She turned away without lifting her own hand. Her eyes burned instantly, and with every step she took, it felt like a little piece of her heart was chipping away. But wanting Matty didn’t mean she could accept this, these scraps, this weak acknowledgment after days of silence. If Matty wanted to fix what was between them, it would have to be more than a wave tossed across a lawn. Reese needed more than that. She deserved more than that. And Matty would have to decide if she was ready to give it.
***
Her attention span was shot by the end of the afternoon.
Despite trying her best, her mind just wouldn’t stop going back to Matty. The image of her in the rain, sitting in her car, huddled away from Reese, her retreating back as she quickly walked away from The Church yesterday morning as Reese was pulling in. It was overwhelming and exhausting. Her mind couldn’t stop trying to figure out what had happened, but she couldn’t put a puzzle together with pieces missing, and she was sure pieces were missing.
She glanced at the clock. It was twenty minutes to five. She clocked out in fifteen minutes, which meant she had only five to go. She wanted out of the building before Matty arrived. Seeing her right now would only make her feel worse.
As she was gathering her things, she heard footsteps approaching her door, causing her to curse under her breath.
“Miss Reese?”
Dammit.
“Hey, what’s up?” she greeted her client, Mark.
He stepped into her office, his hands wringing the baseball cap in them. “I, well, I know it’s late, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”
Her hopes of leaving early just started to sink. “What kind of favor?”
“Today’s my little girl’s birthday. I was wondering if you’d let me use your phone to call her. I know it ain’t phone time, but my wife works nights, and by the time it’s phone time, she’ll already be with my mother-in-law. She won’t take my calls, so this would be my only chance. If your answer’s no, I get it. I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask. I just don’t want her to think Daddy forgot her...” he trailed off.
The hope of leaving early just sailed off and hit an iceberg, sinking quickly. She was nodding before she fully accepted it. “Sure, but don’t tell the others. I’m only doing this because you’ve been working so hard.”
A thankful grin spread across his face. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be quick.”
She dialed the code that allowed the office landline to dial out, then turned it around for him. “Just dial with the area code.”
She turned her attention to her cellphone to give him a little privacy. She never left a client on the phone alone. It wasn’t wise. She tried to tune him out, but her heart broke a little for both father and daughter when she heard him after getting his wife to give the phone over.
“Hey, baby girl... yeah, it’s Daddy... I know, I know, I’m sorry I can’t be there... happy birthday, sweetheart.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Reese looked away, blinking hard. By the time he hung up, he was smiling, but his eyes were shiny.
“Thank you, Miss Reese.”
“You’re welcome.”
He left her feeling even more emotional than when he had arrived. These were moments when she really got to see the human side of people. Sometimes all they needed was a little bit of kindness.
She grabbed her bag and headed for the door before anyone else could stop her.
As she was swiping her badge to clock out, she yelled down the hall. “I’m heading out, Kerrie!”
“Okay, have a good evening!”
Warm air hit her the instant she was outside, which was rather nice since Kerrie kept the building so cold. The campus was quiet, and only her shoes crunching on the gravel parking lot made any sound. Until...
“Reese?”
She stopped so fast her feet lost traction briefly. Once her footing was regrounded she thought of just going on. Pretend she hadn’t heard Matty call her name.
Then she closed her eyes briefly, gathered what little composure she had left, and turned.
Matty stood a few feet away, looking like she didn’t quite know what to do with herself. Her hands were shoved in her pockets with her backpack slung over her shoulders like usual. There was grease on her shirt, and her face looked miserable. It made Reese want to reach out, but then the feeling of being abandoned rose to the surface, choking out any sympathy.
“What?” Reese asked, the word coming out flatter than she intended.
