Guidance.
He didn’t seem to want somethingfromme, but somethingforme.
He stepped a little closer, his eyes still fixed on mine. “Now I want you to be done for the day. Don’t worry about cleaning up—Tyler and Macey can handle that. Just grab your things and your paperwork from Shelby up at the desk, and I’ll meet you at the truck. We’ll fill it out on the way home.”
I nodded, unable to speak, and slipped out of his office. I felt shaky as I walked up to the front desk, noticing my cheeks were warm.
Somehow, his refusing to let me shove him away in thatconversation felt more intimate than going over to eat dinner at his house, or having him at my cabin fixing broken appliances.
I grabbed my paperwork from Shelby and walked across the parking lot to find his truck unlocked. I climbed into the passenger seat and sat in silence for a moment.
He was my boss.
And a dentist.
But those repeated mantras I’d been telling myself the past few days were starting to lose their impact.
A few minutes later, he came out of the clinic doors, crossing the parking lot toward me, hands in the pockets of his scrubs.
I knew something was different after that conversation in his office. But I couldn’t put a name to it. And I definitely wasn’t ready to acknowledge it.
But it was there.
I sucked in a deep breath. And slowly let it out.
CHAPTER 16
Igot my first paycheck the very next day. I’d gotten lucky and my first day had been the last day of the pay period. Perfect timing, really because it let me buy some mouse traps and set them up around my cabin, and even pick up some fresh groceries.
Setting the traps wasn’t easy, and I nearly lost a finger once or twice as I set them up around the kitchen. I didn’t know if there were mice in other places, but I didn’t want to think too hard about where else they might be hiding, or I’d surely lose my sanity.
Once the traps were set, I finally sat down and wrote a chapter or two of my novel. For the first time in a long time, the words flowed onto the page without hesitation. I didn’t even realize it was getting dark outside until a text lit up my phone and I glimpsed the time. It was nearly eight.
The text was from my Mom.
MOM: Hope, please come home. We need to talk. I’m worried about you.
I hadn’t responded the other day when she’d sent her last message. The fact that neither of my parents had even bothered to call me made my blood boil. If they really cared about where I was, wouldn’t they call?
I gritted my teeth and picked up the phone, sending a text I hoped would end this false show of worry.
HOPE: I’m fine, Mom. I have a new job here, and I don’t plan on coming home anytime soon. You don’t need to worry about me.
On my second day at the office, Jay didn’t show up at my doorstep to take me to work. But he’d definitely been over at some point because my porch stairs and railing were no longer broken. He was like a sneaky Christmas elf.
Evidence of the bear was gone entirely, and there were even new LED lights attached to my garage that flicked on when motion was detected. I was grateful he’d been discreet; I was still trying to avoid running into him. After our last encounter, I didn’t feel ready to face him just yet.
I drove to work with the windows down, a light breeze blowing through my hair. I tried not to think too hard about where I was going, or I’d work myself into an anxious state. Instead, I lost myself in the music and pretended I wasn’t headed to a dental office to clean people’s teeth. I imagined I was going to the lake for fish and chips at the dockside restaurant.
The music and the view also helped, and by the time I pulled up to the office, I wasn’t nearly as anxious as I had been the last time.
But I’d worked up a severe craving for fish and chips.
“Good morning,” Shelby greeted as I walked in.
Devin gave me a polite nod.
“Good morning,” I replied with a small smile, making my way back to the break room. I walked in just in time to catch Tyler and Macey in an intense conversation. They were sitting on the couch, Tyler with his arms behind his head and his feet crossed on the coffee table, while Macey told her story, munching on Ritz crackers and making emphatic hand gestures.
