Chapter 1 - The Measuring Tape

Nathan was holding a measuring tape when I walked in.

That was the first thing I noticed.

Behind him stood a rack full of women's clothes, surrounded by heels and a row of carefully styled wigs. A full-length mirror leaned against the wall nearby. So did a camera, mounted on a tripod.

For several seconds my brain simply stopped working.

Nathan had his back to me, adjusting something on a mannequin. I stood frozen in the doorway, clutching my purse like it might anchor me to the floor.

"Nathan?"

He turned. Every trace of color drained out of his face.

"S-Sadie?"

The measuring tape slipped out of his hand and hit the carpet.

I looked around again. Cream blouses. Black dresses. Handbags. A makeup station. Three wigs resting on foam heads.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

I almost laughed. "That's your opening question?"

He stepped toward me. "Sadie, I can explain."

"You told me you worked with a hospital."

"I do."

"There are women's heels in your office."

"I know."

"And wigs."

Silence.

"And a camera."

"I can see that, Sadie."

I pointed at the measuring tape on the floor. "Actually, start there. I'd love to hear the sentence that makes that better."

Nathan closed his eyes.

Then someone knocked. Before either of us could answer, a woman stepped in — around my age, maybe a bit older, clutching a folder against her chest so tightly the paper had started to bend. The second she saw Nathan, she shook her head.

"No."

He blinked. "No what, Renata?"

"I'm not going."

He checked the clock on the wall. "Your interview's in two hours."

"I know."

"Sit down."

"Nathan—"

"Sit."

His tone wasn't harsh. It sounded practiced, like an argument they'd already had a dozen times before. Renata lowered herself into the chair.

Nathan looked at me. I folded my arms. "I'm not leaving."

He nodded once. "Okay."

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That answer surprised me more than anything else so far. For three years, whenever I'd asked Nathan about work, he'd kissed my forehead and said the same line: Please, honey. I spend all day dealing with work. Can I have one place where I don't have to talk about it?

This was the first time he hadn't asked me to stay outside.