Page 46 of Speak of the Devil

“He has, for the record. I get that you expected us to be swinging from chandeliers and breaking beds several times over, but neither of us feels the need to rush into it.”

“You do remember you’re married, right? Like that’s the headliner. Sex is the opening act.” I get up to close the door just in case anyone else is hanging around this afternoon. “You’ve seen him, right? Tall, handsome, sexy as fu?—”

“Ms. Farin, I was hoping to catch you.”

Dammit.I cringe, but right my face as fast as I can. “Mr. Goodman, I didn’t know you were in the office today.” I rush around my desk and hang up on Luna. She’ll understand. “Last update I received, you were in Mykonos for a few weeks.”

“We were, but we cut the trip short. Too crowded to enjoy.”

“Ah. Well, at least you enjoyed it three months ago when you docked your yacht.” I sit down, pretending to be professional, considering I was acting anything but a few minutes earlier.

“True,” he says, not catching the little jealousy I slipped in.

“How can I help you, Bob?”

He stands in the doorway with his white coat on, though he hasn’t seen patients in years. He’s barely seen this office, which he pays for monthly. He’s busy making millions and running the firm from vacation spots around the world. “I have a lot of work to catch up on and will be working late.”

I nod, understanding since I have a stack of files I’m working on tonight as well. And I come to work every day.

“We have a new account I wanted to discuss.”

“Alright. Do you want to talk here or move into the conference room?”

Sitting in a chair on the other side of my desk, he looks around as if this is a whole new perspective. It is for him. His office is a palace full of wood furniture, leather chairs, and awards from the Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau. I have a plastic chair with a broken swivel and a desk we acquired when the yoga studio moved out last year.

He picks at the rubber coming off the arm of the chair, and replies, “Here is fine, but you should look into replacing this chair.”

“Will do, Bob.”

“Let’s discuss your future with our company.” I wait for him to lead the discussion. “You may not know that we don’t give promotions here.” I most certainly do know this, but it’s notsomething I need to quibble with my boss about. “We get more assignments with increased pay or lose locations, which means less money.”

He has me on the edge of my seat in suspense of where he’s going with this. He continues, “Flexibility is key to our business.”

“I thought care was at the center of our business?”

“That’s the business we’re in. Not Endeavor Personal Healthcare’s mission.” I need to reread that mission to see if our values still align if that’s not a priority. “We’ve had a banner year with record profits. You need to expand your mind beyond the basic duties of your job if you want to continue climbing the corporate ladder to have a career.”

Corporate ladders are one of the reasons I went into healthcare. I have no interest in that rat race when I can focus on helping others live better lives. I’m not sure why this conversation depresses me, but hearing about his goals has me wondering when he lost his humanity.

Wasn’t that what I thought about Shane initially? That his stardom made him lose touch with reality. He’s real and present with me as if I’m the most important way he could spend his time. The corner of my mouth rises as recent memories collide, and I shake my head, hoping not to give them away through my expression.

Needing to focus on the conversation at hand, I remind myself that seeing patients is a highlight of my week.

“So you have a new account?” I ask, unsure why he doesn’t just come out and say it.

“Yes, and I’ve been impressed with your performance. The surveys I sent out came back with only glowing reviews from both River Elms and Parkdale. We have Dally Point coming on board next month. It would be a good account to add to your schedule.”

Okay, this is good. Really good. I should get a nice raise, too. “I’m honored.”

“Don’t be honored. You’ve worked hard, and you have happy patients and administrators. We’re not just a facility that provides nurses for retirement homes. We’re in the business of care. You care about your patients.” Wasn’t he just saying the opposite? I want to roll my eyes but stop myself, proving it can be done if I wanted. He leans in as if he’s going to share a secret. “That’s who we are as a company. Now about your pay.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You’ll work at the facility on a trial basis for a week. You’ll get a feel for it and write a report on whether you’d like to continue and why. The administrator will send their feedback to me. If you’re approved to stay after the trial, the new pay increase will start three weeks from that point.”

I’m mathing, but something is missing in the formula because it’s not adding up. “You want me to add an entirely new facility into my schedule, donate two days of my week for one full month for free?”

“It’s a trial.”

---