“What’s Bode said about it?”
I shake my head, wiping my tears away with the sleeve of my work smock. Guess I won’t be needing to wear this anymore. “To not let it get to me. That it’ll pass in a few weeks and everything will be okay.”
“In a few weeks? He can’t expect you to be in limbo like that.”
“What else can he do? Women keep saying he’s the father of their baby. I’m a home-wrecker and a slut and every other crass word out there. He can’t wrap me in a bubble.”
Cressy looks horrified. “I thought you deleted everything.”
“I didn’t want you to worry, but they’re emailing me now.”
“Stephanie Campbell, you are my best friend. Whether you like it or not, I’m going to worry about you. You have to tell me these things.”
“You know I hate being a burden.”
The look she gives me could melt glass. It has me moving around her and splashing cold water on my face.
“Stevie, babe. You are not a burden. You are never a burden. I don’t care how many past boyfriends have told you that having feelings or being vulnerable isn’t something they wanted to bear, but it is not true. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know when you let people in. Let people help you and share your worries. I love you, Stevie, and I know Bode does too. Let us be there for you like you’re always there for us.”
I hold out a hand and she takes it. Hugging her to my side, I rest my head on her shoulder. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I’m not going anywhere. I might have to shake you a few times to get you to talk to me about things you keep to yourself, but that’s my problem.”
I snort a laugh. “Thank you for always being here for me.”
“We’ll get through this. If I have to raise hell to make sure you get your job back, I will.”
“Maybe I can stay at your place for a little while?”
Cressy eyes me with a dubious look. “You have been turning me down left and right, and now you want to stay with me?”
“Only until things die down. Maybe if I’m not around, things will go back to normal. Besides, if they found my email, I don’t want them tracking down where I live.”
“Oh, Stevie. I am so sorry this is happening.”
“Me too.”
I thought I was at my lowest before.
It had nothing on this. No jobandno home?
Guess there are a few more layers I had yet to uncover from rock bottom.
ChapterThirty-Three
BODE
For once in my life, hockey doesn’t bring the escape from my problems that it normally does.
Growing up, whenever I got angry about my lot in life, about my parents not caring or loving me enough, I could take my aggression out on the ice.
A hard workout?
Line drills?
All of it helped calm the raging thoughts in my brain.
When it’s happening to someone you love?
