But of course the difference now was that Joshua no longer worked at the magazine. Thanks to Keira, he’d been fired by Elliot. It was amazing what a difference it had made to the place. It even looked more comfortable, though the tiles were the same clinical, pristine white they’d been before, the open-plan style just as echoing. There was only one real visible difference, Keira noted; all the doors to the meeting rooms and offices that lined the office were open. She could see Heather, Elliot’s assistant, typing away at a computer in her office. Inside the conference room several staff members were engaged in a meeting that seemed joyous rather than stilted and awkward. In Joshua’s day those doors were always shut fast, acting as a physical barrier between the senior staff and junior staff.

“It’s Keira!” someone said, and suddenly heads were turning to look at her.

To Keira’s complete surprise, someone started to clap.

She felt a blush rise into her cheeks as more and more people stood from their desks and began joining in the applause. Was this what Dorothy felt like after killing the Wicked Witch? A man had lost his livelihood after all, even if he did deserve it!

Nina came over from her desk and hugged Keira.

“You made it,” she said, gently. “I told you everyone was happy to see you!”

Denise, one of the junior writers that Keira hadn’t exchanged more than two words with in the past, rushed over and hugged her. Keira was surprised.

“Oh. Um, hey,” she said, awkwardly.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” Denise gushed. “I was so close to quitting because of Joshua. He made me think I was useless, that I couldn’t write and had no talent. I was going to give up on journalism altogether. But thanks to you I’m still here and everything is a million times better than before.”

“You’re welcome,” Keira said, feeling a little surge of pride. Standing up to Joshua hadn’t been easy, but it had paid off, and it had helped more people than she’d realized. Any residual guilt she felt over her actions dissipated as she saw what an impact it had made on everyone here. Josh was a grown man, responsible for his own actions. No one had made him act like a jerk to everyone around him. He’d gotten himself fired, really; Keira had just been the catalyst.

Feeling a surge of confidence for the first time since Shane had shattered her heart, Keira went over to her desk, ready to throw herself back into her work. It was where she excelled, after all. Even if her love life was currently in tatters her career was blossoming and she was going to make the most of it.

But when she reached her desk she saw that none of her things were there. Her framed photo of her mom and Bryn was gone, along with her miniature cactus, the polka dot mouse mat she’d been given as a graduation present from her friend Shelby, and the cat-shaped mug her other bestie, Maxine, had gifted her last year. She hoped desperately they hadn’t been thrown out by accident. Small trinkets, essentially worthless, but they meant a lot to her.