Chapter 7 An Explanation At Last #3
As they entered together, Carry noticed how different everything felt from church growing up.
No stage performance. No emotional production.
Families sitting together. Scripture open.
Conversations warm and thoughtful instead of rehearsed.
Billy stayed beside her quietly, never pushing explanations onto her unless she asked.
Bethany helped guide her through the prayers softly when needed while Wilhelm whispered occasional comments under his breath that made both Billy and Carry fight back laughter.
But what stayed with Carry most wasn’t the service itself.
It was the stillness. The strange sense that for the first time in weeks her heart had finally stopped pounding long enough to breathe.
And somewhere underneath all of that calm sat one thought she couldn’t quite escape anymore.
‘Greg.’ She needed to talk to Greg. Properly this time.
Not through assumptions. Not through pressure.
Not through other people speaking around them.
Just truth, even if it hurt. She needed the peace that it would bring her.
Monday morning at Pimico felt strangely familiar to Carry as she stepped off the elevator onto the fourth floor.
The quiet hum of printers, distant phones and muted conversations drifted through the office space exactly the way they always had.
For a second it almost felt like nothing had changed.
Then she caught sight of one of the Veronique campaign images on a tablet screen in passing and reality settled back in again.
Miss Vanilla Rose. The Face of Veronique.
‘Even here?’ she thought. ‘Well, Veronica is a premier client at Pimico, I guess it makes sense.’
She tightened the grip on her clutch slightly and continued down the hallway toward Human Resources.
Her heels clicked softly against the polished floor while nervousness tightened in her stomach the closer she got to Alice’s office.
She turned the corner and saw the doorway ahead.
Pimico Human Resources. Carry paused outside the door for a moment before knocking gently.
“Come in,” Alice’s voice answered from within.
Carry stepped inside carefully. Alice Wilkins sat behind her desk sorting through paperwork with glasses low on her nose.
For the first time in weeks, Carry really looked at her.
Not irritated HR director Alice. Not the sharp voice behind policy corrections and pressure-filled meetings.
Just… tired. Looking exhausted. Alice looked up and immediately softened.
“Carry.” She quickly stood. “Thank you for coming in.”
Carry nodded politely. “You said there were exit documents and my final check.”
“Yes.” Alice motioned toward the chair across from her desk.
“Please sit down.” Her voice lacked its usual edge now.
Almost hesitant. Carry sat carefully while Alice opened the folder in front of her.
“Most of this is standard separation paperwork,” she explained quietly.
“Non-disclosure confirmations, benefits closure and final compensation release.” Carry nodded while taking the pen Alice offered her.
The room stayed quiet except for pages turning and signatures being placed one after another.
Then Alice spoke again, softer this time.
“Carry… before you leave today, there’s something I need to say.
” Carry looked up slowly. Alice removed her glasses and folded them carefully in her hands.
“I know I pushed too hard.” Her eyes lowered briefly.
“Far harder than I should have.” Carry stayed still, surprised by the admission.
“I convinced myself it was about protecting the company,” Alice continued quietly.
“Protecting stability. But somewhere along the way…” She stopped briefly.
“I forgot there was a person standing in front of me.” Carry swallowed slightly but didn’t interrupt.
Alice finally looked back up. “You didn’t deserve the way I handled things. ”
The sincerity in her voice caught Carry off guard more than anger would have.
“I appreciate you saying that,” Carry replied softly.
“My decision to leave had other motivations, though.” She looked back down and read through the non-disclosure carefully, initialing where required. “I had another opportunity before me.”
Alice nodded once, though guilt still lingered across her face.
“Greg, David and Fred built Pimico with trust. I used to believe in that more than anyone.” She paused.
“I think somewhere after Joseph died… I lost sight of myself for a while.” Carry noticed it then.
The exhaustion behind Alice’s eyes. The grief still sitting underneath everything else.
Before she could answer, a knock sounded lightly against the partially opened office door.
Keith leaned in first. “Sorry to interrupt—” Then Greg appeared behind him.
The moment Carry saw him, everything in the room seemed to stop moving.
Greg froze just inside the doorway. Carry’s breath caught before she could hide it.
Neither of them spoke immediately. Keith glanced once between them, instantly realizing he’d just walked into something far heavier than paperwork.
“…Alice,” he said carefully, “you asked me to bring those updated files.”
Alice recovered first. “Yes. Thank you, Keith.” She looked between Greg and Carry for only a second before standing slowly.
“Actually… I think Carry and I are finished here.” That was deliberate.
Carry knew it. Greg knew it too. Alice gathered the signed papers quietly while Keith suddenly found the ceiling tiles incredibly interesting.
“We’ll process your final release this afternoon,” Alice said gently.
“Your check will be sent direct deposit to your account by the end of business today.”
Carry nodded slowly. “Thank you.” She smiled softly at Alice.
Alice offered her a faint smile, then looked toward Greg. “Greg, would you mind walking Miss Mitchelson out?” The wording was professional. Too professional.
Greg held Carry’s gaze another second before answering. “…Yeah. Of course.”
Alice nodded once and stepped toward Keith. “Come help me with those files.”
Keith blinked. “Uh… right. Files. Important files.”
Carry almost smiled despite herself as Alice and Keith disappeared into the adjoining records office, quietly shutting the door behind them.
And just like that—For the first time since she walked out of Pimico, Greg and Carry were finally alone.
“Carry, would it be alright if we took a moment to discuss some things before you leave? I’d be willing to buy your breakfast like we used to do down in the cafeteria.
” Carry looked at him for a long moment, unsure how to respond.
Part of her wanted to say no immediately—keep moving, keep distance, avoid reopening everything that still hurt.
But another part of her remembered the synagogue, the porch swing, the quiet peace she’d finally started feeling after weeks of confusion and noise.
Running from the conversation now wouldn’t give her that peace back.
‘I already determined that I needed to speak with Greg, though this isn’t what I was thinking.
’ She looked him up and down again before speaking.
“…Alright,” she said softly. “Breakfast sounds nice.”
Relief crossed Greg’s face so quickly he couldn’t quite hide it. “Yeah,” he replied quietly. “Okay.”
They walked out of HR together slower than either was expecting.
Keith glanced up from the records room as they passed, immediately pretending to be very focused on paperwork again while Alice stayed carefully silent behind him.
They walked silently down the hall to the elevator.
Greg clasped his hands behind his back as they waited.
They were both relieved to see others in the elevator when it arrived.
Carry leaned forward to press the lobby button since it wasn’t selected.
When the doors opened at the lobby, they moved quietly together across the open floor.
The cafeteria was quieter this early in the morning.
A few employees sat scattered through the room nursing coffee before the workday fully started.
Greg picked up breakfast for both of them without asking what she wanted, and somehow that hit Carry harder than she expected when he returned with exactly what she always ordered.
“You remembered,” she said quietly as he sat down across from her.
Greg gave a faint smile. “I remembered everything. It’s both a blessing and a curse for me.
” That settled between them for a second before either touched their food.
Finally Greg exhaled slowly, folding his hands together.
“Carry… I owe you an apology.” His eyes stayed on hers now, steady and sincere.
“Several, actually.” Carry stayed quiet, listening.
She picked up her coffee and took a sip slowly.
“I froze,” he admitted. “When everything started happening with Veronica, Alice, the pressure at Pimico… I kept thinking I could stabilize everything first before I dealt with us.” He shook his head once.
“And by the time I realized what was happening to you emotionally, you were already gone.” Carry lowered her eyes briefly.
Greg leaned forward slightly. “Billy was right.”
That surprised her enough to look back up immediately. “Billy?” she said with a small shock showing on her face.