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First, I’d have to figure out what exactly I would say to him.
Chapter Forty-three
Clara
I had been staring at my phone all day, yet the words refused to come. So far, I’d typed, “Hi.” That didn’t seem to be enough, and I had no clue what to say after that.
I’d read his texts, though. Over and over.
I’m sorry, Clara.
Don’t forget how much I love you.
We need to talk to make this right. Everything’s going to stay fucked until we talk.
Gotta know you’re all right. Give me something. Anything.
Sage has been asking about you. This isn’t fair to her. Not fair to any of us.
I miss you. Miss you so fucking bad, I can’t breathe sometimes.
Last night, I heard Nellie’s laugh in my dreams. Woke up with tears on my face. I’m breaking here, mama. Something’s gotta give.
To tell you the truth, I’m pissed off you’re doing this. I love you more than anything, but I’m mad at you too.
Just talk to me.
Not much work had gotten done. I’d sat through meetings and conference calls, spacing out during most of them. Fortunately, the topics weren’t in my arena, and Thomas had been there to take notes in case there might’ve been anything I needed to know later.
I was once again staring at my phone when Thomas strode into my office, a puzzled expression on his face.
“I just received a strange call from security in the lobby,” he announced.
I threw my phone down on my desk and straightened. “What was strange about it?”
“They said there’s a young girl down there asking for you. A few weeks ago, I would have said Clara Rossi doesn’t know any young girls, but given the phone call I fielded, I’m aware of one. Were you expecting a visit from your little friend?”
My brows drew together in confusion. “My friend…is Sage in the lobby?”
Smirking, he nodded. “Yep. What should I tell security to do with her?”
I pushed back from my desk and stood. “Tell them I’m coming. I’ll be down there in a minute.”
My mom instinct—which I trusted far more than my man instinct—sounded the alarms. How was Sage here? She should have been in school fifteen miles away.
The elevator went at a snail’s pace. By the time it reached the lobby, I was frantic to get my eyes on Sage and make sure she was okay. When I found her behind the security desk, spinning on one of the guards’ chairs, I nearly folded in half with relief.
“Sage.” I gripped the edge of the desk. “Honey, what are you doing here?”
She stopped spinning and vaulted out of the chair. “Clara!” Then she was around the desk and throwing herself at me before I could brace myself. Luckily, she was light as a feather and didn’t topple us over when I caught her in a hug.
As I held her, she started rambling. “I’m sorry for just showing up like this, but I haven’t seen you in so long, and I really wanted to talk to you. My dad said you were taking space, but not from me, so I didn’t think you’d mind seeing me. I know I’m not supposed to come to your job, and I’m sorry if I interrupted something important, but I couldn’t wait another day.”
“Sage” —I pulled back to look at her— “how did you get here? Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“Well, yes, but this was important.” She bit down on her bottom lip before admitting, “I looked up the bus routes last night. I had to take three to get here, but it was super easy. Public transportation is totally legit in this city.”
“Wait, wait, wait—do your mom and dad know you’re here?” I had a feeling I already knew the answer, but I needed her to confirm it so I could wrap my head around how much trouble she was going to be in.
