She hit send before she overthought it. Then she dropped her phone into its pocket in her purse, sprinkled food into Walker’s oversize brandy snifter, and headed for work.
Because today had to get better.
Anna didn’t seeJules until lunchtime. And she was getting paranoid about their paths not crossing. Shortly before noon, though, Jules stepped blank-faced into Anna’s cube. “Samples are coming in from the new supplier this afternoon. Make sure you file them right. I’m working this weekend to make up for all these damn meetings.”
“Sure.” Anna eased back. “You need help?”
“Last I checked, I was qualified to run the tests myself.”
Her face choked on a benign smile. “Sure are.”
“Damn right.”
She expected Jules to storm back out. Instead, she loitered in the cube entrance, but she kept her hands off Anna’s desk organizer. “So,” Anna ventured, “are we okay?”
Jules’s blank mask didn’t waver. “Were we not okay?” She folded her arms. “You know, being a professional means not taking everything personally. If you have a problem with separating work and fun, then we shouldn’t fraternize after office hours.”
“Last night wasn’t fun.”
The wonky eyebrow made an appearance. “Sorry to hear that. Probably a good thing you’re always in class. How’s that going, by the way? Passing this time?”
Anna bit the inside of her cheek. “Doing fine, thanks.” Sherolled her chair closer to her desk. “Last month’s reports will be ready after one more spell check.”
“Good plan.” Jules stalked out and didn’t look back.
The rest of the afternoon dragged by. Jules left shortly after four. Anna shut the dinosaur down, grabbed her purse, and headed to Shirley’s office.
Her program manager was still in, hammering at her laptop between gulps of her afternoon coffee in herWorld’s Best Mommug. “Yes?”
It was as much of an invitation as Anna expected. She sank into Shirley’s faux-leather sitting chair. “I’m worried about Jules.”
Shirley finally swiveled away from her computer. “How so?”
“I think she’s having some personal problems, but I don’t know what to do to help.”
“Sometimes you can’t help.”
“Somebody needs to.”
Shirley’s hard-ass face dropped. Her skin sagged beneath her eyes, and she was overdue for a touch-up on her gray. She set her glasses aside. “Things get messy at work when you interfere with coworkers’ private lives.”
“It’ll be messy here no matter what if they don’t get the help they need at home.” Stories about trivia tumbled out. She finally held her hands up. “Her family’s out West, his is in Texas. I don’t know if she has any other friends here besides us at work, and it’s not right for her and Brad to go through this alone.”
Shirley’s lips were turned down so far they hit her jaw line. “Until it interferes with her work, there’s nothing I can do.”
“You could have a heart.”
Shirley’s frown went icy. “There are plenty of resources on base to help them deal with their problems. You want to help, go ask them what to do.”
“She spends forty to fifty hours a week with us. She’d spend, what, thirty minutes with a base counselor,ifthey’d seeher since Brad’s out now? I might not be married to the military anymore, but I know the culture. Weareher family. You know it too. She. Needs. Help.”
“And what exactly do you think we can do?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be in here asking for your expertise. What would your commander have done?”
“Training,” Shirley sighed. “Fine. I’ll do a touchy-feely briefing at the monthly staff meeting next Thursday. Happy?”
Shirley briefing Jules on touchy-feely would be like the devil’s briefing angels on how to use their wings. “Guest speakers are always a nice touch.”
