Page 137 of Faking it For Summer

“Hey, Luke. This is Johnson. We need you back in the office—like, now.”

“Sorry, what?”

“The deal is about to fall through, and you’ve been gone long enough. Look, I know you’re there for your brother’s wedding, but this is a multibillion-dollar deal. It’s more important than that. Throw your brother another fucking wedding next year to make up for it, but we need you back now.”

“I can’t do that.”

“It’s not a request. It’s a demand. You get back now, or the deal is off.”

“What do you mean, the deal is off?”

“You are part of the deal. If the deal is off, you’re out. Out, as in fired, Haverbrook. So, you’re on the next plane back to New York, or you’re fired.”

The phone hangs up.

I look over at Mia. There’s a concerned expression in her eyes.

“I guess you should go,” she says softly. “Do you want to drive to the airport?”

I stare at her, my heart thudding. I nod slowly.

“I’ll come back in a couple of days. I’ll fix this and be back. And then we can discuss what we want to do—if you want to move to New York or if we want to go to England, or?—”

Her expression changes slightly, but she just keeps nodding.

“I don’t want to lose my job. I’ve been working for a really long time to make this happen. This is a big deal.”

I continue driving and then make a swift U-turn.

“Okay. I’m going to go to the airport. You can stay in the hotel room. We’ve got it for … I don’t even know how many more days. I’ll give you my credit card information. You can stay there until I come back, and then we’ll talk, and we’ll figure out how we’re going to make this work and where we’ll live, and if we’re based in different places, how often we’ll see each other.” I can hear my voice escalating. Something doesn’t feel right. I’m panicking.

She doesn’t say anything.

“I have to leave. I cannot lose this deal. And I will figure out how to run the family business as well. Once I figure this deal out in New York, I’ll ask for a sabbatical because I have to help my parents. I have to help our business. And then you and I will talk.”

My heart is racing, and something doesn’t feel right. I don’t feel right. My body is shaking and tense, and Mia is shying away from me. Her body language is off. The laugh is gone from her mouth. She’s no longer smiling, and she’s avoiding eye contact.

We drive past a McDonald’s, and I see two kids standing outside. The little girl is giving the boy French fries.

I smile, thinking about when we were kids—how Mia would always share her burgers and fries with me.

And that’s when it hits me.

I pull over and stop the car.

“Fuck,” I say, turning off the ignition and staring at her.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asks, concern in her eyes.

I can see her tears, and I feel like a damn fool.

“I nearly did it, didn’t I?”

“What?” she says.

“I nearly ruined it already.”

“I don’t know what you’re saying.”