After they visited with Elaine, they headed outside.
“There’s Upper Sparrow and Lower Sparrow, and that is where all of the clients that aren’t in Main stay. Most people will stay maybe a night or two in the Main and then transfer over to their counselors’ houses. The Church doesn’t usually get a lot of medically fragile people because it’s a little farther away from campus, though. And that over there is The Church.”
Tyler was right. It was a church. Or at least it looked like it from the back. Sitting on top of the hill, there was an old one-room Southern-style church. Trees flanked one side of it, along with a couple of picnic tables and yet more smoking towers. In order to get to it, one would have to follow the path over a little covered bridge. It looked to have a dry creek bed underneath it.
It was a bit of a hike up the hill, but she didn’t mind. There was something different here. Early morning spring frost still clung to the grass in the bright sun. It was like it was sparkling. The whitewashed church, even if it was just the back, felt immediately warmer than the area they had just left. The heat of the sun and the smell of pines mingled in the thicket of trees beside them, all combining into an instant mood booster.
And it only increased from there.
The moment she entered the building, it was a whole different world. What was once an old one-room Southern church was now divided into offices with one long L-shaped hall. Directly by the back door was the employee bathroom and a copy-and-fax-machine combo. The shelves behind it were painted bright blue and were filled with copy paper and an assortment of office supplies. Unlike the Main building, the walls were bright white and covered in client art. When they turned the corner to the long hall, the fluorescent lights above shone on the highly polished, yellowed wood floors. She could see insidea small conference room. Stacked chairs of different types lined a wall, while she could just make out words on a dry-erase board. Tips on how to handle anxiety in high-stress moments. Her heart swelled at that. Posters with encouragement were mingled in with client art. Farther down the hall was a station filled with coloring pages, markers, and colored pencils. There were crossword puzzles and Sudoku. Things that would help a busy mind unwind. Or help someone reconnect with relaxation. It wasn’t always about the drug of choice. It was also remembering what life was like before. How to have fun or channel nervous energy into something constructive. Learning things once forgotten, like taking a moment to just sit with silence and stillness.
Tyler knocked on a partially open door. A muffled “Come in” sounded.
She followed him, curious to see who put so much effort into their clients.
“Hey, Kerrie, I want you to meet someone.”
Reese was not sure what to expect, but the size of the masculine woman who stood to greet her was not it. She had to be at least six feet tall. The hand that shook her hand completely swallowed it. She appeared to be about middle-aged, if the light lines on her face and gray hair mingling with brown were any indication. “Hi, I’m Kerrie Matthews.”
“Reese Lloyd.”
Tyler plopped himself down in a chair in front of Kerrie’s desk as if he were at home. “Reese is thinking about taking Wilson’s position.”
“Oh, that would be great. Welcome to The Church.”
“Well, I’m still not sure—”
A high-pitched shrill sounded, causing both women to look in Tyler’s direction. He grinned sheepishly as he took out his phone, glancing at the screen. “I need to take this. I’ll be right back, Reese.”
Reese wanted to protest, but he moved too fast.
“Please, have a seat.”
She took the chair Tyler had been occupying while mentally taking in the area. Some stress balls were directly in front of her on the edge of the desk, as well as a bowl of hard candy. The old desk was metal and a drab green, but clean.
“So, is this your first time being an addiction counselor?” asked Kerrie as she leaned back in her chair, perfectly at ease.
“No, I’m not new to this. I worked at Woodwind prior to moving back here.”
A brown eyebrow raised at her. “I’ve heard that’s a nice place. On the fancy side, right?”
“I guess you could say that.” She couldn’t help but look around at the office with mismatched chairs, a desk older than she was, and what was probably a filing cabinet that didn’t open all the way. It was neatly arranged, though. Even the books on the cheap pressboard bookshelf were organized.
“A lot nicer than here, huh?”
Heat flared through her cheeks. “No, no, I mean—”
A deep laugh sounded from the other woman as she held up her hand. “Don’t sweat it. I know it’s true. I know where I work. Our clients are not wealthy people. We rely on the state’s grants and state insurance for some. Despite how the place looks, I promise it’s completely professional. Maybe not the prettiest, but we give good care. At least we do in The Church.”
“About that, Main felt so, so…”
“Stiff, unfeeling, sterile?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“That’s Main for you. That’s why I love it here. We’re our own little island. Rarely do we get bothered, but that also means everything is on our shoulders. It’s worth the trade-off, though. Our clients get the opportunity to bond and build relationships, not just with us but with their fellow peers.”
Reese sat up straighter. “Really? What does that entail?”
