57
Joel had made his rounds, speaking with his mother, then Zarah, and he had one person left, Abigail. They’d had a strained encounter two weeks ago. She was worth his attempting to reach a truce before jetting off to Chicago.
He found her in the DMI office. “Abigail, can I come in?” he asked.
She beckoned for him to enter and kept typing on her laptop. “What brings you by?” she asked, tossing a quick glance at him and returning to the laptop.
“I wanted to share my big news with you.” That got her attention. She looked up and fixed her gaze on him.
“What did you come to tell me, that you and your wife are having a baby?”
“No way, never, don’t even play like that, just the opposite. I’m ending this before a mistake like that happens. No, I came to tell you we’re getting divorced.”
“Really? You’re right. It is big news. I don’t know whether to say ‘congratulations’ or ‘I’m sorry.’”
He raised his eyebrow and pressed his lips together before responding. “Neither, it’s bittersweet, but I won’t bore you with the details.” Joel definitely didn’t want to insult her by going on about his wife. The purpose of his visit was to repair their friendship, not make it worse. “I’m also heading to Chicago.”
“Permanently?”
“Not sure, for now I’m going to take it day by day.”
“I’m sure Sheba will be thrilled,” Abigail said, shifting her attention to the laptop.
“Chicago will be a good place for me to step away from the action and make a new start. I’m excited about the possibilities.” Again, Joel was reminded that he wasn’t there to rip open old wounds. Sheba was a sore spot. Abigail had seen her as a threat even before Joel married Zarah. Despite his best efforts to dissuade her, Abigail had wanted to make his relationship with Sheba a deal breaker in their friendship. He wasn’t going to open the box of controversy.
“I have some pretty big news myself.”
“Oh yeah, what, you’re getting married?” he asked.
She shot a glance at him that sizzled like fire. “I’m resigning.”
“Get out of here, you’re joking.”
“I’m serious. I’ve already given Don notice.”
“Hard to believe you’re getting out of here. You’re one of the originals.”
“Time for me to strike out from the nest and try my hand in another venture.”
“Do you have another job lined up?”
“I don’t have one, and I won’t start my search for several months. I’m staying here for three months until they find a replacement. Who knows, I might launch my own consulting company. I can put the million dollars your father left me to good use. I have a few ideas stirring. The good news is that I don’t have to decide a thing today. I can take my time and make the decision that’s going to be best for Abigail Gerard. I like the sound of that,” she said.
So did he. It was the same sensation he had ending the marriage. Freedom was cool.
“Who knows, maybe we can partner on a venture down the road; you never know. If the time is right and the deal is real, who knows?”
“Humph,” she uttered, and let her gaze shift back to the laptop.
Joel wasn’t dissuaded. His life would soon be wide open and the possibilities were going to be endless.