Page 29 of Worth the Fall
“Then he doesn’t deserve you,” she said sharply.
I had a feeling Martha didn’t love Harrison. After wegot serious, I wanted him to meet Martha. She was the most important person in my life, and I had just spent the weekend with his parents in The Hamptons
We went to dinner, and Harrison did what he did best: talked about himself. He talked about his company, the apartment he had just bought, a vintage car he owned, and on and on. Martha kept shooting me looks and drank more than her fair share.
She was nice enough to ask about him every so often at the office or if I had spent the weekend with him, but it always came with a hint of suspicion.
“Listen to me, honey. You could’ve broken up with him on the spot, but you made a very mature decision to take a break, gather your thoughts, and try again next week. If he’s smart, he will take this week to think about how much he loves you and what he needs to do to earn youback.”
I wiped my eyes and nodded, even though she couldn’t see me.
“Are you okay?”
I took a breath, my sinuses swollen from crying. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry, Martha, I just wasn’t sure who I could talk to.”
“Are you kidding? You can always call me! I can fly out and meet you in Utah if you need some backup. Jeff will tell you,I’ve got a mean left hook if Harrison acts up again.”
No matter what mood I was in, I could always count on Martha to make me laugh. “That’s okay.”
“You’ll call me as soon as you talk to him, though?”
“Of course.”
“Good girl. Text me when you take off and land, all right?We miss you around the office!”
I clutched my heart at her motherly affection. “I will. Thank you.”
“I don’t know what you’re thanking me for. I just got to talk to my bestie!”
“I’ll let you get back to Jeff, goodnight, Martha.”
“Goodnight, sweetie.”
I pressed the phone against my chest. For some reason, I had a strong urge to call my mother. We were going to Texas in a few weeks. Maybe she would want to see me, even if it was just to talkfinances. I wanted another picture of my dad, and I knew she had a big box of them.
Hope began to fill my body. I could do this. I could take this week to focus on myself and what I needed. I could reconnect with my mother. I could do my job and get the promotion.
I was the only thing standing in my way.
Chapter Eleven
I didn’t want to stay in Florida a second longer. I texted my company to request an early flight to Utah, andpacked as fast as I could. I called Billy, got herherown flight plan, and told her I’d meet her at the hotel on Thursday before the rodeo.
On the plane, I worked on a report of my second rodeo. I wrote more than I should, diving into the details to distract my wandering thoughts. I talked about the new script for the announcer and how more people had reacted. I wrote about the meeting I had with the board, and although it wasn’t as enthusiastic as I’d hoped, we made progress.
At the next rodeo, all the riders would be wearing Agri-Corp vests, and there would be a booth right outside the arena with equipment. We were also going to sell shirts and hats, and have a big giveaway.
With all this announced on their social media, the videos of Jimmy and Colton, and high-quality photos of the board, they had gained over five hundred followers.
Mr. Sterling had sent ten emails, talking about the great work I was doing and providing pointers on how to move forward.
Grunt assignment, Harrison? I think not.
I mentally high-fived myself.
The plane landed in a town called St. George, and it wasabout an hour drive to the little town where the next rodeo would be held.
Arizona was a heat death trap, and I had practically drowned in Florida’s humidity, but this place was nice. It was late summer, and the weather couldn’t have been better.
