Page 92 of Let's Call a Truce
“Have a good time.” He walked away without waiting for a response.
Chapter 29
Quinn threw herarms around me the second I walked into the lobby, and a heartbeat later, tears flooded my eyes.
When I’d stressed about all the ways Ben and I were connected before we got together, I didn’t even think about how every one of my best friends had a relationship with him outside of our relationship. Asia and Dani loved him as much as they loved me, and Gabriela was naturally averse to anything that could hurt his daughter, one of the students she spent a year nurturing. They’d consoled me, but I hadn’t felt like I could be completely open without putting them in a weird position.
But Ben didn’t matter to Quinn. He was a casual business acquaintance she’d had lunch with a couple times.
“What happened?” she asked the second I pulled back.
I blinked quickly up at the hotel’s ceiling, the tears causing lights in the massive chandelier to starburst like a Fourth of July fireworks show.
“A lot,” was my eloquent reply.
She let out a heavy breath. “Let’s get to the restaurant, and then you’re going to tell me everything.”
We went to a hole-in-the-wall pizza place that she swore was as good as our favorite place in Gainesville (spoiler alert: it wasn’t), and I spilled the whole story between bites of our mushroom-and-sausage slices.
“Fuck that guy,” Quinn said with enough vehemence that I wouldn’t be surprised if Ben dropped dead across town from her anger alone.
A surge of protectiveness rose up inside me. “I can understand his choice.”
“Don’t do that,” she said. “Don’t defend him when he’s screwed up so badly.”
I rubbed my hand over my forehead. “It’s hard to explain, but I really do get it, feeling like you have to give everything, sacrifice anything, to keep your child happy.”
She reached over and grabbed my hand. “Fair, but it sounds like he’s not letting you go, and that’s not fair. You deserve the chance to find someone who’s all in.”
The tears started again. There couldn’t be anyone else when I only wanted him. I swiped more napkins from the storage container to blot the tears away before they destroyed my whole face.
I squeezed her hand. “Thank you. It helps to talk it out with someone who isn’t involved. Even my parents have skin in the game since they’ve gotten close to Paris. Untangling our lives has been exhausting.”
This was what I was scared of from the beginning. How was I supposed to move on when I couldn’t escape him?
“I’m here, a phone call away. Don’t go through this alone.” Her eyes tracked over my face as I wiped away the last of the tears. “You should go fix your face.”
A laugh burst out of me. “Thanks, asshole.”
She laughed back, pulling her compact out of her purse to show me just how bad the damage was. “No, an asshole would let you go to a meeting looking like that.”
She had a point, but I still threw one of my tear-soaked napkins at her as I headed to the bathroom.
James had arrived by the time I got back, standing by the table having what looked like a stilted conversation with Quinn,who was wearing the fakest smile I’d ever seen. His face lit up when he saw me.
“Looking lovely as always, Juliana,” he said, and Quinn snorted. I resisted the urge to throw something else at her. “Are you ready?”
“Sure am,” I said with a smile I only sort of had to fake. I gathered my purse and gave Quinn a quick hug. “Lead the way.”
We made it to President Munchen’s office with a minute to spare, and her executive assistant showed us in. It was a classic university office, with wood paneling and bookshelves overflowing with textbooks occupying the walls. Her large desk dominated the space, and I could almost see reprimanded students sinking lower into the seats in front of it.
To the left was a large green couch, so spot-on to the university’s colors I had to wonder if it was custom-made, flanked by two large leather chairs. She led me toward that section of the room, away from the intimidating desk, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“Thank you so much for having me, President Munchen.”
“It’s Maureen, remember?”
Her bright smile sparked its own in me. She had been warm toward me from our first phone call, and it was nice to sit with another professional woman who understood the challenges and sacrifices required to rise to the top of her field.
