I take a deep breath. “I need you to get me on the next flight home.”
Ethan’s face falls. The silence that surrounds us is deafening. After a few long, tense seconds, Ethan nods and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He steps out of the bedroom, and I hear his muffled voice as he paces through the other room, presumably talking to the airline.
A few minutes later, I walk into the living room and find him sitting with his head in his hands. My footsteps draw his attention up. He stands slowly but keeps his distance.
“Your flight leaves in an hour.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll drop you off at the airport.”
I nod.
We walk out to the car. Ethan opens the passenger door for me, then loads my bag into the back. The short drive is silent. For a minute, I think he’s done fighting for me. For us. But as he pulls up to the terminal and stops the car, Ethan looks over at me, his eyes full of pain and brimming with unshed tears.
“I wish there was something I could say to change your mind,” he says.
My voice is quiet but steady when I reply, “Me too.” Then I step out of the car and walk away.
28
Ethan
The board meeting is brutal. They rake me over the coals about my relationship with Margot, particularly the bit where it was never properly disclosed to HR. But in the end, I come out of the meeting relatively unscathed. My job is intact, but I have no doubt that the board will be keeping a close eye on me for a while.
That isn’t what concerns me the most—Margot’s promotion is. She deserves this promotion. I may have wrecked everything between us, but at least I can still give her this.
Which is why Garrett’s announcement blindsides me.
“Ms. Higgins has withdrawn her name from consideration for the position,” Garrett informs the room without sparing me a glance.
The room stirs, far from unanimous in their response. Someone scoffs, a few nod in approval, one guy simply reaches for another apple danish like none of this matters at all.
“What?” I ask, my gaze snapping towards Garrett.
The look he gives me in return is a warning:Don’t fucking push this. Not here.
My jaw clenches. I suck in a breath through my teeth and try to let it go. For now, at least.
The meeting wraps shortly after, but the board members linger, chatting, laughing, the one guy inhaling his danish like it’s a competitive sport.
I catch my brother by the arm and hiss under my breath, “What the hell is going on? Why would Margot turn down the promotion?”
Garrett scans the room, then lowers his voice. “Let’s go talk in your office.”
I nod and follow him out of the conference room, down the hall, and around the corner to my office. Margot is sitting at her desk, typing. Her gaze flicks between me and Garret, then quickly away. It’s been like this all week. I’m trying to give her the space she needs, and she’s gladly accepting it. The few times we’ve spoken, it’s been strictly business. Her answers are clipped, her eyes anywhere but on mine.
As we pass her desk, Garrett motions for her to join us in my office.
Fucking great.
This is bound to go poorly.
Margot rises reluctantly, trailing behind us. I hold the door, but I might as well be one of those little plastic doorstops. She slips inside the room without even the slightest hint that she knows I’m there, and I close the door behind her.
Garrett makes himself right at home in my chair. It’s hard to say whether it’s a power move or muscle memory from his own time running the company. Margot and I take the grey visitor chairs across from him. She fidgets with her hands in her lap as we all settle in for what promises to be a disaster of a meeting.
As always, Garrett wastes no time. “The board meeting went better than expected. Ethan, you’re lucky to be walking away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Margot, asrequested, your name was withdrawn from consideration for the Director position.”