A Waltz With Wolves (Book II in The Harrison Inc. Series) | ✓

Chapter Sixty: Out Of Hiding - Last Chapter

**

I thought my victory over Claire Finch would last as long as the buzz around her scandal. Apparently, I was wrong.

I'm unsure if it's because the heat has lasted longer in the press, at a constant peak, then expected—two weeks. It's all everyone is talking about. It's all everyone has been talking about since Claire came out with the statement.

In my office, I watch an interview that Claire did yesterday with Diane Sawyer about her infidelity scandal. I read the comments more than anything; they're less than sympathetic. I force myself to see the immense positivity in this, but with Sebastian not here to share this victory with me, it's almost useless in a selfish sense. A professional sense? It's an instant boost in my career. A publicist's ace in the hole.

A knock at my door brings me out of my thoughts. Sarah stands in the doorway, waiting for me to let her in. I do with a smile, watching her as she closes the door and sits down across from my desk. I study her as she sits down, admiring the black and white blazer she wears that compliments her dark hair tied into a tight bun. I feel like I haven't taken the time to enjoy her presence as much.

I close my laptop as she begins speaking. "The situation hasn't died down a bit," she says.

I shake my head. "Nope. I feel sleep deprived at this point."

Sarah laughs, then remains quiet. Since our falling out at my apartment about meeting with Claire without consulting her, our professional relationship has been more one dimensional than usual. We keep it cordial, but we've never addressed how we each felt about the situation.

"Sebastian's statement has stuck pretty hard," she then says. I see a small twang of regret in her eyes when she says the name—she knows Sebastian and I haven't been talking for two weeks now. Of course, we speak when it involves something business related, but that's it. She knows it hurts; I'm sure Sebastian has talked to her about it.

I don't meet her eyes as I reply. "He kept it simple. To the point. Got his message across without disrespecting Claire. People liked that. I think everyone has a little more respect for him now."

"I agree." As I look up, Sarah bites her rouge-colored lips in thought. "He heads off to New York tomorrow."

I open my laptop instinctively—almost like a defense tactic to avoid the conversation Sarah wants to start. "I know."

"He'll be gone for three weeks."

"I know that, too." I begin replying to emails, but it's incomprehensible text; I can't focus. "He's got a lot of work he needs to do over there. A lot of meetings, I presume."

"Why aren't you going with him?"

"Because he doesn't want me to."

"I'm sure that isn't true—"

"It is," I snap at her. My tone is sharp and defensive, and Sarah catches wind of this and is clearly taken aback. I apologize immediately for my outburst, but it's still clear that I've been ticked.

"He and I agreed to this," I explain to her, eyes still on my laptop screen. "We agreed to keep it professional until this mess dies down. And as you can see, it hasn't even gotten close to dying down. When it does, it will be easier for us to be more comfortable around each other."

I see Sarah roll her eyes at my explanation—an excuse to her. Suddenly, she isn't a colleague. She's a friend. A friend who stands up, grabs my laptop and puts it on the couch in my office. I stare up at her in shock.

"I remember when I first met you. I hated you. I thought you were a stuck-up bitch with an entitled pole shoved up your ass. And you were. But I realized it was because you were a lot like me—a woman with a lot of baggage. A woman that's just had a lot of back luck. But ever since you met Sebastian, you've learned how to carry all this baggage. You've changed; you're different than the woman I met outside that jet before we went to Tennessee. Sebastian made you better, and you did the same for him. So, don't get snappy with me because I'm pissed you're giving that all up. Not all of us are lucky enough to find someone that makes us better."