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I silently cursed him and myself. I was in no condition to deal with Keenan, but if I stomped down to his office and choked him with his tie, that would definitely be a break from my routine.
“Amy, come to my office. I need you,” he said. He didn’t ask, just demanded.
“I’ll be right down,” I said through clenched teeth, hoping he couldn’t hear the anger in my voice.
At the very least, if Keenan kept me scurrying from one place to the other, I wouldn’t have too much time to think about everything else.
Thankful for Keenan?
I never thought I’d see the day, let alone twice, but at least the thought gave me a little smile.
I went to Keenan’s, and as I expected, he sent me off on a series of menial tasks that kept me busy through the day. I didn’t slow down or look up until I heard the knock on my door.
“Hey, Carol! Should you be walking around on that ankle?”
“Probably not, but I wanted to check on you,” she said. Her tone was light, but the deep crease that marred the otherwise perfect skin between her eyes gave her away.
“I’m fine,” I responded, giving her a smile that I hope she believed.
“Is Keenan still being a dick?”
I laughed. “Is he ever not?”
She laughed too before she hobbled in and sat in the empty chair in my office.
“I never told you, but you were right about him,” I said.
“I should have kept my mouth shut. But I couldn’t just stand by and watch him run over you. For all the good my blabbing did, though,” she said.
I shook my head fiercely.
Carol was unique in my life, a person who loved me enough to actually tell me the truth. That I had been too in love to listen to her, and then too hurt to acknowledge what she’d said, didn’t mean I didn’t appreciate it.
“I’m a few years late, but I want to thank you for that. You tried to tell me. It was hard—impossible—to hear at the time, but I appreciate you telling me the truth. That’s what a real friend does. And I’ll take all of those I can get,” I said.
She looked at me, her expression soft, her eyes getting a little glassy with emotion.
“What is it?”
“You remind me so much of her,” she said, the crack in her voice impossible to miss.
“Remind you of who?” I asked.
“Your mother,” she finally answered.
Carol almost never talked to me about her. They’d been good friends, best friends, from what little I knew.
“I look nothing like her, at least from the picture I’ve seen,” I said.
“No, you don’t look like her.” She tapped her chest. “But the heart is the same.”
“I doubt it,” I responded.
“You don’t see it, Amethyst, but I do. And you’ll be all right. No matter what,” she said, nodding her head with a confidence I wished I felt.
She looked at me for another moment, then shook her head and stood.
“But enough of an old woman’s rambling and distracting you. I’m sure you have things to do,” she said.
“You know you can come see me anytime.” I smiled at her.
“Thanks. I love you, kid,” she said.
She scurried away on her hurt ankle before I could respond, and I stared after her, wondering what had come over her.
Buzz.
I glared at the phone, thoughts of Carol, of everything except finding a way not to murder Keenan before the day ended, leaving my mind.
