“At least he’s pumping iron and not something else to relieve stress,” Clair jokes. “Come sit with me.”
I look at the door of the gym. “I should?—”
“Sit with me,” she says sternly, cutting me off.
I narrow my eyes as I do as she asks. “What’s going on?”
This feels like a setup. Paul texting me and then having Claire here, seemingly, waiting for…me?
“Dr. Prescott. You look like you’ve been run over,” she remarks.
“Pretty sure I have been.” I arch an eyebrow. “Claire, what exactly are you doing here?”
She puts her tablet aside. “Waiting for you.”
I nod carefully. “Why?”
“Therapy session. Pro bono.”
I drag a hand down my face and groan. “You and Paul are ganging up on me now?”
“Only because we care.” Warmth flickers in her eyes. “Paul’s told me a little about what’s going on. Things are challenging for you.”
I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “Challenging is one word for it.”
“Want to pick a better one?”
I think about it. “Impossible.”
She hums. “So, what’s impossible exactly? The work? The marriage? The balance?”
“All of it,” I admit. “I’m trying to be everywhere at once. I’m afraid to mess up at home, and I’m afraid to mess up here. I’m constantly disappointing someone.”
Claire studies me quietly for a moment. “You know, guilt can feel a lot like control.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
She tilts her head. “It means if you feel guilty, at least you feel responsible. And if you feel responsible, you can convince yourself you’re still in charge.”
I look down at my hands. “But I’m not in charge,” I murmur wearily. “In fact, Claire, I don’t even know who’s running this show anymore.”
“Then stop pretending it’s you.” A spark of humor softens her tone. I turn to look at her. “You can’t keep doing all of this without breaking something. Maybe it’s time you stop trying to carry the whole load alone.”
“That’s what Jayne says…that she’s carrying it all alone.”
Claire nods. “You’re both driving hard and in different directions. It makes sense she feels the way you do—like she’s falling short everywhere. Home, work, marriage. She hears herself nagging you, and she probably hates it.”
I frown. “Have you been talking to Jayne?”
She laughs. “No, Rhys. I’m an experiencedpsychologist, and what you’re going through, as hard as it is, isnotunusual.”
I give Claire an unimpressed glare. “That makes me feel better.”
“I’m glad I could help,” she says cheekily and then adds, “I’d like to help, Rhys.”
I dip my head in acknowledgement. “It feels like we’re in a pressure cooker, and eventually there will be an implosion or explosion. I don’t know how to stop it.”
She releases a long exhale. “If Jayne were here, what would she say?”
