Just Yesterday Read Online Free PDF Page B

yet firm, and I feel suddenly like a child being chastised.
    “I know.” Embarrassed, I drop my head.
    “You’re just emotional right now,” she says.
    “I know,” I agree. “But it’s not just about Connie. I think it finally hit me over the last couple of days that you and I aren’t going to be together any more.”
    She stares at me, eyes sad. “Me, too. But we both know it’s time.”
    I nod in full agreement. Then I study her features closely. “Are you seeing someone else?”
    Her jaw drops, and she looks like I’ve slapped her.
    “No. Of course not. You know better than that.” I did. I knew she would never have an affair, and she would never see someone else without telling me.
    “Oh, I know.” I tell her. I study her features, tracing the lines of her face that I know so well. Something inside me gives a little, and I know that as difficult as it may be, it’s finally time to let go.
    I wrinkle my nose and cock my head to one side. “It ain’t gonna be so easy, is it?” I ask rhetorically.
    “Nope.” She shakes her head. “I love you, Liz.” Her voice catches a bit.
    “I love you, too.” And I do. I’ve never doubted it for a moment. Not the same kind of love that brought us together ten years ago, but genuine all the same. My heart melts and I pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her and holding her as close as I can.
     
    Wednesday morning I meet with the editor of City Magazine, a Los Angeles-based magazine that focuses on the glamour of L.A. life. It is a trendy magazine that features articles on L.A.’s finest restaurants, famous nightspots, and local nontourist attractions. I had done a photo layout for them a month before on Los Angeles nightlife. It had been my very first magazine assignment that didn’t have anything to do with an advertisement, and I was anxious to see the final layout.
    The meeting with Christine Walters, the editor-in-chief, is brief. While I wait for her in her office, I browse through one of the current issues and blink hard when my eyes focus on my very own photoŹgraphs.
    “Nice, huh?”
    Feeling like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, I jump up and drop the magazine to the coffee table.
    Christine laughs, her long slender fingers retrieving the magazine I’d just dropped.
    “Go ahead. Look again. They’re great photos. The layout is far better than we’d expected.” She flips through several pages and places the magazine back in my hands.
    “Really?” I accept the magazine and study the images, a smile on my face.
    “Really. Don’t sound so surprised. They’re fabulous.” She slides into the chair behind her desk and faces me squarely. “We want you to do more.”
    I have known Christine for many years on a strictly professional level. We first met when my agency did some advertising work in City Magazine. Over the years, we developed an almost mentoring relationship, as she encouraged me to take more risks with my career.
    “What did you have in mind?”
    “Kelly Wagner is doing a series of articles over the next few months. The top ten cities in the United States and how they compare to Los Angeles.” She pauses briefly, dramatically. “Do you know Kelly?”
    I nod. “We’ve met a few times. Mostly at conŹferences. That sort of thing.”
    Christine’s nod is curt. “Good. Anyway, we weren’t really concerned about the photos that would accompany the article originally. But we’ve changed our minds. I think it would be an interesting perspective to have similar images captured in each city. Naturally it would make sense to have the same photographer in each location bringing the same focus to each city.” She pauses, a tiny smile on her wide mouth. “What do you think?”
    I hate traveling. “Sounds like a great idea.”
    “Are you interested?” Her expression is a mixture of professionalism and minx.
    “Of course.”
    “Good. I’d like you to work with Kelly to develop a schedule. I’m assuming one or