6. Rachel
6
RACHEL
“T ell me more about how your mom came to adopt you,” Lexi said, throwing back the tequila shot we had ordered. “If you don’t mind.”
Okay, so I was gonna have to chat a bit more before I could turn the conversation back to Derrick, it seemed. It might not have been a bad thing. If I was going to be working at Dreamary, it would be nice to have a friend there.
“Like I said, I was left in the NICU—unwanted—and my mom was my doctor.” I leaned back against the tatty booth. “I would’ve been sent straight into foster care and put up for adoption, but my mom couldn’t bear to let me go, so she adopted me. Her parents were not happy.”
“Because you’re not Indian?” Lexi asked quietly, her tone cautious as if she was stepping on delicate ground.
“That was part of it, but it was more scandalous that she was an unmarried woman with a child. Eventually, they got over it and doted on me. I’m their only grandchild, and they spoil me.”
“Did you ever find out what happened with your biological parents? Your mother must have the records if she worked at the hospital,” Lexi pressed, her eyes wide with intrigue. People were always fascinated by my story, but there was something about Lexi’s curiosity that felt genuine.
“My mom said there were screaming matches in my birth mother’s hospital room. My bio mom was only sixteen, and she got into big fights with her dad. My father never visited me in the hospital, so my mom has no idea who he is, but we know he’s White. We did a genealogy thing. Plus, look at me. I’m obviously mixed. When my biological mom was discharged, I was still in the NICU, and she never came back.”
“And your mom adopted you?”
“Not right away. A week later, a letter arrived from a law firm stating that my birth mother was surrendering me to the state.”
“Did you see your birth mom again?”
“No.”
“Do you want to?”
“I don’t want to search for someone who doesn’t want to be found. It was an open adoption, so she can find me if she ever wants to.” I’d told this story many times, but today it felt different, like a door I’d kept shut for years was creaking open.
The idea of seeking out answers about my birth mother had never intrigued me, but now, with Lexi’s questions, a tiny spark of curiosity flickered inside me. I pushed it aside, unwilling to face the potential Pandora’s box of emotions if unleashed.
“Enough about me.” I sat up, determined to change the subject. “I want to know why you got all cagey when I mentioned Derrick’s sex life.” My eyebrows shot up as a thought struck me. “Wait! Are you and Derrick?—”
“No,” Lexi snapped, her tone sharp enough to cut through the air between us. “I would never go there. He’s not my type. Too many muscles. Too much turmoil behind his eyes.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed that.” I leaned forward, eager for more. Derrick was such an enigma to me, and any insight into his world was like finding a rare gem.
“It’s like a sixth sense for me. The whole therapist thing, you know? Seeing behind the veneer. I’m sure he carries around a lot of trauma from all the awful things he witnessed when he was a detective.”
Lexi’s tongue played with the corner of her mouth. “You’re good for him, I think. You’re a little sprite, and his energy lightens when you’re around.”
A warm, bubbly feeling stirred in my chest. I liked working with Derrick, despite his gruff exterior. I never had a sibling, and I wondered if this was what it would feel like to have a protective older brother.
“I told him he needed to get laid,” Lexi said out of the blue, her words slightly slurred.
She bent over laughing, and I sat there stunned. What was she talking about?
“He has a little problem.” She leaned forward and whispered, “ED.” Lexi slammed her hands against her mouth. “Oh, shit. I shouldn’t have said that.”
It took me a moment to process this bomb she had dropped. I was hoping for some goss, but this was some really heavy stuff. Derrick would die if he found out I knew.
“Who did you tell him to sleep with?” I asked.
She waved her hand like she was swatting a fly away. “Any woman he trusts. His issue is all in his head.” She sat up straight and looked at me, her eyes intense. “I promised I wouldn’t say anything. I mean, he’s not a client so it’s not, like, that bad. But I don’t usually spill people’s secrets. I should go home and drink a gallon of water and then do penance.”
“Are you Catholic?” I asked.
“Agnostic.”
I ordered a pitcher of water, and we continued to chat until Lexi sobered up enough that I felt confident she’d get home without a mishap.
“Thanks for the hang. It was nice talking to you,” I said, sipping the drink I’d been nursing, not ready to leave.
“You too,” Lexi said with a warm smile. “And hey, Derrick’s a good guy. Don’t be too hard on him.”
She left, and I felt a tinge of disappointment at her departure, and I realized it was because I missed this. Before Eva got together with her boyfriend, Ethan, she and I used to sit and chat like this. Not that I was upset with Eva. We still hung out, just not like we used to.
A short while later, I walked home, the summer night air warm against my skin. There was a hop in my step. I’d forgotten what it was like to work in a vibrant place like Dreamary with people who were eager and enthusiastic and nice.
Hotties by Pilates was fine, but everyone was in such a hurry to get back to their busy lives after class, I never got to know any of the clients. Ginna and I had opposite schedules since we didn’t need two manager-types at the studio at once, and the Pilates teachers were friendly, but they did their class and then left again.
Derrick might be pissed at me, but he’d get over it. Right? It wasn’t like we were friends, I reminded myself. He was my boss. I didn’t need him to like me. I needed him to respect me, which I thought he did, despite my misstep earlier.
Or he’d fire me the moment I walked in tomorrow.
I had no idea I’d hit so close to home when I was teasing him. I’d apologize except that would make it way worse because I wasn’t supposed to know.
Whatever. I’d go in with my head held high and continue to prove to him that he couldn’t live without me because Dreamary was fast becoming the job I never knew I wanted.
That left a smile on my face, and for the first time in over a week, I didn’t look over my shoulder, paranoid I was being followed.