“Get out of my office.” He throws the notepad down on his desk. “It’s ridiculous you even had this appointment.”

Chapter Fifteen

Sara

I stare at the elevator doors, which remain closed. Robbie and I practically ran out of the office, only to get down to the lobby and realize we had no idea where to go.

Across the vestibule, Robbie is talking into his cell phone, I think to the guy who drove him here.

Braden has still not made it down. I can’t imagine what he could possibly be saying, what he’s thinking, staying up there.

I’ve never been so embarrassed, so ashamed, in my entire life. It felt like if I’d spent one more second in that man’s view, my skin would burst into flames.

“Sorry about that,” Robbie says as he hangs up. “It’s a pickup with no backseat, or he’d give you a ride too.”

“No problem,” I say. “I Ubered here, and I was planning to do the same back.”

He nods.

We are silent, and all I can think about is the giant Williams, Brown and Moore logo behind him. It dwarfs us by comparison.

I sigh. “I can’t believe how terribly that went. Like, I wasn’t expecting an offer. But I thought we’d be politely declined, not yelled at.” I run a hand through my hair. “What do we do from here?”

“Get back to work.” Robbie shrugs. “I don’t think these sort of things usually happen like lightning striking,” he says. “It’s more step by step.”

“I just thought this was it, you know?” I look out the glass doors at the overcast sky, which seems to hover low over the foothills in the distance. “Now I just feel stupid.”

The elevator dings and the doors spring open. Braden steps off, radiating negative energy.

“Hey,” I say.

He bumps into my shoulder as he passes, sending me stumbling backward, and pushes briskly past without a word.

The glass door slams closed behind him.

Oh, that is the last straw.

I push through the door, holding it open for Robbie, who is close behind me. Braden is on foot, turning right onto the road just as Robbie’s friend’s pickup pulls into the drive.

“Go on home.” I turn to Robbie. “I’ll take care of the drama king.”

“Are you sure?” He looks from me to the boy who is taking off down the street on foot like he is filming a melodramatic music video.

“Yeah, we don’t both need to waste our time.”

I wave goodbye and head after Braden, almost running to catch up. My shoes pinch my feet, and the wind picks up, blowing my hair wildly, turning it into a tangled mess, I’m sure.

“Would you care to explain what the hell happened in there?” I say when I am within earshot.