Page 153 of Home Game

“He misses you, you know.”

My head whipped around. I could barely breathe. “How is he?”

“He’s a fucking mess.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means he’s not happy either.”

That made little sense. “I don’t know how we got here. I don’t know how this happened.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re handling this better than him.”

I wasn’t sure if I could believe him. “It doesn’t.”

He laughed. “He will be so jealous when I tell him I saw you.”

“You think?” My stupid, silly heart, pinged with hope.

“Oh yeah. It’ll make him crazy.”

That pulled a rare smile out of me. “See you next Thursday.”

“Can’t wait.”

Me:I wanted to tell you that I’m really angry at you.

Ryan: I know. I’m sorry.

Me: That’s all I wanted to say

Ryan: Can I call you?

I thought about that for a long time. I wanted to talk to him, but I was scared that I’d cry again and I wouldn’t stop.

Me: I’m not ready

Ryan: ok

I lasted exactlyfive more weeks, working from home and then suddenly, I couldn’t take it anymore. If I didn’t get some human interaction soon, I might die.

I was done licking my proverbial wounds. It was time to come out of my cave.

I showed up in Frank’s office at 7:30 AM, with my laptop and a bag full of receipts.

He looked at me over the rim of his glasses. “I thought I told you I liked my space.”

“I was sick of my space.”

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I suppose you want to eat lunch together.”

My answer was honest. “That’d be nice.”

“Wanda takes her lunch at 12 and I cover her to answer the phones. Then I take my lunch at 1. I don’t eat out, it’s a waste of money, anyone knows that, so bring your own lunch.”

That sounded about fucking perfect. “Where do you want me to set up?”

“There’s a spare table in the file room. The chair sucks but the view is the best in the office.”

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