“I was only kidding.”
He doesn’t say anything as he peers down at me, his arm still wrapped around my waist. Finally, he nods, releasing me, only to retake my hand in his own.
I let out a sigh as we exit his condo.
The rest of the afternoon is spent at a local park, creating snow angels, laughing as we try to build a snowman, and then heading to a coffee shop for some hot chocolate. We never did get to see that light show, but I’d forgotten all about it as I gazed into Neil’s eyes.
Chapter 6
“Mr. McKenna, Larry from Waldrich Healthcare is here to see you,” Gloria announces through the phone.
Two things force me to blow out a long exhale as I pinch the bridge of my nose. One, I’ve told Gloria countless times to refer to me as Neil, but she simply refuses. She worked for my father for years and said it was only appropriate to keep up the same level of formality with me. Second, though I’m well aware of my morning meeting scheduled with Larry and some of his team via video conference, I still haven’t made a decision yet.
“Give me five minutes before you show him to the conference room,” I tell Gloria.
“Not a problem.”
Hanging up the phone, I rise from my desk, cracking my knuckles as I stare out the window. This decision has been weighing on me heavily for weeks now. We’re getting closer to the deadline, as the company wants to get the ball rolling by early next year.
I push out a breath and think back to the previous weekend. Desiree spent the entire weekend at my place again. That’d become a regular occurrence since the first time she slept over. Truthfully, I wouldn’t mind having her spend the entire week at my place, but she insists on spending her weeks at home since her apartment is closer to her day job, and she has all her baking supplies at her disposal.
Things have picked up for Desiree with the amount of cookie and baking orders she’s getting, thanks to the rapidly approaching holidays. There’s one more weekend between now and Thanksgiving, and she’s considering taking that full week off from school to fulfill her website orders. Of course, every chance I get, I’ve been encouraging her to pursue opening her bakery so she can turn in her resignation as soon as possible. She keeps saying she’ll think about it, which makes sense. It’s a huge step to take.
This thought leads me back to my hesitation with the decision I need to make regarding McKenna Rehab facilities. I grab the files off my desk regarding Waldrich Healthcare and then exit my office to head to the conference room.
“Neil, how are you doing?” Larry Waldrich questions, rising to his feet. He’s seated at the far side of the long pine table, granting him a full view of the screen set up for the videoconference to take place.
“I’m well. How are you, Larry?” I extend my hand for him to shake, which he does enthusiastically.
“Doing great. Happy to go into this holiday season with some new projects in the works. Hoping we can add McKenna Rehab to that list.”
Though I manage to hold my neutral expression, inwardly I frown at the way he referred to McKenna as anotherprojectto be added to his company’s roster. My rehab facilities are a business, yes. However, I’m cautious about ensuring business dealings don’t get in the way of the work on the ground. The thought of a company like Larry’s seeing this as no more than a means to add more profit to his bottom line doesn’t sit well with me.
“I assume your associates are ready to join us?” I ask, motioning my head toward the flatscreen at the front of the room.
“They should be, yes.”
Seconds later, the screen turns on and fills with three men and one woman, all of whom I’ve met in person at one time or another. From her desk, Gloria has set up the conference call to stream into the conference room.
“Morning, gentlemen, and Linda,” Larry greets.
We make our greetings and get on with the formalities before starting on the real conversation at hand.
“Neil, I hope Larry has given you our apologies for not being able to meet in person. We’re attending our annual conference in upstate New York, and Larry took it upon himself to fly to the West Coast to have this meeting in person. That’s how important this merger is to us,” Grant, Vice President of Operations at Waldrich, says, smiling into the screen.
That time I can’t hold the frown that breaks through. He says all of this as if I should be impressed. I’m not.
“I appreciate all of your time, and as you know, my time is precious as well. Given the nature of the business we do here at McKenna, I’m certain you’re all well aware that this time of year is especially busy.” I pause for a heartbeat, staring at every participant in this meeting, letting my gaze finally come to rest on Larry as he sits across the table from me.
Oddly, I’m not surprised to find a small amount of surprise in his eyes.
“The holiday season can be a rough time of year for anyone, given all the heightened emotion and extra planning that goes into the events surrounding this time of year. Everyone from stay-at-home mothers to busy executives with no families of their own can feel the stress. However, for those who suffer from substance addiction, the added burden of constantly being surrounded by holiday parties with alcohol in abundance, along with other items, can and sometimes does cause a relapse.”
“Yes, yes, we’re well aware of that, Neil,” Sheila, the lone woman in this meeting, steps up to answer. She might be the only woman in this meeting, but she is far from meek and mild, as I’ve come to notice in our few interactions. “In Seattle alone, there’s usually an uptick in drunk driving incidents, suicides, and overdoses in the final two months of the year. Most major cities follow this trend, according to the research I’ve conducted.”
I nod, well aware of the statistics. Hell, I am one of those statistics. “And those are only the numbers that we can get our hands on. There are the attempted failed suicides that don’t get reported or the violent crimes attributed to substance abuse. I say all of this to remind everyone that McKenna is not just about the numbers.” I turn to Larry again. “We’re about the people we serve. We’re not a hospital, but we do save lives here. And this isn’t just business. It’s personal,” I say, looking him in the eye.
This time of year always reminds me of the lowest point in my addiction. I almost didn’t make it out alive.
