I was regretting that now. When I arrived at my desk, there was a note with the reminder that I had to see Ms. Preston first thing.
I took my notebook, my laptop, and my tablet with me as I was ready to be fired. I knew there was hell to pay.
You have no one to blame but yourself. You really thought you could just live and be happy. You knew what you were doing.
Owen told me not to worry about it, but God, there was no way Ms. Preston was happy about this.
I knocked on her door and her “Come in” was actually warm and friendly.
“Good morning, Ms. Preston.” Her office never failed to take my breath away. It was a sprawling corner one with glass walls and a vertigo-inducing view.
One day you could have an office like this.
Not if I got fired for that shit with Owen. Honestly, how could I have been so reckless.
She looked up from the files she’d been perusing on her desk, finally noticing me. “Uh, good morning, Tanith. Close the door.”
I closed it behind me, and then stiffly walked to my usual chair, but I didn’t sit. “You wanted to see me this morning?”
She eyed the items in my arms but said nothing about them. “Yes, love. Why don’t you have a seat?” Shakily, I did, and she didn’t speak again until I was settled. She folded her fingers. “Love, I’m sure you know what I’m going to say.”
I swallowed hard, squeaking out, “Yes.”
Her smile was warm as her gaze searched mine. “Obviously, I know about you and Owen now.”
I winced. “Ms. Preston, at first, I didn’t know that he was your son. He doesn’t use Preston and I just didn’t know.”
“Regardless, obviously, as you know, you can’t keep seeing my son.”
My stomach clenched. “I—um, I don’t understand.”
“Look, Tanith, you’re great. We adore you here at Preston Media. You are bright. Honestly, you are an excellent writer, and you are going to go far. But this boy, he’s not for you. He’s a Preston and a Montgomery. He’s meant for different things. And because of what he’s meant for, you will always be in the shadows.”
Bile started to turn in my gut, and my palms became sweaty. “I-I don’t see how my relationship with Owen has to do anything with my job. He doesn’t even work here.”
“My dear, after the unfortunate incident last night, I think you’re smarter than that. This isn’t about that, love. I know what it’s like being married to a Montgomery. I knew what was expected of me, and I knew how difficult it would be. And even then, I was still unprepared for for how hard it was for me in his world. I don’t want you going down that same path. My life was not what it should have been. It was filled with pitfalls.”
“Yes, but you survived, obviously.”
“I did. But it has cost me personally. I see that you’re like me. And if I’d had someone to guide me when I was your age, to tell me to choose my career and not a boy, I would have done it. Jumped at the chance. And the man Owen is meant to be, you will never, ever have the spotlight. You will have to give up parts of yourself just to make him look good. And that’s not for you. I am grooming you personally to be somebody great. This could be your own ticket to achieving that. Don’t you want that, love?”
Why was she doing this to me? She knew how badly I wanted this. She knew what I was willing to do. Why? Why would she do this?”
“I care about Owen.”
“It’s not that I don’t think you care about him. I know you do. Which is why you should know the kind of woman he needs. He needs someone who’s going to drop everything at a moment’s notice. He is a Montgomery. And I know what that means. He is also a Preston. Great things are expected of him. Things that require someone who isn’t afraid of not being in the spotlight, because make no mistake, all the trappings of having a public relationship come with scrutiny. This life requires someone who doesn’t need to have her own space. I’ve been watching you, Tanith; you insist on having a voice. And I admire that, love. It’s not that I don’t want you to have one. I just don’t want you to have one with this boy, because it will ruin everything for you. You will not get what you deserve. And frankly, you have worked too hard. What is the point of investing time doing internships if this is what’s going to happen? You deserve so much more than to be waiting at his beck and call. Don’t you want that?”
“Of course, I want that. I just also want Owen.”
“Forget him, my darling. I should have thought this would be easy for you. If you give him up, you get to have your dream. Don’t you want your dream?”
I saw the devil’s bargain she was asking me to make. “I do. I just—”
“Look, I’m not even angry that you lied. That you sat in front of me and pretended all along during your interview, and then you were so excited about this. I’m not even going to be upset that you neglected to mention that you had a boyfriend, which also happened to be my son. Honestly, I understand. But why don’t you pick a different boy? Doesn’t he have one of his friends available? What about Phineas? I mean, he is a bit of a character, but he’s good looking and available, right? And if you need one that’s popular, that one works. He’s well liked. I know his family. I could do a setup if you like.”
The bile threatened to escape now,
