Page 11 of Twice in a Lifetime

With that, she turned on her heel and skip-walked back into Gypsy’s house, leaving me to try to stuff down the little pang of hope that her words gave root to.

Chapter Six

Blythe

Ilet out a yawn and sucked back the remaining dregs in my coffee mug before refocusing on the invoice on the computer screen in front of me. I’d never been a fan of clerical work, but when I got to Hope Valley I hadn’t really been in a position to be picky when it came to finding a job. Unlike Elliott, I hadn’t had a clear idea of what I wanted to do once I graduated from college. He’d known he wanted to teach—hell, we met because he was TAing one of my classes. I’d gotten a degree in business management mainly because it sounded good, but I spent the first few years of our marriage bouncing from job to job, trying to find my passion. I eventually discovered it when Avett came along. I loved being a stay-at-home mother, but without Elliott’s paycheck, I’d needed to find a source of income fast.

Sure, there was Social Security, and Elliott and I both had life insurance policies, but I would have rather put that money away for my kids’ future than live off of it, so not long after returning to my hometown, I’d started my job hunt. None of thejobs I’d applied for filled me with excitement, but I told myself it was about taking care of my family, not finding the perfect fit. I applied for anything I thought I might have been reasonably qualified for, and the first callback was for a receptionist/file clerk for a local OBGYN and reproductive endocrinologist. The work could be mind-numbing, but Dr. Shaundry was kind, the pay was good, and the other women on staff were easy to work with. It could have been worse.

“So, I told him if he wantedthatin the bedroom, he’d have to do better than an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet and a pitcher of beer at the bowling alley,” our lab tech, Diana, continued, recounting her latest dating fiasco to our office manager, Gretchen. “For that, I expected a lobster dinner with a side of filet mignon.”

Gretchen let out a whoop of laughter. “And what did he have to say about that?”

Diana scoffed. “That he wasn’t gonna shell out that kind of money until he knew it was worth it.”

“What an ass,” our nurse, Heather, muttered.

I could have sworn I heard a giggle come from the other file clerk on staff, Merritt, but when I glanced at the woman sitting at the work station beside me, her head was lowered, her face hidden behind her thick curtain of long, dark hair.

I’d only been here a couple months, but it was just long enough to notice the dynamic between the women was different with Merritt. It wasn’t for lack of trying on their part, but Merritt was incredibly quiet and kept to herself. When one of us tried to engage her in conversation, the most we could get out of her were short, whispered answers.

She was nice enough, offering small smiles when we managed to catch her eye, but there was something... off. My gut was telling me it wasn’t that she was shy; she was trying to hide herself from us, and that left me unsettled.

She looked to be somewhere in her late twenties, and was the only other married woman on staff, so you would have thought this conversation was right up her alley. But she volunteered nothing.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Gretchen and Diana look my way. They were both more than a decade younger than me and in their prime dating years. I didn’t have much in common with them, but they were sweet and hilarious, so I didn’t mind listening to their stories.

“What do you think, B?” Gretchen asked, pulling my attention away from the computer. “You think she should have put out first?”

I swiveled my chair around to face them. “Absolutely not.”

Diana looked at me with curiosity. My friendship with these ladies was mainly surface, so they didn’t know much other than that I was married for fifteen years, had three kids, and my husband passed away earlier that year. Because of that, they looked to me like I had all the answers. If only they knew just how unqualified I was to hand out dating advice. “So what should I do?”

I braced one foot on the floor and twisted my chair side to side as I tapped my pen on the desk, thinking her question over. “Personally, I’d hold out for a man who’d want to buy me a lobster dinner simply because he knew I was worth it, not because he expected something in return. And call me old-fashioned, but I believe the first date is too soon to be talking anal. That’s more of a fourth or fifth date thing.”

Diana and Gretchen burst into laughter just as the mechanical chime above the door went off, filling the lobby with a tinny sound that was a lot less pleasant than an actual bell.

I spun in my chair, the professional smile that had been affixed to my face drooped as I caught sight of the person who’d just come in. Merritt’s husband had come into the office oncebefore since I started here. He was the picture of charm and swagger in his expensive suit, his perfectly styled hair, and the gleam of the thick watch on his wrist. He was an attractive man, there was no doubt about it, but something about him didn’t sit right with me, despite the attractive toothpaste-commercial-worthy smile. I didn’t like him. I’d been around enough to know that the persona he put on was fake, and I had a sinking suspicion that it was masking something dangerous.

He'd gone out of his way to charm the rest of us, even spitting pretty words regarding his wife for his audience, but I didn’t miss the way Merritt had curled even deeper in on herself as soon as he walked through the door, or the way her face drained of color. Seeing that had made me watch closer, so I didn’t miss the infinitesimal way she flinched when he leaned in to give her a kiss.

He was the same put-together, confident version of himself this time as he moved toward the long counter that separated our section of the office from the rest of the lobby. “Hello, ladies. Hope you’re all having a wonderful day.” He stopped in front of me since my station was front and center as receptionist, and cast his charismatic smile on each of us. “I just thought I’d surprise my lovely wife with a lunch date.”

Diana and Heather cooed over how sweet that was, but while they gave that walking red flag the attention he so clearly craved, I was busy watching Merritt for every little action and reaction. Diana and Heather might have thought it was sweet that a man was swinging by his wife’s work to treat her to lunch, but by the way Merritt’s complexion turned a ghostly shade of white and her hands fisted so tightly her knuckles bleached, I didn’t think she shared in their swooning.

Despite her body’s reaction, her lips tilted up into a shy, almost unsure smile as she turned to him. “Thank you, honey.But we’re kind of swamped today. I was planning on working through lunch to catch up.”

I could have sworn I saw a flash of anger flit across his face before he schooled his features. “Nonsense,” he insisted, his charming tone barely masking the command beneath it. “I’m sure your colleagues here would be more than happy to help you out so your husband can spoil you for an hour.” His gaze locked with mine, his smile tipping up even higher. “Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

My eyes narrowed and my lips pulled into a tight, flat line. Unlike the other woman around me, I didn’t swoon at the bastard. I heard thatsweetheartfor the condescending insult it was meant to be.

I wanted to open my mouth and tell him, “You don’t fool me, asshole,” but something held me back. I was worried that a man like him wouldn’t take kindly to a woman bruising his ego, and I feared what that might mean for Merritt since she was the one who had to go home with him.

Instead of telling him to fuck off like I so desperately wanted to, I gave a single, clipped nod in agreement.

He smiled, but it wasn’t a smile of kindness it was one of triumph, like he thought he’d just bested me and gotten his way. It made me like him even less than I already did.

“See?” he chirped happily. “I told you. It’s all good.”

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