1. Little Harder Than Normal
1
LITTLE HARDER THAN NORMAL
O ne Month Later
“How is Duke doing?” Tori asked her best friend, Raina McMillan. “Is he sleeping better now?”
The two women were having lunch in Raina’s office, which was two floors up from Tori’s.
Best decision of her life was to move closer to her old college best friend.
The one she’d thought she’d lost forever on a horrible night that happened to Raina.
But they reconnected and had been going strong ever since.
“He is,” Raina said of her eight-month-old son. “I think he’s teething. Cody was massaging his gums last night with a cold cloth and Duke loved it. He fell asleep in Cody’s arms and then slept through the night.”
“Does he massage you that way when you’ve got aches and pains?” Tori asked, bobbing her eyebrows.
Cody was a physical therapist.
“He has been known to do that at times,” Raina said, grinning. “How are things going with you? You’ve been quiet lately.”
“Just busy with work,” Tori said. “The summer is quieter since school is out and half my staff isn’t working or those that are aren’t as busy, but I’m still trying to fill Lena’s position and need to do it soon and get the person trained quickly. I’m struggling to find the right candidate.”
“That’s because you’re fussy,” Raina said. “Which isn’t a terrible trait either, but it is if you can’t be open enough to give someone a chance.”
“Says the woman who doesn’t have to hire and fire. I don’t want to have to do that again so I guess I might be being a little harder than normal.”
“People make mistakes,” Raina said. “We know that. You can’t figure that out in an interview and shouldn’t try just because you had an awful experience.”
Tori sighed. “I know,” she said. “I’ve got a few interviews tomorrow and maybe one will work out.”
“You might need to get a drink after with the way you are dreading this,” Raina said. “I’ll see if Cody can get Duke from daycare and meet you for one after work tomorrow if you want.”
“Really? I’d love that,” she said. “I haven’t been back to the bar since I fired Lena.”
“Because of that jerk?” Raina asked.
She’d gone home that night and called Raina to tell her what happened.
The fact she couldn’t get the guy out of her mind was more annoying than anything.
Maybe it had to do with the fact that she’d never been a bitch to anyone in her life, but it just spewed out that night like stomach distress after ingesting ten-day-old egg salad left in the break room fridge.
“I shouldn’t let that guy keep me from going back. Bryon said he’d never seen him before so maybe it was someone passing through town. No clue. But I miss my time there. My one drink and dinner with Bryon always gives me something to look forward to.”
Raina smiled. “You wish he was straight, don’t you?”
“He’d be somewhat perfect,” she said. “Don’t you think?”
Raina laughed. “I’m not so sure about that. Maybe for you. You seem to be drawn to guys with issues. You can’t help yourself.”
Tori frowned. She didn’t need that pointed out to her even if it was true.
“Keeps me on my toes,” she said.
“Or stresses you out,” Raina said. “Next time try to find a man that has a job, doesn’t have crazy family drama, and can cook his own meals.”
She burst out laughing. “That is all I need? I didn’t realize the list was so small.”
“Well,” Raina said, giggling. “The last few dates you’ve been on the guys were unemployed, or if they did work, they lived at home with their parents still.”
“Which qualifies them for the first two. A job and a good relationship with their parents.”
“If you think so, then you’ve got more issues than I know about.”
The two of them laughed even harder. “I never said I didn’t have my own drama,” she said. “We both know that.”
“I’ve had my fair share too,” Raina said. “Now it’s more about getting a good night’s sleep over anything else.”
“You are loving your life,” she said. Tori might be jealous of her best friend but only in a good way.
Was it possible to be jealous in a good way? Yeah, she thought so.
“I am,” Raina said. “But I’d love it even more if you could find some of the happiness I’ve got.”
“Someday,” she said, looking at her watch. “And I need to get back to work. I love we can do this at least once a week. Your bosses are great to not care about it either.”
“Nah,” Raina said. “I’m on my lunch and they like when people visit. I work for Drake more than I do Grant now, but I talk to them all.”
“Because you are part of the family,” she said. Raina’s brother-in-law was Ryder Fierce, Grant’s youngest son.
“Anyone who works here ends up being part of the family. And it even extends to their friends too. The elder Fierces just love to play Cupid. So you might want to watch it being here so often.”
Tori laughed. “I don’t need anyone setting me up. You know how I feel about that.”
“The same as most of us did, but it still happened,” Raina said.
She shrugged and picked up her empty container of food to toss in the garbage.
“I’m so happy for you,” she said, hugging Raina. “I know I tell you often, but I really am. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”
“Thank you,” Raina said, returning the hug. “Are you sure you’re okay? I feel like you’ve been off for a while now.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “Really, I am.”
“I know you, Tori. There is more going on. It has to be more than work. I thought you loved your job even if you don’t get to actually meet with clients or kids as much now.”
“I do love it,” she said. “And if I can’t fill this position before the school year starts, then I’ll gladly go into the school and teach the curriculum until then.”
Raina smiled. “Which always brings you joy to be with the kids.”
“It does,” she said.
“So if it’s not your job then it must be your mother,” Raina said.
“Right on the second guess,” she said.
“What’s going on there now?” Raina asked.
“Trust me, we don’t have nearly enough time to get into it. But it’s nothing more than it always is.”
“I’m sorry,” Raina said, rubbing her hand on Tori’s arm. “Does she want you to move back to Florida?”
“That ship has sailed and got stuck in the Bermuda Triangle never to be heard of again,” she said, laughing.
“Good for you,” she said. “But it doesn’t make it any easier to get the calls, I know.”
“Nope,” she said. “But my mother is a grown woman and she needs to figure it out on her own.”
Tori shouldn’t be taking care of her mother at this point in her life. She had been doing it mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially for years. Even when she was in high school she was doing a combination of those things.
It was hard to sever ties, even if they started to strangle you and cut off your supply of oxygen.
“Maybe it will happen one day,” Raina said. “And I’ll walk out with you. I’ve got to meet with Drake and it’s on my way.”
“I like having a personal escort,” she said, bumping her shoulder into Raina’s.
“You’ve always been there for me,” Raina said. “And I’ll always be there for you.”
When her eyes filled a bit, she battled back the tears before Raina could see them and get worried.
She had no clue why she was so emotional lately and needed to get her act together.
“That’s what best friends are for,” she said.