Chapter 26 #2
I sighed. “That’s not—it’s not about romance. It’s just—he lied. I’m an idiot. And I can’t ever face him again.”
Both women frowned as they studied me, and I fought the urge to look away. Finally, Mari said, “I don’t think you can avoid each other forever. Even if you didn’t both work for us, you know how small this town is.”
I inhaled sharply. “You said ‘avoid each other’—do you mean he’s avoiding me too?”
Hazel threw up her hands. “I don’t know. He’s impossible to read and obviously didn’t tell us a darn thing. But he’s been working from home all week. And when we asked him to pass along a message to you, he made up some weird excuses.”
“Not like him at all,” Mari said with a shrug. “But you know that, Roxy.”
What did that mean?
Was he angry with me for some reason? Was he embarrassed? Was he—
You need to stop.
I took a few steadying breaths. “Well, speaking of work, thank you for giving me the time off. What’s next week’s schedule look like? I’m sorry I haven’t checked my phone or computer for a few days.” This was kind of a lie—I hadn’t checked it all week, since their last call.
“Don’t worry about it. I can manage my own schedule for a week or two.” Hazel smiled but then looked down at her nails. “I’m actually thinking of hiring an assistant.”
My heart thudded in my chest. “What? My job? ”
She shrugged. “You don’t really want to be my assistant.”
“I—I do. I … enjoy the job,” I sputtered. “It’s a privilege.”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “You don’t love it. I can tell. Everyone can.”
Was it true? Was I doing a job I didn’t enjoy?
I bit my lip. “Well, even if that’s true … not everyone loves their job. Many people don’t. But they’re fine with that.”
“Sure, plenty of people find fulfillment in things other than their job, Roxy. But I see … there’s a longing I sometimes see in your eyes. The closer we came to opening the new wellness center, the more I saw it. You want to be involved but aren’t sure how.”
My lips wobbled as I tried to speak. “Oh, I don’t know. You might be reading into things.”
Mari chimed in, “Hazel’s usually a pretty good judge of people, actually. Well, except her fiancé when they first met, but love makes idiots of us all.” She smirked in Hazel’s direction.
“Can I share an idea I had?” Hazel asked carefully. “You don’t have to say yes, of course.”
Hesitation was probably written all over my face and tightly clasped hands at that point, but I nodded.
“I’ve been thinking I’d like to hire an expert advisor.
A staff psychologist, if you will. As you know, I’m working toward my master’s and licensed counselor credentials.
I could really use someone like you to serve as the on-staff psychologist. You wouldn’t have to see patients at all.
I would just consult with you as needed, and you’d give professional input when I need to make important decisions about a patient or even about the business.
” She grinned. “I can’t think of anyone more perfect for this role. ”
My voice shook. “I—I am flattered. I fear I would disappoint you though.”
“You wouldn’t. You can say no, but please don’t decline because you think you’d disappoint me. That’s not possible.”
I didn’t think I had much emotion left to feel or tears to spill at that point, but once again, I was wrong. My heart started pounding in my chest as I tried to wrestle with everything she’d said—everything both of them had said. “I’m—this is—”
“Roxy, you look overwhelmed,” Mari said, stopping when she saw me flinch. “That’s understandable! You don’t need to give an answer immediately, right, Hazel?”
Hazel shook her head. “Of course not.”
“OK, so I can think about it?”
“Of course. Sorry if I made you feel otherwise. I get overly excited sometimes,” Hazel said with a smile. “Take all the time you need!
Mari smiled widely too. “And if you decide you’re not interested in this offer, you can use us to bounce ideas off.”
Before I could try to process this dizzying conversation, Hazel suddenly sat up straighter with a twinkle in her eye. “Should we go get the cheesecake I put in the freezer?”
I raised my eyebrows. “The freezer?”
“Everyone knows that cheesecake is best frozen. Like ice cream.”
Mari shook her head and smiled. “Not everyone knows that, Haz. But I think we should maybe cook some lunch first.”
“Oh, no, I’m not hungry,” I protested.
“Have you eaten any meals at all this week?” she asked.
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words didn’t come. Fritos and chocolate probably didn’t count as meals—nor did cups of white and brown sugar mixed with butter, when I’d run out of packaged sweets. Now I was almost out of sugar too.
Mari nodded and rose to her feet. “That’s what I thought. I’ll go see if you have any scraps of real food in your kitchen and whip something up.”
Before I could protest further though, she’d walked away, and Hazel placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Friends take care of each other, Rox. If you want to have an epic sob-fest, we’ll sob with you. If you want to forget all this and watch movies all day, we’ll be here.”
“That’s … I don’t know what to say,” I managed.
“Let us see you, Roxy.”
I looked up through a veil of tears. “I haven’t had … this is going to sound pathetic, but I haven’t had many close friends in my life. Well, other than Julia, but we’ve rarely seen each other since college. She’s in England right now.”
Hazel nodded sympathetically. “It’s not easy to keep up a close friendship from such a long distance.”
“It’s not.”
“It’s easier to maintain the facade that you’re mostly fine, right? Have you even talked to her this week?”
I hung my head in shame. “No.”
“Hey, chin up,” she said. “Friends don’t let friends mope alone. Deal?”