Page 76 of Best Kept Vows

I felt like I’d just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

“I see that same fear in your eyes.”

I blinked, caught off guard. Then I let out a real laugh. “Because Iamafraid that you’ll fire me.”

Luna shrugged. “It’s normal to feel like that. Everyone does. Nina probably wonders if the board is going to fire her for screwing up. We all have insecurities.”

I watched my cup fill with coffee. “You all are…well, so accomplished. I’m older than most of you, and I feel like an imbecile.”

“What’s age got to do with anything?” Luna came into the kitchen and sat on top of a table, her tight jean-clad legs swinging. She wore biker boots and a black sleeveless T-shirt. For meetings, she put on a leather jacket since our conference rooms were cold.

I took my cup and rested my ass against the counter, facing Luna. “I just feel like I should know more.”

“You have more experience raising kids, running a home, dealing with crazy in-laws, and all of that. I don’t have kids, have a housekeeper because I can’t run a home, and since I’m not married, I don’t have crazy in-laws.” Luna smiled then. “Just because we can talk bullshit about building codesdoesn’t make it superior to picking up your kids from soccer practice and making sure they finish their homework.”

I bit my lip, glancing around to make sure we were alone before I said what had been eating at me all day. “Somehow, driving a child doesn’t require the experience or skill set needed to run a project to build the most state-of-the-art hospital in Savannah.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Never took you for an intellectual snob.”

I gaped at her, and then, when I saw her smile, I rolled my eyes.

“I am not an intellectual snob. What I am is practical. I spent twenty-two years raising kids, planning school fundraisers, making dinner, and being someone’s wife. Now I’m here, surrounded by young, smart, driven women. And I feel like…like I’m still learning how to walk while you’re out there running marathons.”

Luna set her coffee down and looked at me like I had just said the dumbest thing in the world.

“Let’s not forget you also went back to school and earned an MBA. Do you have any idea how many people walk into jobs like this, thinking they have all the answers but are not actually listening?”

I frowned. “I?—”

“You listen. You think before you speak. And when you do speak, it adds value. That’s why we hired you, and no one cares if you’re forty-four or twenty-four.”

“You really feel that way, or it is…you know, the DEI line?”

“Have you had any indication that I don’t say whatever the hell I feel like, regardless of any three-lettered word acronym you bring up?”

I let out a shaky laugh.

Luna’s features softened with tenderness. “Look, I get it. I was the youngest architect on projects once, and I felt like I had to prove myself every damn day. But what you need to remember is that you’re not here by accident. You earned this. And you’re doing better than you think.”

I listened to what she said, but it was hard to internalize it. I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “Thanks, Luna.”

That night, when I got into bed, I responded to Sebastian’s text about how my day went with some candor.

Me:Feeling like I’m going to mess up my job, and they’ll fire me.

My phone rang immediately, and I answered.

“What’s going on?” Sebastian asked.

I told him about the community outreach proposal, how I didn’t know how to approach it, and how I felt at my age working with young and accomplished people.

“I agree with Luna. We all feel like that. When I first started the consulting company, I worried I’d get fired by every client I worked with.”

“You did?” This surprised me. Sebastian was always confident and so sure of himself.

“Yeah, baby, I did. And you know how it’s going with Boone Metals.”

“I’m sorry you have to sell.”