need to go.” I stepped over Drake and opened the door.
“Sasha, please,” Drake begged, staying on his knees.
“Drake, I can’t think with you here. You need to go.” I needed to speak to Hannah. I needed to decide what I was going to do. I needed to see Beau.
He stood with a sigh and wiped off his sweat pants as if being on Gam’s parquet flooring for two seconds had soiled them. “I’ll text you the address to the airfield. Take off is in an hour so you need to think fast. I can’t promise you that offer will still be good if you’re not on that plane.” His tone was threatening and he stared at me for what I could only assume was a dramatic pause before sliding his sunglasses on and leaving.
I honestly didn’t know how I’d spent so many years with this man.
Before I’d even shut the door, my phone rang. I looked down hoping it was Beau but saw that it was Hannah. I answered, “Hey, you’re not going to believe this but—”
“They’re giving you everything you want,” she cut me off.
Okay, maybe she would believe it.
“I know.”
“I haven’t read all the fine print, but from the first pass it looks like they agreed to…everything. Storyline approval, pay increase, removing weight stipulations… Wait…You said you know? How do you know? They just sent over the new contract.”
“Drake delivered it. Personally.”
“Are you home?”
“No. I’m in Wishing Well.”
“Drake is in Texas?” It was one of the few times that I’d heard Hannah sound surprised.
“Yes.”
“When are you coming back?” Her tone was all business again. “Jan wants to meet with you tonight.”
“I know. She sent her jet.”
“Are you flying into Burbank?” Hannah asked, presuming I was going to get on the plane. “I can meet you at the airport and we can go over everything on the way to dinner.”
“Um…I don’t know.”
“Okay, well, text me when you do. Holy shit, they gave you everything. Everything. You know what this means?”
No. I honestly didn’t.
“Second home in Palm Springs.”
One of the first times I’d met Hannah she’d told me about her plans for a second home. She put it on her vision board every year. And now, if I signed this contract, it would be her reality.
“You did it, Sash. To be honest, I didn’t think we had a chance in hell of getting everything you wanted. But you did it. You got everything you wanted.”
She disconnected the call and I stood there, motionless, with her parting words playing in my head. You got everything you wanted.
Had I?
On paper, yes. I stared down at the contract. Everything I’d fought for, they’d agreed to. So why wasn’t I happy? And more concerning even, why was I disappointed?
As soon as I asked myself that question, I knew the answer. Somewhere, in my subconscious, or maybe just in the back of my head, I’d wanted them not to agree to my terms so I could walk away. I’d wanted an out.
My phone dinged and I looked down to see a message from Hannah. It was a GIF of champagne bottles popping and a photo of her dream home in Palm Springs with a sold sign over it. Another message came through with the address to the airfield with a clock ticking down from Drake.
Shit. I had to be on that plane. Jan Henson was not a woman you missed a dinner with. Especially if she sent you a private jet.
Panic drove me and my mind was spinning a thousand miles a minute as I rushed to my room and pulled out my suitcase.
Was I making the right decision?
Why did it feel like I was doing the wrong thing?
Did I have a choice?
I might not have the answers for the first two questions, but I did for the final one. No, I didn’t. I’d gone into contract negotiations with demands and every single one of them had been met. I’d been given everything I’d asked for, I needed to fulfill my end of the bargain.
I was just finishing zipping up my baggage when I heard Gam.
“Chipmunk?” she called call out. “Are you here?”
“Yeah.” I flung my purse over my shoulder and walked out into the front room rolling my suitcase behind me.
Gam was standing next to the fridge pouring herself some water, her coloring was a little…off. She looked pale and sweaty.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She looked over at me and set the pitcher down when she saw my suitcase. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going