Despite the incident, Trisha and I were able to enjoy the rest of our weekend together. I rediscovered New York with her as we crammed in as many activities as we could within the short period of time. If we both scanned the crowds everywhere we went for Jackson's face, we didn't mention it. I doubted I would see him again since I was certain we frequented very different establishments.
"Call me if you need anything," Trisha said as she gave me a fierce hug before she left. We were in front of my apartment building and Trisha was about to get into a cab to go to the airport. "I can come up anytime."
"I will," I promised, hugging her back. "Thanks so much for making the trip with me."
Trisha hesitated as the cabbie threw her suitcase into the trunk and slid back into the driver's seat, looking over at us impatiently. "Will you be okay here by yourself?"
"I'll be fine," I reassured Trisha. "I'm a big girl. I know what you're worried about, but I sincerely doubt I'll run into Jackson again. Even if I do, I can handle it. It's all in the past."
Trisha squeezed my hand and then got into the cab. "Love you. I'll miss you!"
"I love you too. Give Sean my regards."
I watched the cab drive away, my brave words ringing falsely in my ears. With Trisha gone, I did feel alone. But I refused to feel lonely. I had worked hard to rebuild my life and I was going to look forward to my future. I hadn't come to New York to find the new Emma Mills like I had when I had first moved up here. I accepted who I was and was happy with the person I had become.
Chapter Fourteen
The next day at Forrester was busy as I learned the ropes of my new company. Marie, the assistant I had been assigned, was cheery and efficient and I was grateful to have someone who had worked at Forrester for over five years. She advised me on a lot of the workings of Forrester as much as I explained my work style and what I expected of her.
I spent most of my day familiarizing myself with my new clients and had Marie set up meetings so that I could meet them face to face. The biggest surprise of the day was running into Celeste in the hallway, my old co-worker from Mass Comm.
"Emma!" she exclaimed, giving me a big hug. "What are you doing here?"
Celeste and I had kept in contact when I had first left Mass Comm, regularly exchanging emails about what was happening in our lives. But our communication had slowly tapered off. I was dealing with Sean and the heartbreak of losing Jackson, and Celeste was busy with work and grandkids. The last time I had heard from her was years ago.
"Today is my first day here," I answered, hugging her back. "Don't tell me you work here too."
Celeste nodded eagerly. "I can't believe it! It's been ages. I didn't even know you had moved back to New York."
"I just moved back. How long have you been working here?"
"For a couple of years. Drew Stephens, my boss back at Mass Comm, accepted a job here as vice president of media buying and he brought me along."
"It's so good to see you again," I said with a genuine smile. "Who knew New York was such a small world?"
Celeste hadn't changed much in five years. Her eyes were still sparkling with a youthful glow as she leaned in closer. "I'll have to fill you in on all the dirt at Forrester. This place is like Melrose Place with all the drama that happens here. Much different from Mass Comm."
I laughed at Celeste's sly smile, having missed her enthusiasm even if it was for gossip. "We'll definitely have to do lunch soon. My office is just down the hall."
Celeste perked up as she glanced down the hall. "I assume you're not working here as an assistant then."
"I'm an account director, but you know the assistant actually does all the work," I replied with a grin.
"I knew it. I knew you would make your way up the corporate ladder. I felt so bad after what happened at Mass Comm."
"It's okay, Celeste. It was a long time ago."
Celeste and I parted with promises of getting together for lunch later this week. I marveled at how my old life was coming back to haunt me. First Jackson, then Celeste. At least Celeste was a happy surprise.
I was tired but satisfied when I left the office, feeling as if I had learned a lot on my first day. I had bought groceries the day before so I went straight home and heated up a can of soup for dinner, not having enough energy to muster anything more than that. I saw that I had missed a call from my mother, probably eager to hear about my first day at work. Some things never changed.
"Hi, Mom," I said when she answered on the first ring. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to call you sooner."
"Emma! I've been worrying about you all day! How was your first day? Was everyone nice to you?"
I shook my head but couldn't help smiling. My mother seemed to think it was my first day at a new school.
"Yes, everyone was nice to me. I even ran into an old co-worker from Mass."
"That's good, dear. Are there any nice men working there?"
I groaned, even though I was used to my mother constantly bringing up my lack of a dating life. I hadn't dated much since I broke up with Jackson, having only had a couple of half-hearted relationships that hadn't lasted more than a few months, and my mother was convinced I was going to end up alone. She didn't seem to understand that being thirty years old and single was far from becoming an old maid.
"Mom, I'm there to work, not pick up eligible men. The last thing I want to do is date someone I work with."
"Then where will you meet men?" my mother countered with a sigh. "You don't want to date the type of men you meet at bars. Why don't you join a church?"
I ended the conversation with promises that I would make an effort to date. I wasn't opposed to it and often thought that it was time for a real relationship. The problem was finding the right man to have a relationship with. I had focused so much on my career the past few years that it had eclipsed my personal life.
Dinner was spent eating my bowl of soup in front of the television, my appetite faltering when a commercial for Jackson's new movie came on. Candace Stile was in the movie as well and they looked like the perfect couple, both of them tall, beautiful and larger-than-life. I told myself that they were living a fictional life and I was happy to have escaped that artificial world.
That didn't stop me from dreaming about Jackson when I fell asleep. But I didn't dream about Jackson of the past like I usually did. I dreamt of present day Jackson, his eyes cold and disdainful as he looked down at me.
Despite my restless sleep, I woke up early the next morning, eager for another day at Forrester. The rest of the week went by in a blur as work took up all of my time. It was a relief not to run into Jackson again and I convinced myself it was a one-time fluke. I would probably never see him again.