Chapter 7 #2
She was in the break room at work, exhausted after a long morning.
No cute kid patients, just grumpy ones. Oh, and a middle-aged man who’d stared openly at her chest area the whole time, even though her clothes were so baggy even the outline of her breasts was indistinct.
She suspected he’d enjoyed having his gums prodded.
You could do that a little harder, he’d urged. So gross.
The receptionist poked her head in. “Faith? Package just came for you.”
“A package?”
Faith got up from the table and followed the receptionist to the front. She stepped behind the desk, where a huge cardboard box took up half the counter. It was battered and dirty, with tape crisscrossing the top.
“This must be a mistake.” Please, let it be a mistake.
The receptionist took her seat. “All I know is the guy said it was for you.”
Dread uncoiled like a snake in her belly. “What guy?”
“That blond guy who came here for you before. Your ex-husband? You should probably get that out of here before Dr. Petrie sees.”
“Before I see what?” Dr. Petrie strolled over, eying the cardboard box with distaste. “What on earth is that?”
“Faith’s package,” the receptionist supplied. Which was not particularly helpful.
“You know I don’t like personal packages arriving here.”
The door to the waiting room opened, and a patient walked in. He glanced at the box as he approached the desk.
“Get it out of sight,” Dr. Petrie hissed.
Faith grabbed the box and carried it toward the back. The dentist stayed on her heels. “I already warned you after your ex-husband came here. I expect a certain level of professionalism.”
“I know. It won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t.” Dr. Petrie turned and went toward her office.
Faith set the box on the floor in the break room.
Myra was heating up a Lean Cuisine in the microwave. “What’s going on?”
She clasped her hands behind her back to hide the way they were shaking. “My husband left this for me, after I told him not to. And Dr. Petrie saw it. She’s pissed.”
Myra peered at the box. “You going to open it?”
“Not if I can help it.”
For the rest of the afternoon, she kept herself busy. But that cardboard box kept nagging at her. She felt it sitting in the back room like an abscessed tooth. She could ignore it all she wanted, but eventually, she’d have to deal with it.
Faith went to the break room and glared at the box on the floor. There was no way she could leave it here. But she couldn’t take it back to Sylvie’s townhouse, either.
Not without knowing what was inside.
Myra walked in. “I thought you’d left. Everyone else has.”
“Without my box? I don’t think Dr. Petrie would be very happy about that.”
Myra grimaced. “Just open it, already. I’m dying of curiosity now.”
“It could be something illegal.”
The other hygienist laughed. “What, like it’s a bomb or something?” She took a step back when Faith didn’t say anything. “Wait, for real, it’s not a bomb. Right?”
“No.” Jon was a lot of things, but he wasn’t homicidal. He’d never once raised a hand to her. But was he capable of all kinds of other shit? Without a doubt.
“Then what?”
“Maybe…drugs.”
It was just the type of twisted thing Jon would do if he thought the police—or worse, his druggie friends—were after him. Here, hold this for me so I won’t get caught with it. Fury burned in her stomach.
Myra’s over-plucked eyebrows arched. “Oh, heck. Really? There are a lot of things I don’t know about you, Faith.”
“You have no idea.”
What was she supposed to do?
She couldn’t open a box of illegal narcotics in the dentist’s office. That was a guaranteed way to get fired, if not arrested.
Calling the police wasn’t a good option. For one, she didn’t know for sure this contained drugs. But even worse, police would mean drawing attention to her problems for the whole world to see and judge. What if they accused her of being involved? She was the one in possession. Jon was in the wind.
Should she open the box outside in the parking lot?
So a construction worker can see? Great idea.
Throw it in a dumpster?
She didn’t want to leave this stuff where someone could find it and get hurt.
Which left Sylvie’s townhouse, and Faith had already ruled that out. No way was she bringing this mess home.
There was only one other place she could think of. But it would mean telling Sylvie about Jon’s issues. It was hard to admit the entire truth—that Faith had spent years with a junkie who’d probably never loved her. Who’d made her feel worthless and unsafe in her own home.
But at least Sylvie and her coworkers at Bennett Security would know what to do. They’d know how to dispose of the contents safely, maybe even turn it over anonymously to the police.
“Any chance you could you give me a ride somewhere, and then take me home after?” she asked Myra. There was no way she could carry that bulky thing on her bike. It was hard enough to manage her regular bag with her lunch and extra scrubs.
“Is it going to be fun?”
“Well…maybe?”
Myra arched a skeptical eyebrow. “Is there at least a possibility of attractive men being there?”
“That likelihood is high.”
“Then I’m definitely in.”
Myra opened the glass door, and Faith carried the cardboard box into the front entrance of Bennett Security. It was in a three-story brick building right on the water. The brick looked aged from the outside, like a converted warehouse on an old wharf.
But inside, the company’s headquarters were sleek and modern. Black leather chairs were arranged in the waiting area. A potted palm tree sat by a floor-to-ceiling window.
The receptionist wore a little microphone on her head. She smiled politely as they came in, though she cast a curious glance at the box.
“May I help you?”
“Could I speak to Sylvie Trousseau?” Faith asked. She’d tried calling on the way, but her friend hadn’t answered.
“Let me check.”
The box was heavy, yet Faith didn’t want to set it down. It was her burden, and she had to see this through. She just hoped Sylvie could help her figure out what to do with it.
If not for Sylvie, Faith would never have had the courage to move to West Oaks at all. They’d lost touch for over a decade, and when Faith had finally given up on Jon, she’d reached out. She couldn’t believe how forgiving Sylvie had been, even though their rift had been entirely Faith’s doing.
And here she was, bringing her problems to Sylvie’s workplace. If she’d had any other option, she would’ve taken it.
Maybe she was overreacting. But sadly, Faith knew her husband too well.
Her throat was tight as she waited for her best friend to appear.
“This place is swanky.” Myra craned her neck. “And there are definitely some sexy men in here. Like those two. Dang.” Myra grabbed Faith’s elbow, jostling the box. “Look, they’re coming this way.”
Faith looked. Tanner and a preppy-looking guy had just stepped out of the elevator.
She glanced around for some means of escape. She didn’t want to bring Tanner into this, too.
But it was too late.
Tanner did a double take when he passed reception. A grin split his handsome face.
“Faith?”