One day down, a lifetime to go. Hopefully not. Hopefully I can move up quickly. I’m not sure I can stand to be an assistant for long. I’ll never admit that to Ian, of course.

I didn’t see Ryder after his lawyer arrived. The door remained closed for the rest of the afternoon and by the time five o’clock rolled around, I was ready to get out of there. I needed food and a mental break.

My mind kept wandering from lust for him and anger at his line of questioning. Sure, he needs to know my intentions. I’ve never been an executive assistant before. No, he wasn’t here to hire me. Still, it’s better to give someone the benefit of the doubt, especially when they hold a degree in the field they’re working in, than to assume they’re working undercover.

Because after thinking about it, I figured out that’s what was on his mind.

Was I working for the enemy? Was I trying to get information for them? That’s not the case, and I plan to make sure to tell him that Monday morning as soon as he walks through the door.

The weekend is stressful. Not only do Ian and I fight most of the time, but his words cause me to doubt my importance to the company. In my heart, I know my job is important. My position was created for a reason and I was hired to fill the position for a reason. I have the skill set needed to be successful.

At the end of the day, though, Ian’s words cause me to doubt everything.

Sunday night, girls’ night, Angela and I meet up for a drink. It’s exactly what I need to end my weekend on a better note. To my surprise, we have company.

Sitting next to Angela is a woman I don’t recognize. Then Angela mouths her name to me when everyone’s eyes are focus elsewhere. It’s none other than Megan, Ryder’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Next to her is Allison and across from Angela is Justine. The girls I work with are nice, don’t get me wrong, but I was looking forward to spending tonight with my best friend, venting about my boyfriend. Oh, and I was hoping to talk about my new boss, the one who’s been fulfilling my fantasies while I slept the last two nights.

Neither of those things will be happening now. The look on Angela’s face is apologetic. She knew I needed a night for just the two of us. It’s become a weekly thing with us, drinks one night a week. No guys. No one else. Just the two of us. We can bitch about everything and anything we want. With the gossip girls here tonight, I won’t be saying much at all. I’d rather my life not be turned into their next rumor.

“Hey,” I say loudly as I take my seat.

Megan forces a smile in my direction while Justine and Allison are friendlier, saying hello and introducing me to Megan. I’m sure she appreciates it when Allison announces that she’s Ryder’s wife as if everyone at the table doesn’t already know they’re about to get divorced.

Angela causally shrugs her shoulders when I look in her direction before raising her hand to grab the waitress’ attention. No matter how many times I try to explain to her that “flagging” down the waitress is rude, she can’t seem to comprehend why.

“What are can I get for you ladies?” she asks, a clearly irritated smile on her face.

“Seven shots of tequila,” Angela announces.

“Seven?” I ask as the waitress retreats.

“Yeah, you need to catch up with us since you were late,” she declares, passing me her drink.

The watered-down brown liquid could be a number of things. Knowing Angela, it’s a Long Island Ice Tea with an extra shot of vodka in it. She’s been drinking those for as long as I can remember.

Taking a sip, I relax back in my chair and let the liquor burn a path to my stomach. The not-so-gentle reminder Angela yelled at me about being late is now all I can think about. Another fight with Ian, one that was prolonged by the fact that we were interrupted by a call from his boss, led to me storming out and slamming the door behind me.

I can’t take the fighting anymore.

Things have to change. Today, not tomorrow. Now, not next week.

“You act like you don’t love me anymore,” he said.

“I do love you. I don’t love the way you try to make me feel less important than I am. I may not have the job you do yet or make the kind of money you make, but I have my foot in the door. It takes time.”

“Not for some of us,” he snarked.

“Well, I’m sorry I’m not as perfect as you. I’m sorry you don’t approve of the route I’m taking to get where I want to be. If it’s that big of a damn deal, why don’t you find someone more on your level? Someone you can relate to more. Someone who cares about their work more than they care about anything else!”

“Em—”

“No! I’m done with this conversation. Figure your shit out, Ian or I’ll figure it out for you. I’m done having the same fight over and over again. Either make your peace with my decision or don’t.”

For once, I got the last word in. Only because his phone rang, distracting him. When he slid his finger across the screen and greeted his boss in a cheery voice that was the final straw. I slammed the door on my way out, causing something to fall and shatter.

I’ve never been so angry in my life. I found the confidence to say things to him that I’ve wanted to since we first started to have this fight weeks ago. Things that I never thought would cross my lips.

“What’s got you on edge?” Justine asks, nudging me in the shoulder.

“Nothing,” I reply, reaching for the two shots of tequila that have magically appeared in front of me.

“Liar. You can tell us,” she says, her voice getting sickly sweet as she leans closer to me. The other girls, including Angela, follow suit and before I know it, they’re practically in my face waiting for me to confess all my sins.

“It’s nothing, really. I got in a fight with Ian and it’s still bothering me.”

There. Maybe that will suffice.

“What was it about?” Megan asks, clearly uninterested as she picks at her nails.

“He thinks his job is more important than mine,” I reply without hesitation.

Maybe it will help talking about it. Maybe they’ll understand. I know Angela does, but we’ve been friends so long it’s hard to tell when she’s agreeing with me to make me feel better or because she actually thinks I’m right.

“What does he do?” Allison asks.

“He works for Perregrine.”

“Advertising,” Justine states blandly. “I’m guessing he’s a big shot.”

“Nope. Small fish in the big pond still.”

“But he’s not someone’s assistant,” Megan chimes in, a wicked grin spreading across her face as she stares me directly in my eyes, daring me to say something. She knows exactly what she’s doing and there’s not an ounce of compassion in her voice.

“Nope. He has an assistant. He has his own office and everything,” I say, my anger rising with each word. “He also makes a bunch of money, more than me of course. Because all I am is an assistant to your soon-to-be ex-husband.”

As soon as the words slip past my lips I regret them. All eyes turn to Megan, who’s currently holding her grin in place as if my words haven’t devastated her.

“You think my divorce is big news? Is that it? Well, let me tell you a little secret,” she starts, leaning forward and lowering her voice. “I was you once. I was at his beck and call, did whatever he needed me to do for him. I helped him make it through college. I was by his side through thick and thin for years. I’m the mother of his child and will always be in his life. He can divorce me and move on, but I’ll never be out of the picture. So if you think announcing my divorce is a slap in the face to me, you’re wrong. He’s not the one leaving me, I’m leaving him.”

“But I thought you said—” Allison starts, a sharp glare from Megan causing her to cut herself off.

“Time to go, girls. I think I’ve had enough fun for one night.” Standing, Megan pushes her chair into a woman behind her, causing her to fall forward. Looking over her shoulder, she laughs before turning her attention to me once again. “Have fun with my leftovers. Try to keep him in line, will you? He was hard to tame the first time around. I’m sure it won’t be easy for you.”

Allison and Justine follow Megan out of the bar without so much as a goodbye. Angela has yet to say anything. We both watch them go until the door closes behind them and we’re left alone at the table. Sliding over into Justine’s seat, I reach for her untouched shot of tequila and down it.

“That was awkward,” Angela finally says.

“You’re kidding, right? She made it sound like I was about to jump in bed with Ryder and that’s not the case. I can only imagine what the rumors will be tomorrow morning at work. I’m probably already sleeping with him even though I have a boyfriend. No one seems to care if the rumors make sense or not. As long as there’s gossip…” I say, letting my voice trail off.

“I’m sorry, Em. I really am. I’m not sure what got into Megan. I mean, she can be a bitch, but that was over the top. I think the divorce is bringing it out in her to be honest.”

“That’s not my fault. It’s not like I told him to ask her for a divorce.”

“It’s her fault, that’s the problem,” she mutters, barely loud enough for me to hear her over the bustle of the bar.

“What do you mean?”

“She cheated on him. She’s the reason they’re getting divorced.”

Well, shit. No wonder she’s being such a bitch. She got caught and now she’s paying the ultimate price. Her family is being split. Her daughter will be confused and one day she’ll have to tell her the truth about why mommy and daddy aren’t together.

“That’s sucks,” I say for lack of anything better. “Another shot?”

“Or two,” Angela says, flagging down the waitress again. I don’t have the energy to correct her manners.

“So much for girls’ night,” I say as I down my fourth tequila shot.

“It’s only eight o’clock, Emerson. Did Ian give you a curfew?” she jokes. That only happened once, and I blew past it by an hour just to prove a point to him.

“Nope. But I wanted to bitch about work and Ian and talk about Ryder and none of that seems like a good idea anymore.”

“So bitch. I thought Ryder would make a good boss. Is he as menstrual as Megan is with the divorce?”

“I don’t think so. We’ve only had one real conversation, but he seems nice. He caught me checking him out, though.”

“Emerson!”

“What? You can’t deny he’s attractive. I’d be an idiot not to notice him.”

“All the Dixon boys are attractive. It’s ridiculous.”

“Agreed. Maybe that’s what has Megan’s panties in a twist. She realizes what she’s lost and that he’ll eventually find another. It won’t be me, I’m spoken for, but she obviously thinks it will be.”

“Who says it won’t be you?” Angela asks with a sly smile on her face.

“Um, let me think. I do.”

“Yeah, but by the sounds of it, you and Ian are on the outs. That could be because he knows exactly who you are working for. He might be jealous.”

“Even if that’s the case, it doesn’t give him permission to treat me the way he’s been treating me. He’s been a downright asshole the last few weeks. He’s making me feel worthless, and that’s not the kind of relationship I want to be in. He’s not the person I started dating. He’s changed.”

“Or you have.”

There’s a knowing look on Angela’s face that I’ve seen once before. The last time she gave me this look was right before I broke up with my last boyfriend, Kevin. He was cheating. I didn’t find out for almost two months. Angela knew something was off about him, that he was hiding something. She had to convince me of what she was seeing.

She’s always claimed to be able to see past the facade that most people put on in their daily lives. She can spot a lie a mile away, it doesn’t matter if they’re trying to lie to her or someone else. It’s a gift. I hate it because she’s always right.

“Spill it,” I demand, reaching for her tequila shot.

“He hasn’t changed, Em. He’s the same person you’ve always dated. He’s never let you wander far without him. He’s constantly pressuring you to make decisions that he approves of. There’s a reason you’re back here in Sunnyside. It’s not because I live here. It’s because this is where he wanted you. He’s in control, no matter if you want to see that or not. It’s the reason I’ve never liked the two of you together. He’s too possessive. The fact that you work for another man, a very attractive, successful man, scares the crap out of him. He can’t control what happens at the office. That’s why he’s trying to pressure you to quit. Please tell me you can see this.”

Relaxing back into my seat I think about the last few weeks. He’s been on edge since I told him about the job at Dixon and Sons and even more so since I accepted it. It got worse when I told him who I was specifically working for. I think he was hoping that I was working for Tyler. That would have been safe. Tyler is with Angela and they couldn’t be happier.

He turned up the pressure for me to quit when I told him that Ryder was returning to the office. It was all he wanted to talk about this weekend. What did I think of him so far? Did I want him to help me find a new job?

It makes sense. All of it. Everything Angela says fits perfectly into place with how Ian has been the last few weeks. The problem is there’s nothing I can do to change it. Unless we split. He won’t change. His opinion won’t change. That’s the one thing about Ian that I don’t love, his inability to see the other side of a situation.

Promising Angela I’ll think about what she said, I change the subject to her upcoming vacation with Tyler. They’re traveling after the holidays again this year. She happily obliges and starts shooting off potential destinations. I try to stay focused on our conversation, happy for Angela, but my mind wanders aimlessly.

To Ian.

To Ryder.

To my future and the uncertainty it holds.