Page 105 of Cross-Checked

How about right now?

“Oh my god, you did not!” my sister’s peals of laughter ring out after AJ tells her about the time she intentionally wore a vibrant pink suit to a dinner with all the GMs, because one of them had insinuated that women didn’t belong in the upper echelons of hockey management.

“I did. I was the only person there not wearing black or navy blue. And you know what? If that asshole hadn’t made the comment, I probably would have worn a black suit too, just to fit in. Instead, that night made me realize that maybe I wasn’t meant to fit in. Maybe I was meant to stand out.”

“You’re my fucking hero,” Sloane says with a big smile. “Like, seriously, someday I want to be a girl boss like you.”

I’m not at all surprised that these two have hit it off. Sloane’s in healthcare management, and as a single mom to two active girls, she’s balancing work and life as best she can. She has big aspirations but hasn’t had the luxury of putting in the time and effort it would take to advance in her career like I know she wants to. It’s part of why us living in the same city had been so appealing—we’d have been able to help each other out.

“Just be careful you don’t girl boss so hard that you forget to have a life. I went down that route, and don’t necessarilyrecommend it.” AJ’s gaze slides to me, a small smile gracing her lips as she looks at Abby, who is currently cuddled into my chest, sucking on her pacifier. I’m sure her eyes are half-closed, because she feels like dead weight, exhausted after the video chat we had with Sloane’s daughters before AJ came over.

“Now that my kids are both in school, I finally feel like I can be a bit more dedicated to my job. Like this trip for these meetings today wouldn’t have been possible before, but because my neighbor has kids my kids’ ages and she could just bring mine home from school with hers, I got to come to Boston.”

Sloane had gotten her girls on the bus this morning before heading to the airport, made it to Boston before lunchtime so we could have a quick meal together, then had an afternoon full of meetings at a hospital in the same network as the one she works at. She was supposed to be home by bedtime, but bad storms in the Nashville area grounded some flights, and her plane never left the airport to head to Boston. Instead, she’s scheduled on a flight home tomorrow in the late afternoon.

“Not being able to step up like this before,” she continues, “held me back from advancing in my career. Not that I’d change the time I had with my kids when they were younger. But it does feel nice to be recognized for my skills at work, too.”

AJ studies my little sister as she talks, and I think she senses her need for validation. “Can I give you some unsolicited advice?”

“Sure.” Sloane looks at AJ with open admiration, but I’m a bit worried about what AJ is going to say. She can be blunt, and I don’t want her to unintentionally dim my sister’s newfound enthusiasm.

“Do the best job you can do at work, but only insofar as it doesn’t take away from your family. I know I don’t have children, so I don’t know what it’s like to balance kids and a career, but looking at it from this side...I’d trade my success for a familyany day. The validation you get from work will only carry you so far in life. The love you get from your family”—AJ swallows, and I think she’s talking hypothetically until she looks at me and I realize that she’s not. She’s talking about us—“it’s so much more important.”

Sloane smiles and says, “I want to be you when I grow up.”

“Honey,” AJ says, reaching over to take Sloane’s hand and squeezing it. “You’re going to be so much better. Because you’re getting this whole work/life balance under control a decade before I did. You’re going to crush this.”

I clear my throat, because suddenly I’m a bit choked up, and that startles Abby and she lets out a whine.

“Here,” AJ says, standing. “Let me put her to bed so you two can have some more time together. I’ll be back in a bit.” She takes Abby from my lap after I give her goodnight kisses, cuddles my baby into her chest, and carries her toward the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.

Once she’s out of earshot, Sloane says, “Holy shit. She’s amazing.”

I nod, because there’s no denying it. “She is.”

“And to think that you used to hate her.” Sloane has had years of hearing me bitch about AJ, so she was appropriately shocked at lunch when I told her how things had changed.

“I think it was just easier to hate her.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because look what happened when I stopped.”

“What happened? You’re both happy for the first time, maybe ever? Sounds justterrible.” She laughs lightly with a shake of her head.

“When did you become such a smartass?”

“I was born this way.”

“Is it going to bother you if she stays here tonight? She pretty much sleeps here every night now.”

“Why would it bother me?” Sloane furrows her brow.

“I don’t know. I’m just making sure.”

“I love this for you. I love that you’re happy. I love that you guys found each other and are so good together. And I love the way she is with Abby...how she talks to her and treats her like she’s her own little person. I’ve dated guys who...I don’t know. Who treated my kids like they were an inconvenience, I guess?”

“This is when it’s good we don’t live in the same place, because I’d probably want to kill a guy who treated you and the girls that way.”

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