thinking about it. Now, I don’t know what to do.”
Victoria didn’t realize how strong her feelings for Andrei were until the thought of possibly leaving him sunk in. She hadn’t planned for any of this to happen, but she was in deep and wasn’t sure if she could ever let go. Andrei had crept in and become a part of her somehow, even if she didn’t know what that part was exactly.
“Tell you what, we’ll grab lunch and talk it over,” Deedee said.
“I don’t feel much like eating anything,” Victoria said, sitting on her desk.
“My treat today, especially with so much on your mind.”
Roslyn arched her brow. “So now you have money to spend?”
“What? This is helping a friend in need. I’m all about helping friends.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
Victoria smiled. Her friends’ lighthearted bickering softened her mood a bit, and she finally let them drag her to a nearby café.
She wasn’t hungry, but she could use some time away from the office. Besides, she could use some advice on what she should do, because she didn’t trust herself to make any good decisions at the moment. She ordered a ham and turkey chef salad and a medium soft drink, but she just picked at the food in her bowl.
Her friends Roslyn and Deedee were ecstatic about her new job offer. Victoria wished she could be as excited as they were.
“So are you in love with him?” Deedee asked.
“I don’t know. Isn’t it too soon to be in love with him?”
“Only you can answer that one,” Roslyn said.
Victoria said, “I don’t want to leave him, but I don’t know what to do.”
“You could ask him to go with you,” Rosalyn said. “If he really cares about you, you at least consider it.”
“I can ask him to do that, give up his life for me.”
“Isn’t that what you’d be doing if you didn’t go?”
“People make sacrifices for the people they care about,” Deedee said. “If you love him, maybe you should stay here and work on your relationship. You can always find another job since you are a lawyer, right?”
Victoria answered, “I guess you are right about that.”
Deedee said, “If this man is the love of your life, don’t leave. You may end up regretting it.”
“That’s not fair.” Roslyn took a sip of her water before continuing. “Why should she be the one to have to give up her career for him? He should at least be willing to do the same thing.”
The decisions were making Victoria dizzy. “I don’t feel well. Maybe I shouldn’t eat this salad.” She beckoned their waitress over. “Take another ginger ale, please?”
When the waitress returned, she tried to drink the fresh ginger ale, but nausea overtook her. She bolted to the bathroom, and she barely made the toilet before everything in her stomach came rushing out. She heard footsteps behind her, but she didn’t dare look up for fear of getting sick again.
“You okay, girl?” Deedee asked.
“I don’t know. I think so.” Victoria closed her eyes, hoping to push the dizzy feeling away.
“Maybe we should take you to the doctor,” Deedee said.
“Is there any chance you might be…” Roslyn’s voice trailed off.