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“Since I’m a therapist, I’d better know what the hell it means.”
We both laughed.
“Are you sure you’re all right, Zoe? You sound out of sorts.”
“I’m fine. Truly I am.”
“Everything straight with Jason and the kids?”
“Indeed. We’re taking a va-cay-cay next weekend.”
“Oh? The islands? I remember you mentioning that Jason wanted to check out the Grand Palladium in Jamaica.”
“I wish. No, we’re only going on a four-hour road trip to Charlotte. The CIAA Tournament.”
“CIAA?”
“Yeah, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.”
“I need to get out more.” Marcella giggled. “Never heard of it. They have a lot of men there?”
“It’s a basketball tournament, Marcella. What do you think?”
“Okay, let me rephrase that. Are there a lot of single men there?”
“I’ve only ever been with ‘he who walks behind the rows,’ but I am quite sure there are. Tons of parties, that’s for sure.”
“ ‘He who walks behind the rows’? Too funny.”
She sighed like she had experienced yet another long day. I never understood how Marcella could listen to other people’s drama day in and day out, but she somehow found her career to be satisfying and she had certainly saved my life.
I would be terrified to be a psychiatrist. I would be afraid someone would completely flip out one day and attack me. The world was crazy enough without inviting trouble. Then again, I was one of her patients and I was not likely to go postal. But I imagined if Quinton Matthews had been one of her clients—a bona fide serial killer. Would he have flipped out on her the way he had done on Jason and me in that cabin? I shuddered at the thought.
Quinton was still locked up in a sanitarium and I hoped he would remain there for the remainder of his natural life. For the past few years, I had struggled with the fact that had it not been for me stepping out on my marriage by falling for his looks and charm, Tyson, Diamond, and Allison would still be alive. Marcella had continued to help me work through everything, but it was a daily battle.
Marcella drew me back from my thoughts. “I need to get away and relax. Maybe I’ll shoot for next year.”
“If you really want to meet someone, I can try to hook you up,” I suggested. “Jason has a lot of friends.”
“Not a good idea.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Because if something goes wrong, it might cause a rift in our relationship as therapist and client.”
“And friends,” I added.
“Yes, as friends.”
I was searching for something more to add, which was strange for me, especially when it came to Marcella. Normally, I was a chatterbox. I felt like I should admit what I had been doing with Orpheus, but I did not want to open the door to a bunch of backlash. So I kept my lips closed.
“Zoe, as your friend first and your therapist second, at this point, I want you to realize that you can truly discuss any and everything with me, and it doesn’t need to be only during our weekly sessions.”
“I realize that. That’s why I called you.”
I glanced at the wall clock. It was time to get going if I was going to make it to the hotel on time.
“I’ll see you on Tuesday. Same bat time; same bat channel.”
