All different colors, all covered in my doodles.
I sift through them on my lap, some are so ridiculous I feel instantly embarrassed.An angry goblin sitting on top of another goblin.I chuckle under my breath as I reminisce over each silly square. These are stickies I threw away, stickies for the parts of my brain I was embarrassed to show anyone. My doodled thoughts in all their glory lay across my lap.
Among the pile of sticky notes, I see an unfamiliar folded up piece of paper. I clutch it tightly and glance up at Duncan and the three.
“So, Ms. Bailey, how did things turn out at Glendale?” None of them look up from the evaluations as the man asks.
“Umm . . .” My hands are shaky as I unfold the piece of paper instead of answering his question. I recognize the handwriting immediately.
I couldn’t let pieces of you go to waste.
Tears fill my eyes as I stare down at the note, focusing all of my attention on Benny’s words. Covering my mouth with my hand in an attempt to hide my smile is pointless as a small sob escapes me.
“Ms. Bailey?” The voice at the end of the table sounds faint as happy sobs flow out of me.
I trace the letters of his name, completely lost in my feelings for the man awaiting me back home. “It’s everything I could ever want, sir.”
Chapter twenty-eight
Benny
“Whatisshedoinghere?” Kate backs away from the breakroom table as I walk in carrying Frankie. She gives a soft meow inside her carrier and Kate practically loses her eyes in the back of her head.
“Daycare is closed,” I say, pulling Frankie out of her carrier. She’s in the baby blue hoodie with pink bow that Ellie got for her today. I’m really accentuating my manliness. “What else was I supposed to do?”
“Leave her at home! She’s acat!” Kate throws her head back, annoyed.
Setting her medication bottle on the table, I pull out a pill and stuff it inside a torn piece of bagel. Frankie watches as I do, believing she can’t be fooled with carbs. I place the rolled up piece of bagel on the ground and Frankie approaches slowly, sniffing, pawing, then finally scooping it up by her teeth and swallowing it in one bite.
“Isn’t that counterintuitive? Diabetes medication withcarbs?” She puts her hands on her hips, judging my methods per usual.
“We do what we gotta do.” Frankie licks her paws clean and I scratch her head as I make my way to the back of the room.
Kate looks at her, disgusted, as she gives herself a bath in the middle of the break room floor. When she finishes, Frankie swiftly and aggressively pounces on top of Kate’s feet causing her to yelp and run away.
“I hate her,” she whines as she climbs on top of the counter next to me so she can get away from the naked feline.
“You know she can hop up there,” I point out as I fill my coffee mug.
Frankie meows from the floor up at Kate.
“No way, she’s too fat.” Kate looks down at her, shooing her away.
“You only have yourself to blame for her presence here.”
“Don’t remind me.” She groans as Frankie stretches and rolls around the floor directly under her, taunting her. I laugh at their interaction and Kate hits me on the side of the arm, causing Frankie to meow and hiss at her.
“She’ll protect me.” I laugh again as I go back to the table, leaving Kate to fight this battle on her own. “Where are the others?” I just realized Malcolm wasn’t the first one here today. Emma wasn’t here either. And our morning meeting was starting in five minutes.
“Malcolm had stuff to do,” Kate says, still perched on the counter behind me.
“Sorry, I’m late!” Emma bursts through the break room door, almost letting Frankie run free before shutting it abruptly behind her.
“Is everything okay?” I ask as she sets a box down on the table.
“Yes—yeah—just a crazy morning.” She waves me off and starts to pull binders and flyers out of her box. “The block party is in two days, people. We have got to move fast!”
Emma starts handing items out to everyone present for the meeting. “Where’s Malcolm?”
