It was the grandest of gestures.
I had to find him. Why was I still here listening to Ken and Craig fight? I ran out of the room and heard Craig calling after me, “That contract was not valid! We’ll sue!”
I realized I didn’t know where Marco’s office was. I asked the receptionist on this floor, and she told me it was five stories up. I thanked her and made my way to the elevators. I kept pushing the button, but it was taking too long. I opened the door to the stairs and started running.
Up.
Five flights of stairs.
By the time I’d reached the top, I was so winded, I was worried I was going to pass out. This had been a bad idea. I asked the receptionist which way to go, and it took me a couple of tries, but she eventually understood my question and pointed me in the direction of Marco’s office.
I ran past a small, dark-haired woman who asked, “Can I help you?” I went into Marco’s office, pushing the door open.
It was empty.
I turned around and went back to the woman. “Are you Marie-Angelique?”
She looked confused. “I am.”
“Marco quit?”
“He did.” Her sad expression made my heart twist in my chest. “He told me right before he emailed his father.”
Which meant he’d been here. I must have just missed him. “Where did he go?”
“I don’t know if I’m supposed to say anything.”
“Please.” I was ready to get on my hands and knees if need be. “I have to find him.”
“He said something about going to his mother’s house in Italy. I think he went home to pack.”
“Thank you.” I hugged her and then made a run for the elevators. I assumed running downstairs was easier, but I was already a sweaty, gross mess and did not need to add to it.
The elevator came quickly, and I ran through the lobby and out to the parking lot. I got into my car and started it up.
And nothing.
The engine didn’t turn over.
“Come on, Betty. Not now. You can’t do this to me now,” I said. I had no idea when his flight was leaving. Catalina was here in the building, but she was working. I didn’t know how long a rideshare would take, and I couldn’t risk not getting a ride right away.
Marco’s stupid Porsche was probably so fast that it could basically teleport him back to his condo. And I was stuck.
I worried that I’d never catch up with him.
I called my grandfather. “Grandpa? Betty died.”
“Who died?” he asked, sounding concerned.
“My car. I need you to come get me at Minx.”
“I thought you quit that job.”
I closed my eyes. “Yes, but I had that presentation here. There’s a lot to explain and I will, but right now I have to go to Marco’s house, and my car isn’t working, so I need you to come get me.”
“Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Waiting that half hour for him to arrive was pure torture. I worried that Craig would have me escorted out of the parking lot or something else horrible or that Marco was already on his way to LAX and I was never going to see him again.
Not knowing when he was leaving, I tried to call and text him. There was no response to my texts, and the calls went immediately to voice mail. Was he screening me? Or had he just turned his phone off?
I called Catalina for reassurance. I told her what had happened. “Do you want me to take the day off and drive you?” she asked.
“No.” I couldn’t put her job in jeopardy. Especially now that I wasn’t going to be in a position to offer her a new one. “My grandpa’s coming. I’m just . . . so scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“I’m scared he’ll be gone before I can reach him. I’m scared that he won’t feel the same.” And that I would never recover if he rejected me.
She made a sympathetic sound. “I know you have suffered some unimaginable losses in your life, and it makes sense that you’d be afraid of another one. But love means risk. It will be scary, but I know you can do it. And regardless of what happens, I’ll always be here for you.”
I did know that. I thanked her and promised to update her when I got the chance.
I hoped there would be a happy update.
“Also, you should slash Craig’s tires on your way out. Screw being the bigger person.”
That made me smile, and we said goodbye.
My grandpa finally arrived, and I climbed into the passenger seat gratefully. Chick Norris and Feather Locklear were in the back seat, and I heard again that the Yankees sucked.
“Thank you so much,” I told him. We drove about twenty feet, and his car started making a clunking noise, and the engine went silent. He directed the car over to the curb and then came to a stop.
“Uh-oh,” my grandpa said.
I braced my hands against the dashboard. This could not be happening. That was it! I was taking that consultant money and I was going to buy everyone in my house a new car.
“I’m out of gas,” he said apologetically. “I’m sorry. I should have checked it.”
“It’s fine,” I said. I couldn’t be mad. That was just the sort of thing my grandfather did.
“I’ll call your grandma. She has today free.”
Which meant another half hour. I felt time slipping away from me, and it was so frustrating that there was nothing I could do. Marco could be making his way to the airport at this very moment.
The problem was that sitting here, I had nothing but time to consider how badly this could all go. Marco wouldn’t laugh in my face. I knew him well enough to know he’d never be so cruel. He would be kind if he had to let me down, but the idea that I would bare my soul to him and he would say no thanks? As Catalina had pointed out, I had suffered a lot of loss. I didn’t want to lose him, too.
When my grandmother got there, I was tempted to tell her to take me home and forget the whole thing. It would hurt, but I’d get over it, right?
“What’s wrong?” my grandfather asked.
“I’m in love with Marco, and I’m terrified. What if he doesn’t love me back?”
There was so much kindness in his eyes that it actually made me feel worse. “My sweet girl, what if he does? Be brave.”
“I don’t want my heart to be shattered.”
“Nobody does. But life isn’t worth living if you hide away in your grandparents’ house and never chase after your dreams. Chase after this one.”
It was the most profound thing he’d ever said to me. It also made me feel resolved again. I was going to tell Marco. I wanted a life with him. A company that we’d start together, to adopt some birds and have some babies and wake up every morning with him.
If that scared him away, well, then he wasn’t the man I thought he was.
My grandpa added, “You don’t want to have any regrets. Or egrets. Egrets are terrible to take care of.”
That didn’t quite distract me in the way that he’d probably hoped. “This is all happening really quickly, though.” One last protest from my scarred psyche.
“Do you know how fast it happened for me?” Grandpa asked. “The second hour in the hospital after I’d broken my leg. I knew your grandmother was the one for me and that I’d never love anyone the way I already loved her. It was the first night for your parents, too.”