“Talon …”
“You’re terrified and I know that. But you need to trust me. Do you trust me, Irie?”
She considers my question, gazing up at me with uncertain eyes before finally offering a simple, “Yes.”
Without saying another word, I lift my hand to her face, angle her mouth toward mine, and crush her lips with an owning kiss.
“I love you so damn much,” I tell her. “I promise you, Irie, you’re not going to regret this.”
With that, I trot back to my car.
“Wait … where are you going?” she asks, taking a few steps off the front stoop.
“I have a couple things I need to take care of,” I call after her. “I’ll get a hold of you tonight.”
With that, I’m gone.
A man on a mission, I head back to my apartment, calling Ira on the way.
Chapter 45
Irie
“Irie, what brings you in today?” Kira asks from her side of her desk Friday afternoon. “Everything okay?”
I take a seat across from her, crossing my legs and clearing my throat. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn down that job offer.”
Kira’s mouth is agape and her hands are splayed on her white-washed oak desktop. “What? What happened? Did you get a better offer somewhere else?”
“No, no,” I say. “Your offer was … extremely generous … but—”
“—then what happened?” she asks, wild-eyed.
“I … I know how this is going to sound,” I say, half-chuckling. “And believe me, this isn’t a decision I came to lightly … but I met someone recently … and he’s asked me to move to Virginia with him after graduation.”
“Oh, honey.” Kira rests her chin on her hand, looking like a big sister about to give her kid sister a talking to. “Are you sure this is what you want? You want to throw away your career over some boyfriend?”
“I’ll be honest,” I say. “I’m terrified.”
She laughs.
“But I think this is something I need to do,” I say.
Kira sighs. “I mean … I get it. I guess. I’ve been there. I’ve been young and in love. I know what it’s like when your heart speaks louder than your head. It just … it blows for me, losing such talent. I was really looking forward to adding you to my team. I had big plans for you in Malibu.”
My chest is heavy with that loss. “I know. I’m so sorry. I was excited about it too.”
“Listen,” she says, tucking her glossy onyx hair behind both ears before leaning closer. “If it doesn’t work out with this guy, you call me and I’ll see if I can find a place for you on my team. It might not be in Malibu and it might not be a lead designer position, but if I can fit you in, I will. That’s how much I believe in you, Irie.”
The tension in my shoulders seems to dissipate with her words and I find myself breathing a little easier all of a sudden.
I didn’t come in here expecting anything from Kira.
Now I’ll be leaving with a safety net.
“Are you sure?” I ask her.
“Two hundred percent,” she says.
“Wow … thank you … so much.”
“Of course, of course.” Kira checks the Hermes Apple watch on her left wrist. “I’ve got a phone call in a few minutes, so if there’s anything else you wanted to go over …?”
“There is one thing,” I say as I rise from the chair.
“Shoot.” She stands.
“My boyfriend’s mother is Camilla Masterson,” I say.
Kira smiles. “Oh, Camilla. Right. I interned for her back in the day. We still keep in touch sometimes. What a small world!”
“Right.” I gather my thoughts and a hard breath. I debated bringing this up at all but with my future at stake and Kira’s generous offer, it seems like the right time. “Her son is Talon Gold, the quarterback for PVU.”
“That’s your boyfriend? Lucky …”
“He’s going to be playing football for Richmond, which is why I’m moving out east,” I say. “But he almost didn’t accept the contract … and Camilla thought it had to do with me, so she asked me to break up with him. She told me if I didn’t, she’d make a phone call to you and then she’d have me blacklisted.”
The loudness of Kira’s laugh sends a small startle to my heart. I wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction. A second later, she dabs the tears from her eyes.
“Oh, Camilla,” she says, chuckling and rolling her eyes. “She always had a flair for the theatrics. Anyway, I’m sorry if she scared you but rest assured, Camilla Masterson has no pull in this industry, not anymore, not since she married that developer and became a Real Housewife of Laguna Cove. And besides, I didn’t get to where I am today by letting other people tell me what to do and who to hire.”
Camilla walks around her desk, slipping her lithe arm around my shoulder as we head out of her office.