Seriously? My eyes haven’t left Nate’s while she speaks. I stand and turn to leave, but Mr. Vincent’s voice stops me and I turn back to the table.
“Miss Montgomery, you have truly been an asset to this company. I will personally be happy to write you a letter of reference should you need one.”
I nod at him. “Thank you.”
I walk on numb legs to my office and shut the door. Holy fuck. Did that just happen? Did I just get fired and my boyfriend did nothing about it? He just sat there and looked at me like I’m a stranger?
Like he hadn’t been inside me less than six hours ago?
I’ve never kept many personal items in my office, so I grab my purse, throw in my iPad, phone, a tube of lip gloss out of my desk drawer, and my coffee mug, and walk out of my office, mentally congratulating myself for keeping it together.
“Miss Montgomery,” I turn at Mrs. Glover’s voice and see Nate standing at her desk, staring at me. His jaw is clenched, but that’s the only emotion on his face.
“Best of luck to you, dear.”
And that’s all it takes to bring tears to my eyes. I don’t respond, I just walk straight to the elevators and push the call button. Carly appears at my side.
“Oh my gosh! I just heard the news. Are you okay?”
She had to have been behind this, had to have reported what she saw to HR first thing this morning, probably while Nate was making love to me.
I don’t look at her. I just watch the numbers above the elevator doors. I feel Nate’s eyes on my back.
Fuck him.
Fuck all of them.
“Jules, are you okay?” Carly asks again in her disgustingly fake sweet voice.
The elevator pings and the doors open. I step inside and turn around, my eyes meeting Nate’s and I answer Carly without looking at her.
“Fuck you.”
Chapter Thirty
“Hello?”
“Will, it’s Jules.” I clear my throat and change lanes, heading toward my house.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“I need to come stay with you for a while.”
Silence.
“What’s going on?” Will’s usual happy, flippant voice has lowered, and I know he’s ready to kick ass for me.
“I just got fired, and lost my boyfriend in the process. I need to get away and get my head on straight. Can I crash with you?”
“I’ll put clean sheets in the spare room. Are you okay to drive?”
“Yeah, I think I’m still in shock. I’ll fall apart when I get to your place.”
“I’ll get the Kleenex ready too. Love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too.”
I hang up and call Natalie. I need to get the phone calls out of the way now, before the tears start. Because once they start, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop them.
“Jules?” Nat answers. “Why aren’t you at work?”
“I got fired.”
“Fuck, someone found out.”
“Yep.” I pull into my driveway, cut the engine, and stride quickly into the house and up to my bedroom.
“You sound calm.”
“I’m pissed as fuck, mostly at Nate. He didn’t get fired, and when I was in front of him and the other members of the firing squad, he didn’t exactly defend me.”
I hear Olivia fussing in the background. “Do you need me to come over?” Nat asks.
“No, I’m packing. I need to get away for a little while.”
“Come here,” Natalie offers, but I know that’s not an option either.
“Thanks, but I’m going to Will’s. I really want to go off the grid for a while and figure out what I’m going to do next.”
“Okay, but if you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks, Nat.” I feel tears starting, but I swallow them down and focus on throwing clothes into my biggest suitcase. I’m taking just about everything because I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.
I’m tossing toiletries into a smaller suitcase when I hear my front door open and slam shut and heavy footsteps running up my stairs, two at a time. Suddenly Nate is in my doorway, panting, his hair down, in just his white button down shirt and slacks. He eyes my open suitcases and then pins me with his narrowed gray eyes.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“None of your business.” I turn to go back into the bathroom, but he lunges for me and grabs my elbows.
“Let’s talk about this, Julianne.”
I pull out of his grasp and wrap my arms around my middle, so livid, so hurt, so confused.
“Don’t touch me. There is nothing to talk about, Nate. You threw me under the bus.”
He steps toward me again, but I back away and he plants his hands on his lean hips. “That’s not what happened.”
“You sat in that room and let them fire me without saying one word in my defense.”
“You weren’t in that room all morning when that’s exactly what I did. I offered to quit if they’d let you stay.”
“But you didn’t threaten to quit if they fired me.”
His jaw clenches shut and he runs a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t think so,” I mutter and stalk into the bathroom, gathering my shampoo, razor and shower gel out of the shower and dump them into the suitcase with my makeup bag.
“Julianne, it doesn’t do us any good if we’re both unemployed.”
“Fuck that! Nate, I knew when I stepped foot in your apartment for the first time that this could happen. I knew what I was getting myself into. And you know what? I chose you. I CHOSE YOU!” I poke my finger into his chest and pace around the room. I am on fire. “If those people had asked me, I would have told them that I loved you and they could kiss my ass if they didn’t like it. I didn’t lie when he asked me about our relationship. But you sat six feet away from me and didn’t even show any goddamn emotion!”
“Jules…”
“No,” I interrupt and pace back toward him. “I don’t give a fuck about that job right now. I’ll get another. What I care about is that I didn’t even know you today. The man who defended me with every fiber of his being Friday night wasn’t there. The man who makes sure I don’t get hit by cars in downtown Seattle and makes me feel safe, wasn’t fucking there.”
“Goddamn it, Jules, what was I supposed to say?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe something along the lines of, “It takes two to tango?” or “If you fire her, I’m out too?” I throw underwear and shoes into my bag, not even caring to see which ones they are exactly, and I zip the bags shut.