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Gus didn’t seem convinced, but he moved out of her way as she closed her office door and quietly accompanied her to the rooftop terrace.
The elevator doors opened to the lively event, and Skylar left Gus’s side and headed for the nearest waiter, taking a glass of champagne. All she wanted was to go hide in her spot away from the guests. Well, what she really wanted was to be home, under her comforter, watching Netflix, escaping the woes of life.
She looked down at her outfit—an old ratty v-neck T-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees. Classy. Had she even combed her hair before pulling it up in a messy bun? Her face was without makeup. Her teeth were unbrushed. When was the last time she’d showered? She couldn’t find it within herself to care.
She hadn’t planned to attend the party tonight. She’d only stopped by the office to catch up on some work she’d missed the past few days, thinking she’d be gone before anyone arrived for the party.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, and she spotted her mom, who was headed her way.
“Happy Fourth, sweetie.” Mom wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine.” She leaned away, moving out of Mom’s embrace.
“You haven’t been to breakfast lately, and your brother said you’ve missed some work. I’ve tried calling.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Mom. I had a summer cold, and I’ve been feeling a little run down, that’s all. I’ll come next Saturday for breakfast. I promise.”
“We would like that.” Mom gave her a loving smile, but she couldn’t hide the look of concern.
“I’m gonna mingle.” Skylar pointed toward some of the other guests.
“All right. Have fun.”
Skylar forced a closed-mouth smile and moved on across the space. When she reached her spot, she took a seat on the ledge. There would be no mingling. She hated mingling anyway, and she was sure Mom had seen right through that.
Lying to Mom didn’t feel good. There had been no summer cold. Skipping work had been happening more often lately, and Gus was right. It wasn’t like her. She used to love coming to the office, but while she still loved her job, she struggled to get out of bed some mornings. She hadn’t been sleeping well, thanks in part to the nightmares that had plagued her since Montana. She regretted avoiding family breakfasts lately too, but she couldn’t pretend that everything was okay. She’d been feeling low for months, moving through her days with no real joy, indifferent about decisions, apathetic to everything in her life. She was in a funk, and she needed to get out of it, but she didn’t know how. In her mind, she knew she needed to shake it off and move on, but she felt stuck in her emotions.
Maybe Gus was right. Maybe she needed to talk to someone.
She hadn’t summoned the courage to fully walk away from Franky yet, though she knew she needed to. They hadn’t seen each other much in the past few months, but they texted sometimes and talked on the phone occasionally, and she pretended all was normal, even though she was miserable.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in and let it out. The sounds of the band floated across the roof to her. It was the same band that had been there last year, and she smiled, remembering Franky taking the stage, playing the keyboard like a pro, and thoroughly impressing the guests. It was hard to think about last year and all that had happened since. That had been the beginning of the happiest time in their friendship, but now it was all over.
Familiar notes made their way to her ears, and Skylar perked up.
She kept listening, and sure enough, it was “You’re the Inspiration”—the song Franky had sung years ago at the gala but refused to sing last year. The introduction played on, and she laughed to herself. But then the lead vocalist began to sing, and Skylar’s mood shifted.
No, it couldn’t be.
She hopped down and moved at a steady pace toward the stage, her heart racing in her chest. She practically came to a screeching halt at what she found. Franky Middlebury stood center stage with microphone in hand, singing “You’re the Inspiration.” He didn’t notice Skylar, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. The first verse ended and went into the chorus, and he pointed out into the crowd as he sang the lyrics. Skylar looked to where his finger was pointing and spotted Ivy’s beaming face. She felt crushed by the weight of her grief, unable to move from her spot, as she watched him sing. And when the song was over and the applause began, he left the stage and swept Ivy onto the dance floor, holding her close, kissing her sweetly.
Skylar felt as if she was having an out of body experience. She needed to get out of there, as far away from this place as she could. Far away from Franky and Ivy and their painful display of affection.
She turned and walked as quickly as she could, pushing through the crowd, accidentally knocking a glass from someone’s hand.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“It’s okay, Skylar.”
She stopped and turned back to a familiar face. “Luca? What are you doing here?”
“Your dad invites our family every year. I happened to be in town this time.” He looked at her curiously. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“I just need to get out of here.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“I think I need to be alone.”