Chapter Twenty-Seven

Exhaustion was etched on Antonia’s face.

As she gave herself a cursory glance in her bathroom mirror, it became clear what kind of toll the morning’s events took on her body. If someone had told her that she’d be put in the middle of a painful Irish family reunion, she would have laughed. She splashed her face with cold water, hoping it would make a difference. The frigid water gave her a temporary wake up, but her eyes still looked tired.

Antonia walked to her bedroom and flopped onto the mattress where she contemplated sleep. She was in no condition to write anything, but her mind was still abuzz with racing thoughts. She wondered what Aiden was doing and if he was alright. It would probably take him a long time to be “alright,” but that didn’t stop her from worrying.

Her phone rang in her back pocket, startling her. It was Eddie.

“Hey Ed,” she answered.

“Have you checked your emails?”

She sat up from her bed. “No, what’s up?”

“Wild Hare has been sold as a subsidiary of Sixpence Publishing,” he shouted. “Why aren’t you checking your emails?”

Antonia tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder, grabbing for her laptop. “When did you find this out?”

“Last night,” he said excitedly. “The board sent out a company-wide email, but there’s individual emails asking us to come back.”

She held her breath as she checked her email. She found it. “Dear Antonia Harper,” she breathed. Antonia’s eyes scanned the page, picking out the key phrases like “our apologies for a tumultuous change in management” and “your work has not gone unnoticed.” A small gasp escaped her lips as she read, then reread, the last paragraph. “Oh no...” she groaned.

“What is it?”

She couldn’t articulate the news until she read it for a third time. It was like passing through some strange reverse in fortune. Just yesterday, she’d finally cut ties with Derek and now she was being offered a job. Hadn’t she already gone through enough of these changes? “They can’t do this,” she moaned.

“Spit it out!”

“They’re offering me the position of publisher,” she said. “I’d have to apply for it, but they’re hiring in-house, and they think I would be a good candidate based on my previous experience. They want me to have Richard’s job...”

“Holy shit, forget everything I said. You have to take this job.”

Antonia shook her head. “They want me to interview on Thursday, Eddie. Today is Tuesday.”

“Okay, so you cut your trip a little short or ask them to reschedule for next week. This could be the chance to work for a place that will take you seriously. They forced Richard out for you!”

Antonia’s head was spinning. “But what about my book? What about Aiden? I thought I was out here trying to find myself.”

Eddie went quiet.

“Well?” she said. “What about it? They can’t just dog-whistle me back to Chicago to do a job that I might not want to do. I’m still figuring things out.” Her eyes filled with tears of frustration.