Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“Darcy,” My dad said. He looked so hurt it made me want to cry, but I’d braced myself for this. I knew it would be hard for him. “I can’t believe you quit. That was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“To what end?” I asked. I’d never really pushed back with him like this, and my heart was already pounding. My mom was just watching us both. She had a way of disappearing whenever we disagreed about something, refusing to take sides.
“What do you mean? You were writing for one of the most respected journals in the country. That’s good work, Darcy. Important work. Someone needs to do it, and you can take pride in that.”
“It just wasn’t for me, Dad.”
“Does this have something to do with that guy?” Eloise asked. “I know you claimed you two weren’t really ‘together’, but it seemed like you two had a fight and then you left The Squawker. What really happened?”
“It’s nothing like that,” I said quickly. I saw my dad was narrowing his eyes, probably clinging to the possibility that he could somehow “solve” the problem of me wanting to leave.
My dad leaned forward. “You’re not leaving The Coast because this guy asked you to, are you?”
“That guy has nothing to do with it. I don’t even have another job lined up, okay? I just had to get out of there. I tried to make it work and I couldn’t. It was–”
The doorbell rang. We all froze. I got up to get it and my dad waved for me to sit down. “Forget it. It’s probably just a package.”
I ignored him and headed for the door, anxious for any chance to get a breather from the argument at the table.
I pulled the door open expecting to see a delivery person waiting for a signature. Instead, I saw him.
Dominic Lockwood was standing on my parents’ front porch in a long black overcoat with flecks of snow stuck in his dark, perfect hair. There was a grim look on his face and a manilla folder in his hand. “Can we talk?” he asked.
I’d told Charleston I just wanted him back–that I didn’t care about apologies or proof that he’d changed. Apparently, that wasn’t true. When I saw him, I felt the old anger rise up again. He’d hurt me, and I still hadn’t forgiven him for it. He’d taken something good and ruined it. Without thinking, I slammed the door in his face, but I didn’t walk away.
I leaned my forehead against the wood, breathing hard.
“Darcy, please,” he said, voice muffled and coming from outside. “I promise it won’t take long. I just want you to hear what I have to say. You don’t even have to speak. Just let me say my piece and then I’ll leave you alone, okay?”
I took a deep breath, then pulled the door open. “Why should I?” I asked.
“You shouldn’t, but I hope you will give me one last chance.” His breath puffed out in white wisps as he spoke.
“Come in,” I said reluctantly.
I headed inside and my dad started talking when he heard me. His back was to me and he didn’t turn to look. “If you go back to them tomorrow and say you were being rash, I’m sure they’d give you the job back, Darcy. You’re just being emotional. Think rationally.”
Dominic sucked in a sudden breath and took my arm in his. He seemed to realize he was touching me when I looked down at his hand on me. He pulled it back, but frowned. “You quit your job?”
My mom and sister had already seen him and weren’t saying anything, but my dad turned then. “Oh,” he said. “Dominic, right? Sorry, I didn’t realize Darcy was bringing a guest.”
“I thought you two had some kind of fight?” Eloise said. “Are you back together?”
“We did have a fight,” Dominic said. “And I’m trying to make up for it.”
“Oh,” my mom said excitedly. She rubbed her hands together like she was getting ready for a show.
My heart was absolutely pounding. What was in that folder?
“I didn’t expect to do this with an audience, but fuck it,” Dominic said. He stuck the folder out toward me. “I spent a long time thinking about how I could find the right words to say I’m sorry. I realized there aren’t any. You deserve more than words. You deserve proof, and this is it.”
I took the folder and swallowed hard as I bent the little metal flaps holding it shut. I unfolded the top and pulled out a few sheets of paper. They were packed with text, so I scanned through and my eyes caught on a few key words. “Offer”, “Partnership”, and “The Squawker.”
I looked up at him. “What is this?”
“It’s an offer. With Marcus and Tristan’s help, we bought The Squawker from my dad. It’s completely mine, now. That means I have the authority to offer you a fourth of the ownership. I also bought out the appropriate amount of Marcus and Tristan’s share. But there are also two other offers. That second page would give you all of my shares, too. In that scenario, the shares I acquired for you would transfer back to Marcus and Tristan, making you an equal partner with them in the ownership. The last scenario is I sell my shares and we start a new magazine together.”