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Chapter Fifteen
“Ihave bad news.”
Words no one wanted to hear from their boss.
Jeni sat at the large table in the conference room with the other social and case workers.
Sandra’s lips, usually turned up in a smile, flattened into a grim line. “I received news of impending budget cuts to our department. I don’t know exactly what it means yet, but I just want everyone to be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” one of the seasoned case workers asked. “Are jobs being cut?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Sandra said. “I don’t even know which programs are losing funds. It might not affect the foster service line. And if it does, I don’t know how significant the deficit will be. It could be we just can’t use the nice printer paper anymore and have to buy generic coffee for the breakroom. Or it could mean I lose FTEs. I wish I knew. But if the latter is even a possibility, I wanted to get it out there so no one’s blindsided.”
Jeni clasped her hands together in her lap. She was the newest employee. If someone had to go, it would be her.
What would she do? Yes, one of the perks of being unattached meant she could go anywhere for a job if she needed to. It was one of the reasons she intended to remain that way. But she’d finally gotten settled in Kansas City and was gaining her bearings in her position. She’d worked hard to establish rapport with the foster families assigned to her and was slowly but surely getting to know the children under her supervision. She’d work hard no matter where she went, but Andrew’s diagnosis made staying in town more important than she’d anticipated. She needed to be here with him. His first chemo treatment was tomorrow, in fact.
She could find another social worker position if she got laid off, but it wouldn’t be the same. CPS was the best opportunity to make a difference in the foster care system, and she’d been confident getting her foot in the door here early would pay off in the long run. She hoped she’d work her way up, maybe even fill Sandra’s shoes one day. The Kansas City metro needed more foster families too, and she had ideas for community events to increase awareness and provide information to the public. Ideas that would appeal to the demographic here—which meant barbecue would definitely be involved. Maybe she could even ask Logan about some sort of coordination with the Chiefs as a service event for the team that would also bring the publicity to benefit the agency.
Speaking of…a gorgeous, smiling man with wavy blond hair and blue eyes flitted through her thoughts, which was ridiculous. Logan’s presence in Kansas City had no connection whatsoever to her desire to stay.
When those around her began to stand and filter out of the conference room, Jeni came back to the present. She hadn’t even listened to the rest of the staff meeting.
She and Sandra were the last ones to leave.
“Should I be worried?” Jeni asked bluntly.
“I don’t know.” Sandra put a hand on Jeni’s shoulder. “I hope not. You’re doing a great job. If it were up to me, there’s no way I’d let you go. It’s too early to worry though, okay? I’m just hearing rumblings of financial upheaval from some of the legislators I know. Nothing has come directly from the Governor’s office.”
Jeni heard the unspoken word that followed.
Yet.
* * *
“One down, seven to go.” Jeni reached over to squeeze Andrew’s shoulder. “Wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Andrew sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window. He looked the exact same as he had yesterday. Last week. Last year. That made it easy to make light of the fact he’d just received a shit-ton of chemotherapy.
How long until the side effects started? How long would it take for the chemo to change him?
Whenever it was, Jeni would be there.
He shot her a side-eye. “It’s been ten minutes since I finished. It’s a little early to draw conclusions.”
“At least we didn’t embarrass you too bad.” She glanced in the rearview mirror where their mother, Rhonda, and Valerie followed in the repaired Suburban. They’d flocked around him the entire treatment. Even if he pretended to be annoyed by it, Jeni knew Andrew appreciated their show of support. At least a little.
“Easy for you to say,” he muttered.
Jeni gave a sly grin. “What’s up with you and Lauren?”
The cute pharmacist they’d met during his first oncologist visit just happened to pass by during his infusion. It hadn’t seemed to have been by accident.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You were flirting hard.”
“Was not.”
