He met her eyes directly. There are people in that company right now who are probably exactly where you were 14 months ago. Being blamed for things they didn't do, being asked to carry mistakes that weren't theirs. What happens to them if you're not there? The room went very still.
That was the thing she hadn't let herself think about yet. She'd been so focused on what returning would cost her that she hadn't thought about what staying away would cost everyone else. That's not fair, she said. No, he agreed. It's not.
You're essentially telling me I have an obligation to go back to a place that nearly destroyed me. I'm telling you that you have a particular kind of power right now that most people don't get. The chance to go back to the system that failed you and change it from the inside. He paused. What you do with that power is entirely your choice.
But you should make that choice with all the information, not just the part that feels safest. She looked at her phone, still sitting on the desk between them, the email glowing on the screen. You know what the worst part is? She said, "What?" "You're right.
He didn't say anything." "I hate that," she said. "I know," he said. and the corner of his mouth moved just slightly. She looked at him. What did the Nashville school say?
The shift in his expression was subtle but complete, like a door that had been slightly open, suddenly revealing more of the room behind it. They said they have openings for spring enrollment, he said. And they have a strong arts program, he paused. Lily's been asking about art class since September. Does Lily know about Nashville?
Not yet. Are you going to tell her? I'm going to talk to her this weekend, he said. I owe her an honest conversation before I make any decisions. She nodded.
You're going to take it, aren't you? He was quiet for a moment. I think I am, he said. Yeah. Something moved through her chest at that something she identified carefully and with great precision as simultaneously the right feeling and a complicated one.
Good, she said. Good, he said. They looked at each other across the desk. two people in the middle of turning points they hadn't asked for. Carrying decisions that felt too big and had somehow ended up being easier to hold because they were holding them at the same time. Dinner?
He asked. God, yes, she said, and grabbed her jacket. The following Saturday, Marcus sat down with Lily after her art class and before the movie she'd been promised. in the particular 20inut window of contentment that follows successful creative output and precedes the anticipation of something fun. He had learned over eight years to pick his moments carefully. He had not told her what the conversation was about.