I slammed my office door and got back to my emails.
~*~*~
Rory called me, and I debated whether to call her back or not. I’d told her I would talk with her, but I still wasn’t ready for that. I guess I needed more than one day.
Time to start sucking it up. I could do this. I was a strong bitch, and I’d been through much worse. I wasn’t the girl who got all bogged down with feelings about a guy I hadn’t even been dating.
I burst out of my office and everyone went silent. Sewing machines ceased to grind.
“What?” I said. “Get back to work.” The noise returned, but at a lower level.
Inari came over and handed me my next cup of coffee.
“So. Progress updates?” I asked. She took me through the previous day.
“I cracked the whip, but I’m not as good at it as you are,” she said.
“You’ll learn.”
I took a trip around the room to make sure everything was going the way it was supposed to go. Machines churned and every now and then someone poked themselves with a needle and had to go to the sink to rinse off the blood. The chatter was just a low murmur. I liked to keep things pretty quiet. Bolts of fabric in vibrant colors were lined up against one wall. I really needed to get a few people to organize them again. I had a system, but it was seldom followed, which lead to the chaos I was currently looking at.
The phone rang, and Inari rushed to answer it.
“Sloane? It’s Eva Clarke,” she said, holding the phone up for me.
“Great, I’ll take it in my office.” She transferred the call to my private line and I picked up as I sat in my office chair, swiveling back and forth.
“Hello, Eva, what can I do for you?” I asked.
“Hello, Sloane dear, I was just calling to let you know that I have a few potential venues for you.” Good, that was on my to-do list for today.
“Great, that’s fantastic. Thank you so much,” I said. She went through three places, with descriptions and prices and locations. The second, a church that had been converted into an event hall, sounded perfect.
“I’ve seen it myself, and it’s absolutely lovely. If you mention my name to Jennifer, the event coordinator, I’m sure she can give you a good deal. And if she doesn’t give you a good deal, let me know and I’ll make it happen.” Yet another reason I loved Eva. She broke out the bitch when she needed to get something done.
She had to run to get to a meeting, so I hung up and crossed FIND EVENT VENUE off my list. I was kicking ass today.
~*~*~
The rest of the day was a blur. I couldn’t remember the last time I got so much done in one work day.
Not wanting to go back to my apartment where thoughts of Ryder were sure to creep in, I made up my mind to stay at the studio. I had enough food and so forth in the fridge, and the couch in my office was more than comfortable.
I still hadn’t turned on my phone, but the temptation was overwhelming.
I hoped Ryder was okay. I might not want to be with him, or even see him, but I still wanted to know he was getting better.
Finally, I caved and turned it on. I had several texts from Rory, one from Lucah, and there it was. One from Ryder. Three words.
I’m so sorry.
Shit, I shouldn’t have read it. Memories of the night before crashed down on me, and I broke down, sobbing into a pillow. I had to keep myself together. Had to.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
~*~*~
I woke the next morning when my employees started crashing through the door. Rising from the couch, I went to get a set of spare clothes that I kept here for emergencies. I could take a shower in the bathroom, but I didn’t feel like it. I brushed my hair out, pinned it back, and then redid my makeup. Popping a piece of mint gum in my mouth, I walked out and greeted everyone.