Renee’s POV I stay crouched down behind the desk, trying to wrap my head around the words I just heard. I try to conceive of another possible explanation for why Jasper would refer to someone as their father. Eric has never talked about his family much and whenever I brought it up I was met with
We’re at a new Italian place and even though it’s a Thursday night, it’s packed- but the volume of the restaurant is kept at a low hum. The lighting is dim, the tables are covered in white cloth placed with a candle, and the drinks menu. A piano is being played softly in the background and light c
Renee’s POV With the passing of time work weeks to be back to normal. Yesterday, Dan accidentally sent out a company-wide email bashing another colleague when he meant to only send it to one person so that seems to have taken the spotlight of conversation. At least for a little bit. People stil
Renee’s POV I march over to my desk and begin to yank the drawers open. Papers fly up in the air around me. I know I have my original sketches somewhere. All the designers are still in the board room comforting Mia so they aren’t here to see me go crazy, though they would all be acting the same
“I’m asking Renee, not you Mia,” Eric says tersely and Mia closes her jaw. She looks at me with a smug look. The ball is in my court. I could tell the truth and have this go to court, spending a fortune that I don’t have with incriminating evidence, or I could lie and have Eric think I destroyed s
Renee’s POV “Goodnight Mommy,” Debbie says as she brings her pink comforter right up to her chin. I lean against the door frame and blow her a kiss. I flick off the light switch and leave the door open a crack. She’s so innocent, I hope she never has to break into her exes house to retrieve stole
I exhale. I’m alone. Who knew breaking and entering could be so easy? I move about more freely, checking every nook and cranny but careful to put everything back in its place. Since Eric isn’t home, I check the bedroom anyways, just to be sure. I look through the dressers but find nothing exce
Renee’s POV I almost slam the door shut behind me forgetting that Debbie is asleep upstairs. I shut the door slowly and quietly, but my insides are screaming at me and my breathe is at a rapid fire. Unable to remain still, I stride across the foyer and take the stairs two at a time to my bedroo
just as unhappy with the attention as I am. “I should have called Andrew,” he says and reaches in his pocket I presume to do exactly that. I sink down in my passenger seat as if I could make myself invisible. The excitement grows among the crowd, body’s squirming against one another like a pac
I wake up with a gasp. “What time is it?” “Almost six,” Emily says from the other side of the living room. I rub my eyes. At some point I must’ve fallen asleep. “Did you sleep at all?” I ask. “I couldn’t sleep with a hundred people outside my house,” Emily says with a bit of a bite to her
that I’m about to learn it’s not. I toss my phone aside and go for my laptop tucked inside my work bag. “You’re working?” Emily asks. I don’t answer her, I can’t. I’m too focused. I sign into my works database and pull up our network that tracks our global ratings. “No,” I gasp. “Well, if
It’s late. I’m tired. Yet the crowd outside Emily’s house continues to buzz with energy. The closer I get to the window, the more I can pick up on the undercurrent of anticipation, so I stay far away from the window. The crowd rotates through a series of chants. Each other be more annoying tha
The man approaches Eric, who remains in his seat, clearly not seeing the man as a threat. Though I can’t hear what they’re saying, I can gather the conversation well enough based off their loose hand gestures towards the house. Just then the stranger looks up and smiles knowingly at Emily and
This is not like Eric. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t the tiniest bit impressed, still it’s not fair of him to do this. I haven’t moved from the couch, despite Emily’s efforts. “Just hear him out,” she says stifling a yawn. By now we could have watch both of the movies we wanted to. I sha
this out for him so he can hear how crazy it all sounds. Eric nods. “Like I said, I’ve realized my mistake and besides I thought she was dead before. That doesn’t mean a day didn’t go by where I didn’t think about her, where I had to shove the ache in my heart way down,” he locks his eye son t
Emily’s POV Why do they make you pick between sharp or easy to use when buying a razor? Why not both? I throw both in my basket, unable to make a decision. Whatever one I don’t like Renee can have the other. Who knows how long she’ll stay. The market is busy for a Friday afternoon, but I g
“Of course your donation is what got me here in the first place,” I say trying to save face. “Thanks,” Jasper says letting me know he knows what I’m doing. “I’m happy for you, regardless how you got here, it wasn’t because of me or Eric- it was all you,” he says and pride swells up inside me. Ja