Page 3 of Touch of Class

Gillian took a bite of her cake and sighed happily. Maybe this birthday would be a milestone. Maybe this could be a return to the calm life, the steady pace. After more than a year of change, maybe this transition could be one that brought stability instead of disorder.

No sooner had the dream sparked than her phone buzzed.

As she glanced at the screen, her hope faded in a rush of concern. Standing, she handed her plate to Brooke and headed for the door. “I have to take this.”

She pressed the accept button as soon as she stepped into the hall. “Hello, Gillian DeGarmo speaking.”

“Gillian, glad I caught you.” The voice of her building manager came through loud and clear. “I wanted to give you a heads-up. The ownership group rented out the office across the hall from you. You’re getting new neighbors starting next month.”

“I beg your pardon.” She glanced at the door across from her now. The “vacant” sign attached to it had been there so long she’d begun to think of it as a permanent design feature.

“I don’t have all the details,” he explained. “I didn’t handle the tour. I only know it’s a sole proprietor business called ‘Healing Touch,’ and they’ll also share your waiting area.”

“Hold on.” It felt like something in her brain may’ve ruptured. “We have clients in the waiting room all the time.”

He chuckled. “I’m familiar with the concept of a waiting room.”

“We’ve made that space our own.”

“And I’ve let you, because yours was the only crew on that floor, but you knew you shared the reception area for the entire cluster of offices when you moved in. Hell, Gillian, you shared it with other therapists when you got here.”

“Other therapists, never with anyone outside the mental health field. There are so many things to take into consideration.”

“Which is why I’m giving you a heads-up. This is above my pay grade. I’m merely making a courtesy call.”

“What if I were to rent the office instead?”

“Sorry,” he said, though he seemed to find the offer slightly humorous. “The new tenant already signed a lease. This is out of both of our hands.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Don’t let this ruin your night,” he continued gently. “It’ll all work out. You’ve got a great group of people in that space.”

She turned back toward the room where all her friends stood talking and laughing over a sheet cake in celebration of her. “Yeah, okay.”

The call disconnected, but she didn’t lower the phone. She needed a minute to center herself, wrap her head around yet another change, and try to anchor her emotions to the good of this moment rather than the issues ahead. He’d been right about one thing. She’d gathered a collective consisting of some of the best people in the world. Only now the others each had a person of their own, which left her standing quite literally on the outside.

It wasn’t that she begrudged anyone their happiness. She’d dedicated her life to helping people access the very best, most fulfilled version of themselves. She had goals, responsibilities, and an almost singular sense of focus. How was she supposed to keep living up to those challenges if people kept getting in the way of her clearly planned progress?

Tegan looked up and met her eyes from inside the waiting room as if sensing something amiss. “Uh-oh, bad news?”

“More changes ahead.” Gillian delivered the verdict as if it very much signified bad news even though she knew the two didn’t always go together. “The landlord rented out the office across the hall. The only detail I got was that the business is called ‘Healing Touch,’ and we’ll have to share the waiting room with them.”

“That could be cool,” Robin said with her usual easy acceptance.

Gillian stared at her, and the doubt or exasperation must’ve registered on her face.

“Hey now.” Sawyer gently stepped in. “I know it’s your birthday, and you can cry if you want to, or pout, or be pissy, but change can be awesome. Look at me. I’m practically domesticated. No one ever thought I’d settle down.”

“I’m not sure we share a definition of ‘settle down.’ You two went bungee jumping last week,” Gillian said flatly, then with a deep breath added, “I wanted this year to settle into a routine, settle into a groove, settle into our tight-knit little group, but I get your point. If you’d told me six months ago you and Robin would be in a steady, committed relationship, I would’ve asked if I should also expect to see pigs fly.”

“No one’s more surprised than we are.” Robin wrapped her arms around Sawyer’s waist. “But that’s what makes it radical. The steadiness is still new and unexpected. We’re breaking the old molds every day, and that’s wild. You just never know what’s going to blow your mind in the best way.”

“Besides,” Tegan added, “Healing Touch has potential. Maybe it’s a masseur.”

“Oh, that’d get me back here faster if a massage therapist worked across the hall,” Brooke mused.

“Faster than me working here?” Tegan teased.