Not Pretending Anymore by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 20
Declan
“How are things going over there?” Ken’s voice boomed through the speakerphone.
Julia and I had a standing conference call with our boss once a week, almost always on Fridays. But earlier today he’d emailed us both to ask if we could speak at four this afternoon, even though it was only Tuesday.
“Good,” I said. “We’re still a bit ahead of schedule, so we’ve started working on the media plan.”
“Wonderful. Good to hear it. That makes this much easier.”
I looked across the table at Julia to see if she knew what he was talking about, but her forehead was just as wrinkled as mine.
She shrugged, so I spoke up. “Makes what easier, Ken?”
“You know Jim Townsend?”
We both nodded. “Sure. Is everything okay with him?” I asked.
“Yes, but he gave his notice this morning—only gave me one week. Apparently he got an offer he couldn’t refuse that doesn’t require traveling, and since he and his wife just had a baby, he couldn’t pass it up. They needed him right away.”
“Oh wow,” Julia said. “He’s been working on that big dairy campaign, right?”
“Yep. Over in Wisconsin. He has two team members with him, but they’re both too junior to put in charge of an account the size of Border’s Dairy. So I’m afraid I need one of you to take the reins over there for a while.”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “For how long?”
“Campaign is set to launch in a little less than nine weeks. So I’d say right around two or three months.”
Shit.
“What about here?” I asked. “It’s too much work for one person to handle.”
“I’ll send a replacement out to Chicago—two juniors, if you think it’s necessary. When Wisconsin wraps up, if there’s still work to be done in Chicago, whoever goes can go back to lend a hand. I know you two have created the vision for your campaign, and there’s a certain amount of satisfaction in bringing it to fruition. So I’m sorry about this. But one of you needs to pick up some bulky sweaters and head to Wisconsin.”
My eyes caught with Julia’s. We both were thinking the same thing, but it was she who asked, “Which one of us is going?”
“Welp, Declan is the more senior marketing director, even though you two have the same title. So I’m going to leave it up to him to decide who goes where.”
***
My sister, Catherine, seemed surprised to hear from me again. “Calling again so soon? To what do I owe this honor, dear brother?”
“Sister-Sister, I need your help big time.”
“Uh-oh, is this about the Molly situation?”
“I wish it were just about that.”
“What happened now?”
I told her about the bomb my boss had dropped at work today. I was still torn about whether to take the Wisconsin gig or throw Julia into the fire. Deep down, though, I knew the right decision.
“He’s leaving it up to you two?”
“No,” I clarified. “It’s up to me. And that’s fucked up. I wish he would’ve just made the damn decision.”
“What did Julia say?”
“She tried to seem gracious, said she’d be willing to go, but I know better. She’s been missing Newport Beach like crazy ever since we got here. She’s only just now acclimated somewhat to being in Chicago—finding places to get her healthy food and stuff. Having to go to Wisconsin for two months would kill her spirit, whether she knows it or not.”
“So, you’re gonna volunteer?”
“I think I have to. I don’t want to—not in the least. Unlike Julia, I actually love it here. There’s no part of me that wants to leave, aside from missing you guys.”
Catherine exhaled. “I think it’s really crummy of your boss to put you in this situation. What about a coin toss?”
“That still leaves the possibility that Julia will have to go. She’d resent me too much.”
“So, in that case, there doesn’t seem to be all that much to discuss here. Seems like you’ve made your decision. You don’t want to hurt Julia, so you’re hurting yourself instead.”
I sighed. “The girl broke up with her boyfriend to date me, and I haven’t committed to her, even though she seems pretty damn emotionally committed to me, and now I’m gonna ship her off to Wisconsin? That would be messed up. Don’t you think?”
“I agree that you have little choice here if you’re looking to take Julia’s feelings into consideration.” Catherine paused. “What about Molly? What does she think?”
That question filled me with dread. “I haven’t told her anything yet. This just happened today. Molly’s at work right now.”
“Whatever happened with the conversation you were supposed to have with her?”
Cringing, I closed my eyes. “It backfired. Long story short, I’d built up the nerve to tell her I wanted to take a chance on us, but before I could say it, she told me the damn doctor had asked her to date him exclusively. She said she was going to go for it.”
“What was your response?”
“I kissed her.”
She laughed. “You what?”
“I kissed her. And it was the best damn kiss of my life.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so confused.”
“Me, too, Catherine.”
“Okay, back up.”
“Molly is supposed to tell him tomorrow night that she’s going to take him up on his offer. Once she announced that, I decided I wasn’t going to stand in her way. You told me yourself to act based on the vibe she gave me. Well, she made it pretty damn easy. But…since she was still technically single, and I might not have another chance to kiss her, I asked if I could do it just once. She said yes. It was amazing. The end. That was last night.”
“So, in forty-eight hours, you decided to go for it, got your heart broken, kissed the girl anyway, then found out you’re moving to Wisconsin for two months. I’d say you deserve a drink tonight, little brother.”
I opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. “Popping it open right now.”
“Is simply saying no to this transfer an option?” she asked.
Opening the bottle and taking a sip, I shook my head. “Not if I want to keep my job. And certainly not if I want to be considered for the promotion I’ve worked so damn hard for.”
“Okay.” My sister let out a long breath. “Let’s step back and take a look at this situation with a wider lens.”
“Alright.”
“Molly made her decision. She’s going to date the doctor. You’re not that into Julia anymore. Might this temporary move to Wisconsin be a good thing? You won’t have to be around to witness Molly moving on, and it will resolve your situation with Julia without you having to let her down. Maybe once you reset and head back to California after Wisconsin, you’ll be able to move on from all of this, too?”
“You make my mess of a life sound so simple.”
“Why does it have to be complicated?”
“Well, there is a small complication: the timing. I’ll likely still have to come back to Chicago to finish off the assignment here when Wisconsin wraps. By that time, God knows what I’ll be coming back to. But you know...the more I think about it, the more I realize it doesn’t matter how I feel right now. I have to go to Wisconsin.” I downed a long sip of my beer and repeated, “Dammit, I have to go.”
