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“Four days. The day after tomorrow is my last day with Dr. Preston, and I leave Tuesday morning.”
God forbid Mom give her some time to breathe after twenty-five years of employment. I bet she wasn’t even doing anything special for her last day. Nilda deserved a party.
With that, a light bulb flicked on in my head. Shedoesdeserve a party.Everything was done now here. There was no reason I couldn’t drive back and throw one.
As quickly as the thought struck, I turned to look at the house next door. But I forced my eyes away and inwardly scolded myself.
No.
No, no, no.
I’m done here. I’m done wallowing. And Nilda’s departure was important. I’d let a man turn me upside downyet again.
“Will you have dinner with me on your last night?” I asked.
“I didn’t think you’d be back until after I left?”
“Change of plans. I’m coming home.”
“It would mean the world to me to spend my last night here with you, Josie.”
I smiled. This was the right decision. “I’ll see you Monday night.”
“Safe drive home, sweetheart.”
After I hung up, I got to work. I called the only auto-repair shop in Laurel Lake and made an appointment to get my oil changed and tires checked. Then I called a real estate agent I’d met at the party Bernadette Macon had thrown when I first arrived. Lynn Walker had been elementary-school friends with my dad and owned one of the two agencies in town. She said she’d stop over tomorrow to look at the house and discuss renting it again.
With the big things out of the way, after dinner I decided to pour myself a glass of wine and sit down and write out a to-do list of what needed to be done before I left the day after tomorrow.
Three tasks in, my phone rang.
Opal.
I figured it was safe to answer. I might have believed Fox had fallen for me, but I was certain he was not spreading gossip. So I swiped.
“Hi, Opal.”
“I’m going to kill that man!”
Uh-oh.Apparently, I’d misjudged more than I thought about the man next door. Yet I pretended to not know what she was talking about. Just in case… “Who are we talking about?”
“That jackass boss of mine. Iknewthere was a reason he’s been particularly hateful the last week and a half.”
I sighed. I supposed it would get out sooner than later. Though I would have preferred the later to beafterI was gone. “He told you…”
“I put two and two together. He fired three subcontractors this week, can’t put anything down without slamming it, and looks like he hasn’t slept in a month. He tried to play it off to Porter as being stressed over one of our jobs going long. But then Regina Watson called me.”
“Who?”
“I don’t think you’ve met her yet. Regina bowls with Bob on Friday nights. She’s a really good bowler. Whoops all the men’s asses.”
I was lost. “Okay…”
“Bob is Bob Walker. He’s married to Lynn, the real estate agent you’re talking to about listing the house for rent. Lynn mentioned it to her husband, who mentioned it to Regina at bowling tonight, and Regina called me. Now it makes sense why the boss is extra grumpy. You’re leaving. And my guess is he did something to cause that.”
Oh, Jesus Christ. I couldn’t keep up with the game of telephone these people played. But the cat was out of the bag. I exhaled. “I am leaving. But Fox didn’t do anything to me. Not really. He just…we’re not looking for the same thing.”
“When are you leaving, sweetheart?”
