She pulled her bag from the bottom drawer of her desk and dropped her water bottle into it. Then she turned to find five faces staring at her, their expressions a combination of encouraging and sad smiles.
"We're going to miss you, Grace." Teary-eyed Barb stood in the middle of the group holding a large basket overflowing with goodies.
Tears sprang to Grace's eyes. She'd been dreading this moment for the last two weeks. "You guys shouldn't have."
"I can't believe you're leaving us," Jeanette said. "I know you told us not to make a big deal of your leaving, but Shirley insisted we needed to dosomething."
Grace felt her eyes widen as she looked at her stoic supervisor. Shirley was a stickler for punctuality and perfection. In the five years Grace had worked at Eden Medical center, the only emotion she'd seen the older woman express was disapproval.
"Th-thank you," Grace stuttered.
"Oh, get over it." Shirley rolled her eyes as she waved a hand in dismissal. "You've been an excellent employee and deserve to be recognized. You'll be missed." The tall, slender fifty-something woman stepped forward and gave her a stiff hug that was every bit as awkward as Grace expected it to be. She turned to the rest of the group. "Now hurry and say your goodbyes and clear out so you're not in the way of the evening shift."
Then the woman was gone.
"Hate to see you leave us," Brad said as he enveloped her in a big bear hug. "I hope it's for greener pastures."
You and me both.
Jeff said goodbye with little more than a grunt and a pat on the back. Then Grace was left with Jeanette and Barb. Her two closest friends at work.
"So you’re really moving to Providence?" Jeanette asked.
"Actually, I moved into my new house last weekend." Saying the words still sent a little thrill through Grace. She was a homeowner now. In a small town that didn't have many prospects for marriage and a family. But she was doing whatshe'd felt prompted to do, so she had to put her trust in God that it would all work out.
The house was far from new and needed some renovations and updating—which Paige's family had generously helped with—but it was hers. Well, part of it. The other half of the duplex belonged to her brother Gabe.
"I wasn't planning on leaving, but..." Grace let her words trail off.
Grace had planned to keep her job here in the Tri-Cities even though it meant an hour-long commute. Then Paige's dad offered her a job at the hospital in Providence, and Grace accepted.
"But Providence?" Jeanette's expression was skeptical. "I'm surprised they even have a hospital there."
"Oh, stop it." Barb gave Jeanette's shoulder a shove. "You're just jealous that Grace gets to work in a small-town hospital that's a lot less stressful than here."
Grace gave Barb a grateful smile.
"It just felt right." Grace gave a shrug that felt inadequate in comparison to the magnitude of the changes she'd made. She couldn't deny the unseen force that had been guiding her for the last six weeks.
When her brother decided to move to Providence to be closer to his fiancée and his job, despair filled Grace. As deep and wide as the chasm that engulfed her when they got the news three months ago that their mother had stage-four pancreatic cancer. When the cancer took her mom, Grace wanted to be near family.
Barb set the basket on the desk. "Small town life takes some getting used to.” She grinned. “Everybody knows your business and thinks they should be a part of it. And gossip tends to run rampant, but they mean well. Mostly."
Grace laughed. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
Barb nodded thoughtfully. "Once people get to know you, most of them will give you the shirt off their backs."
Grace thought about the people she'd met in Providence so far—mostly her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s family—and she agreed with Barb. They were some of the kindest people she'd ever met.
"How's your mom doing since you guys moved?" Jeanette asked.
"It wore her out, but she's hanging in there."
"Not having to commute will mean you can spend more time with her." Barb's smile was encouraging.
Grace nodded. “I’ll even be able to run home and check on her on my lunch break.”
"That’s good." Barb closed in and wrapped her arms around Grace. "Keep us posted, okay? I'm going to miss you so much. Working with you always made the long shifts bearable."
