“Who else knew?”Besides Trevor.
“No one that I’m aware of.I certainly didn’t divulge anything.Frankly, I saw no harm in it—you both kept up professional appearances—but that’s not for me to judge.I may run this place, but I don’t make the rules.The two organizations are quasi-related at best, and you would not have been the first ones to test an arbitrary line.”
Angie could have sworn one corner of the woman’s mouth tipped up.
“One of the trainers knew,” Angie blurted.
Celia’s other eyebrow joined the first one, lending her a look of genuine surprise.“Interesting.If management took notice of your relationship, it might have merited a discussion, not immediate termination.”Her mask returned, though it didn’t appear as harsh as it had before.“Shall we pull together your things and help you get on with your life?I took the liberty of dropping a few boxes at your workstation.I’ll have to stand by—company policy—but you must be reeling, so feel free to take all the time you need.”
Celia was right.Angiewasreeling, and she struggled to get into a headspace where she could separate what was hers from what belonged to the clinic.But she got there eventually, and Celia walked her out, balancing one of the boxes in her arms.
As they loaded Angie’s possessions into her SUV, Celia gave her an awkward shoulder pat.“You are a top-notch therapist.Don’t forget that.”
“Who apparently violated HIPAA.”Angie deflated on a sigh.“What clinic will hire me with that black mark on my record?”
Celia looked to the sky.“We shall see.In the meantime, if I can help by writing a letter about your stellar work ethic, you let me know.”
Angie drove away, her eyes glued to the odd woman in her rearview mirror, her mind searching for answers that weren’t there.
Angie’s face was crusted with the dry tracks of her tears—and flour—as she mixed her third batch of cookies.Return of the Jediblared in the living room, and she mouthed the dialogue along with the actors.When her phone pinged, she glanced at it.
A new text from Sam, equally short and as unhelpful as the others she still needed to answer.
Sam:Crazy busy.Miss you.Will explain.
Should she answer and tell him she’d been fired for reasons she still didn’t comprehend?She’d been over her protocols in her mind time and again, then gone over them again with Jenna, but she couldn’t come up with any missteps that would have gotten her fired.Her plan was to bake into oblivion and go to the shelter, delivering the goodies while she got unconditional love from her fur buddies.
She needed to say something to Sam, but she didn’t want to dump her problems on him, especially not with him whirling like a dervish.Besides, would it matter in the end?He was leaving again.Best to distance herself.
When a second text pinged, she frowned.
Sam:Meetings all day and chasing down a house lead now.Call tonight?
Angie:Busy tonight.Good luck.
It wasn’t a lie.She was hanging at the shelter until it closed, after which she’d pick up a gallon of Rocky Road and use it as a dip for the cookies she’d stashed for herself.This time, she would fix her broken heart with calories.
Sam flopped onto the bed in his friend Cam Blue’s guest room, utterly drained.The last few days had been insane, leaving him in a never-ending tailspin he couldn’t escape.At least the pace had kept him from thinking too much about what was coming.
He had begged off being social tonight, and not only because he had to catch his breath.He needed to talk to Angie, tell her what was happening.She was two hours behind, which wasn’t a huge difference, but he never seemed able to connect with her during the few spare minutes he had to call her.Putting everything in a text was impossible.
Scrolling through their text exchange, he frowned.She wasn’t answering quickly like she usually did—sometimes she didn’t answer at all.The responses he did get were … Well, they left him disappointed.And worried.There was an iciness to them that fueled a bad feeling in his gut.
He stared at the ceiling as awareness slapped him like a wrist shot.Picking up his device again, he reread his messages throughhereyes.
Shit!What if she thinks I’m blowing her off again?
A soft knock came, and he sat up.“Yeah?”
Terra, Cam’s wife, stuck her head through the door.“Sorry to bother you, but I forgot to stock your bathroom with fresh towels.”
He scrambled from the bed to take the towels from her.A light floral fragrance wafted around her, making him more homesick for Angie.
Her brows drew together.“Everything okay?”
He stacked the towels on the bed and turned to face her.“Yeah.I guess I’m just overwhelmed.”
“Understandable.You’re going through a lot of changes right now.Cam probably told you he went through the same craziness.Do you have someone at home you can talk to?”
