Meeting Him in Between - Book cover

Meeting Him in Between

Cristina C.

Chapter 2

LAURIE

“Wow, this is just amazing! Look at that view! The apartment is so big!” I gushed as I walked in and out of the rooms in our new apartment.

“I know; it’s perfect for us. Thankfully, my dad picked this one. He knows how I love the modern interior.” Macy laughed.

“Your dad is the best. Tell him thank you for me,” I said with a smile.

“You told him thank you so many times back in California. He knows you appreciate this.”

“Yeah, I know, but thanks to him, we can afford this apartment,” I answered her.

“That’s true. Oh, I’m so happy. We are going to start a life in New York. How crazy is that!” Macy gushed.

“Yeah, it’s almost unreal.” I smiled at her while placing my bags on the floor.

Thanks to Macy’s dad, who had a big company in California, we’d gotten this apartment. He worked in real estate, and he’d bought this apartment for us. We still needed to pay for the rent, but it wasn’t too much. He wanted us to learn to have responsibilities, but he’d also told Macy he would keep the money until we wanted to move out. He’d give us the money when we wanted to buy a house of our own.

When Macy had told him about her job interview, he was at first not so happy about it. He’d always hoped she would join him in his company, but she wanted a career of her own. A fresh start in a new company. Macy loved interiors and buildings; that’s what she had inherited from her dad. Her mom was always at home caring for her children. Macy had one younger brother; he was thirteen years old. Eric was very smart, and he already wanted to take over his dad’s company when he graduated.

I was putting away my clothes in my closet when Macy cleared her throat. “Hi, girl. Do you mind if I go to grab a coffee with Michael? If you don’t want me to go, I can call him back,” she said.

“No, no, it’s fine; just go. You must learn more about your work environment,” I said with a small smile.

“Thanks, Laurie. I won’t be away for long, I promise,” she said with a big smile.

“It’s okay, Mace; just go. I will order pizza when you get back; is that fine for you?” I asked her.

“Great. See ya.” And then she left.

The silent room gave me energy and a new feeling inside. “Who would have thought I would live in New York, Dad?” I said to him while holding my necklace in my hand. They’d melted his ashes into a heart-shaped silver necklace so I could have him with me every step of the way.

I’d sold the bookstore to a regular customer of ours. Rita was a single mother in her forties, and she had been so enthusiastic about buying my store. I couldn’t have been happier that she bought it. She loved books, maybe more than I did. She was the perfect match. I was certain my dad would have been happy with my choice not to sell it to someone random.

I’d sold the bookstore in a week, so Macy and I had started planning our move to New York. Her dad had found this apartment, and two months later, we were here. Mace worked Monday, and I had an interview at a large publishing house a few blocks away from my apartment.

Wells Publishing House was one of the many large companies in New York. It would be difficult to get accepted for the job, but I had a pretty good résumé and a nice degree, so maybe I had a chance. I had to be patient and strong, just as dad had always told me. Everything came on your path when the time was right. He’d always assured me with those words when I wasn’t courageous enough.

I was going to live from now on and enjoy life as I was supposed to. After two hours, I had showered, and all my bags were empty. I was sitting on the big white sofa, watching some television when the door burst open. “Hi, girl. I’m home.”

“Hi. How was the talk with Michael?” I asked her with a big smile.

“Great. He will be my guide and help me when I need it. He’s awesome, actually,” she said with flushed cheeks.

“Oh my, Mace; you do like him!” I squealed in laughter.

“Shush. You are being absurd. He’s handsome, and his character is nice, but that’s all. You know I don’t want commitment,” she said.

“I know; maybe not right now. But feelings can grow, you know?” I asked playfully.

“Not going to happen, girl,” she told me with a smirk. “I will call for pizza, because I’m starving. What do you want?”

“A margherita, please, with lots of cheese.” I smiled.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, but Michael has arranged tickets for us to go to a masked ball. Isn’t that great?!”

“Really, when is that?”

“Tomorrow in the Wilson hotel,” she said to me.

“Wow, okay. I don’t think I have anything in my closet to wear for those occasions, and I don’t have a mask,” I said in an uneasy tone.

“That’s fine. I need to shop anyway. We will go tomorrow, okay?” she asked with a wide grin.

“Okay, it’s a deal.” I smiled.

“Good. I will call for the pizzas now, and then I will text Michael that we will be going with him.”

“Mmm, this pizza is delicious,” I murmured.

“Yeah, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted before,” Macy said with a big smile.

“So, Michael—” I began. “How come he can arrange tickets for a fancy party?” I asked, trying to encourage her to loosen up and tell me more about him.

“His dad is a rich man, he told me. He has a large company, and because they were opening a new office, they wanted to have a big event for their customers and their employees. There will be a lot of rich people there. Most of them have lots of companies. So isn’t it crazy that he invited us to go to such an event?”

“I don’t know. If you put it that way, we don’t fit in, don’t you think? We aren’t rich, and we don’t have any connections with his dad’s company.” I silently continued chewing after my response.

“No, no, no, Laurie. You will not do this now. You are a strong and sexy woman. We deserve to be there. We were invited, so we belong there just like those other people. Do you hear me?” Mace asked with a frown.

“You know I have low self-esteem. I don’t have the money to buy an expensive dress. All those people will be dressed like royalty, for God’s sake. The women with their long, thin legs—have you seen mine? I’m a Latina; I will not fit in there, for sure.”

“So what? Who gives a damn about what they believe and think? You are sexy as hell. Everyone wants those curves of yours. Those men will fall at your feet. We always worked hard for our money. We can be proud of ourselves. Tomorrow, we are going to have fun, I promise. And if you want to go home, then we will return, but at least you have to try. You owe it to yourself. Try new things, Laurie; it will benefit your entire career, you’ll see. Maybe you’ll meet someone in the publishing world, who knows?” she said with a smirk on her face.

“Okay, okay, you win. We will go.” I smiled at her. I hoped I would find myself a dress that could fit in there.

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