“What? You were dead wrong. I just told you I quit, and my last day is next Friday.”
“Well, you’ll regret it eventually, Tara. Nothing good in life ever comes to those who quit.”
I shook my head and signaled for the town car. The only thing I regretted was inviting her to New York for an entire weekend. Since Preston was flying Violet to Disney World for her birthday and Ava was starting yet another new job this weekend, I thought I would personally show her the one city she had yet to cross off her bucket-list.
I knew I should’ve waited another couple of months.
“Good afternoon, Miss Lauren.” Will stepped out of the car and opened the back door for us. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Lauren.”
My mother smiled and moved onto the backseat first. “Do you have an itinerary planned for us, Tara?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t start until tomorrow. I have some things being moved out of my office today, and I need to be at my condo for at least two hours.”
She stared at me for a few seconds. “Was your boss that bad, hon? Are you sure you’re not just imagining things?”
“She’s not just imagining things,” Will said, smiling at me through the rearview mirror. “Trust me.”
I mouthed “Thank you,” to him, and he winked at me.
“Well, I guess so,” my mother said, seeming to accept things finally.
I started to change the subject, to ask her if there was anything in particular she wanted to eat tonight, but my mother quickly reminded me that she didn’t accept shit when it came to quitting.
“Look at Bill Gates!” She faced me. “He never quit.”
“He dropped out of college.”
“Steve Jobs never quit.”
“He dropped out of college, too.”
“Well, Ellen DeGeneres—”
“She lasted one semester of college.”
“Well, those are only three examples.” She pulled out her phone. “Let me find some people for you to admire so you can rethink your decision.”
I looked out the window and held back a sigh.
By the time we made it to my condo, my mother had read me the biographies of over eighty “business people” who didn’t quit, and I didn’t have the energy to tell her that A) None of those people were currently alive; and B) Half of them were fictional characters from bestselling books.
The doorman smiled at us as he let us inside, and she finally put her game to rest. I checked my mailbox and noticed it was stuffed with beautiful, bright postcards from employees at Parker International.
* * *
Dear Miss Lauren,
Please don’t leave us with him.
Thanks.
* * *
Dear Miss Lauren,
Can I come with you? (Like, just me.) I don’t think my job is safe if you’re not around.
Thanks.
* * *
Dear Miss Lauren,
Your boss is more than willing to keep you onboard here.
At least, that’s what I’ve heard.
-Preston Parker
* * *
I laughed and read the rest of them, noticing that for every one card that was from an intern, there were five more from Preston. As touched as I was by the gesture, and as much as I enjoyed spending more time with him, I knew we were better off working separately.
I just hoped he felt the same way I did about keeping our personal lives entwined.
“Wow.” My mother twirled around the lobby. “How much does this place cost a month? Actually, no. Don’t tell me. I don’t even want to know.”
I laughed and hit the up button for the elevator. “It’s expensive, but my boss covers most of it.”
“Will he be covering it for a little while longer after you’re gone?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t asked.” I knew that even if he didn’t, I had more than enough in my bank account to cover things for quite a while.
As we stepped onto the car, my mother leaned forward and gave me a hug—catching me completely off guard. “Your father would be very proud of you if he could see you now, you know?”
“Even after I quit something?”
“Absolutely.” She smiled. “Your father was the biggest quitter I knew. Why do you think I pushed you so hard to be the opposite?”
I laughed and let go as the elevator stopped on my floor. When the doors glided open, I showed her to the spa room that was on the left, and when we walked to the doors that led to my front door, Preston moved away from the wall and smiled at me.
“You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend.” My mother playfully fanned herself. “Who is this?”
“I’m Preston Parker,” he said, extending his hand. “I apologize for all the things you’ve had to hear about me over the past two years, and it’s nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Lauren.”
“What?” My mother’s eyes widened as she shook his hand. “Tara, this is your boss?”
“The terrible boss that she hates.” He smiled, correcting her.
She stood utterly speechless, still shaking his hand, still staring at him.
I waited for her to let his hand go, but it started to feel like that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. “Mom?” I cleared my throat. “Mom.”
“Oh, sorry.” She finally let go, but she still stared at him.
Preston laughed and pulled me into a hug. “How did your mom get to New York?”
“By plane, of course.”
He raised his eyebrow. “She took a commercial flight?”
I nodded.
“Why?”
“Because that’s how us regular people get around.”
Laughing, he let me go. “You could’ve used one of my planes.”
“I still don’t think you need four.”
“That’s why I have five.” He smiled. “She’s more than welcome to take a private plane on her way back.”
“Am I allowed to use one when I start my new job?”
“Only if you’re flying somewhere to see me.” He looked as if he was tempted to push me against the wall and kiss me, but he thankfully restrained himself in front of my mother.
“Tara, this is your boss?” My mother repeated. “I thought you said you hated everything about him.”
“I do.” I looked at him. “I thought you were going to Disney World.”
“We were until a certain someone started crying because she wanted Tara to come,” he said. “No, excuse me. Bear wanted Tara to come. They’re waiting in the car with Simon.”
I smiled. “Well, I’d love to come, but can we leave another day? I’m waiting on some things to be delivered from the office, and my mom wants to see New York.”
“I’m open to going to Disney World,” my mother said. “Today. With him. Whenever.”
I held back a laugh, and Preston clasped my hand.
“I’ll ask Will to stand guard for the delivery of your things,” he said. “Do you need to grab anything from inside first?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking me if I want to pack before I go on a trip.”