Page 160 of Hiding in the Outfield

Relax, Frankie.

I stop outside her door and knock gently. She smiles at me, her warm brown skin glowing under the fluorescent office lights. She has the most welcoming eyes, a jacobean brown that sparkles with kindness.

This will be okay. This will be okay.

“Hi, Frank. Is it time for our meeting already?”

I shut the door behind me. “Actually, no. I wanted to chat with you about something.”

“Of course. What’s on your mind?” She rolls closer to me in her L-shaped desk and sets her elbows on the desktop.

I take a seat and clasp my hands in my lap. “I want to look into my options for relocating.”

Her brows lift. “Oh.” She sits back and waits for me to elaborate.

“I’d like to relocate to the San Francisco office. I can still come back to Providence to work for certain stretches of time, but I’d like for my main office to be in California.”

Her lips purse and the pinch to her brow has my excitement stalling. “Can I ask why? You don’t have to tell me if it’s personal. But if it’s work-related and there’s an issue here in Providence, I want to know about it.”

“Oh, no! I love it here in Providence. And you know I love working for you. You’ve been an incredible boss to me. But, um, my boyfriend’s work has taken him out to San Francisco. So, I’ll be following him out there.”

And I will be, I realize. Regardless of what Rosanna says. There are a lot of actuarial opportunities in the city. Job security is one of the huge perks of being an actuary, and as a senior-level consultant, I have a skill set that makes me a hot commodity. And if my exam results come back with a pass—which should be coming out in a couple weeks—I’ll be even more sought after.

A heaviness builds in my chest. It’d be heartbreaking, which may seem dramatic, but I really love this job, this company, my co-workers, my clients. But it’s not even a decision if I have to choose between that and Jackson.

Loverboy always. No contest.

“Ah,” Rosanna says with a soft smile. “Well, it’s not straightforward. Every office has its own staffing and salary budget. They’ll want you to take on more San Francisco clients, so there needs to be room for someone at your level. If not, we could potentially see if we can convert you to a permanently remote employee, but the company is trying to avoid that at all costs.” She grimaces. “They really want people in office.”

I nod. “But it’s a possibility?”

“Yes. And luckily, we have the new head of San Francisco who is in charge of staffing here in Providence today! Let me call Nick in here.” She smiles widely, like I would be oh-so happy to find out Nick got promoted.

I force a smile even as my stomach fills with lead, because as far as anyone knows, we’re chummy coworkers.

She calls Nick and asks him to meet us in her office. He shows up a couple minutes later, and I scoot my chair farther away from his. It might look like I’m trying to make room, but the look Nick gives me lets me know he’s fully aware that wasn’t the reason.

“Thanks for joining us so quickly, Nick,” Rosanna says. She nods my way. “Frank just let me know he’s interested in transferring to the San Francisco office. So, we were wondering what capacity you have.”

Nick’s head snaps toward me, and his hazel eyes light up. “Interested in transferring to San Francisco, are we?” He grins. “You want more opportunities to work with me. That’s it, isn’t it?”

I grit my teeth behind my smile. “You are great to work for, and I’ve learned so much from you.” Like how some people in this world are soulless assholes. “Oh, and how could I forget to ask? How are the wife and kids?” I add sweetly.

His eyes harden as my barb hits. “They’re doing very well, thank you.”

Nick abruptly stands. “I think I need a coffee. Frank, would you like to go grab one from Spunky Brewster with me? We can chat over possibilities.”

“Great idea!” Rosanna beams at us. “Reconvene here after, and then we can prep for our meeting.”

I stiffly rise from my chair and follow Nick out of the office. We don’t say a word until we exit the lobby and walk out onto the street.

“So, you want to transfer to San Francisco, do you? What’s your reasoning?”

“It’s personal. And private.”

He lets out a sigh. “Come on, Frank. Are you ever going to get over this? You’re the one who broke things off with me. I’m the injured party here.”

I open my mouth, but immediately snap it shut. Because this is what he does. It’s what he did five years ago. Begged me to come back to him. That I was breaking his heart. That he loved me so much, and how could I do this to him? Like being his dirty little secret was some sort of honor.