Page 101 of In This Together

‘I’ve been horrible. Selfish and hateful, I know. But I need you, Hannah.

‘So, if you’ll have it, I’ve also come here to offer you your job back, if you would ever even consider working for me again, anyway.’

Hannah smiled because, for once, Andrea had shared with Hannah what Hannah always knew she felt. ‘You will never lose me from your life, Andi. No matter how big our fuck-ups. Just try it. I’d hunt you down and make you be my best friend.’

They shared a knowing smile.

‘But…’ This was harder than she thought it would be.‘I don’t want my job back. I’ve done a lot of thinking recently about what I want from my life. It’s twofold. I want to have more flexibility to spend time with my family, to be home when my kids finish school, to have the chance to hear TJ’s first sentence and see his first real steps. But I also want,need,more. I need to be stretched and I need to push myself, to see how much I’ve got in me. I’m not exactly sure what that looks like at the moment but I’m working on it.’

Hannah braced herself for Andrea’s reaction, and the one she received she should have expected. Andrea smiled and reached out to take Hannah’s hand.

‘You know something else I’ve never told you, Hannah? You could be anything you want to be. You’re smart and organised, funny and great with people. Your taste in music is almost as good as mine.’

Hannah chuckled.

‘I’m going to hate not working with you every day, Han. Not because I need you to run around after me, which, let’s face it, I do, because I’m a hot mess without you.’

They both laughed.

‘I’ll hate not working with you because you’re my family and I love you.’ Andrea’s eyes glazed over, which Hannah briefly noticed before her own vision clouded. ‘I’m also glad that you’re not going to take your job back. You deserve to have more.Everything. So when you decide what it is you want to do, and if that happens to be using your talents to manage in the music industry – I think you’d be great at it, FYI – I’m going to write you the best resumé and references anyone in the world has ever written.’

Hannah sipped her tea, trying to hide behind her cup how nice it felt to have Andrea’s endorsement. ‘Do you really think management would be a good idea for me?’

Andrea squeezed Hannah’s hand. ‘I think you’d kick ass at it.’

Hannah felt as if her chest physically filled with pride. ‘Thank you. It means a lot coming from you, Andi. But before I deal with any of that, I really need to tell Rod that I’m currently unemployed.’

‘You haven’t told him yet?’ Andrea asked, her surprise evident.

‘Oh, please, like you’re one to judge,’ Hannah said with good humour, making them laugh again.

‘Good point well made. Seriously, you do need to tell him, though,’ Andrea said.

‘I know. I will.’

Andrea bent to reach into her purse, being careful not to wake TJ, who was now snoring. She took out an envelope and handed it to Hannah. ‘This is your final pay slip. I anticipated you throwing my job offer back in my face, just not quite as politely as you have done.’ She smiled, uncommonly bashful. ‘You’ve been paid in lieu of notice, straight into your account.’

Hannah opened the envelope. ‘Andi, this is six months’ pay.’

‘Yeah, well, I’m hoping you don’t sue my ass.’

Hannah held her fingertips to her lips. ‘Thank you.’

‘It’s only what you deserve.’

They spent an hour catching up on the fallout with Sofia, Rosalie’s breakdown in the middle of the sidewalk outside of Sanfia Records when she bumped into Andrea, how Andrea was feeling in pregnancy and that she and Tommy were trying to make a go of things. Hannah relayed her weight loss from walking with TJ every day and how being at home had taught her, with certainty, that she could not be a full-time, stay-at-home mom.

‘As they say, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side,’ she confessed.

Then, a very tired-looking Andrea headed back to her office.

Things were far from perfect in Hannah’s life. Neither she nor Andrea would easily forget what had happened in recent weeks. But things felt more right after Andrea’s visit than they had before and for that she was grateful.

* * *

Later that day, Hannah had decided to stop pretending that she was still working. Instead, she spent the afternoon preparing a three-course meal for Rod. When Luke and Jackson came home from school, she told them they would be on babysitting duties for the night and that she and Rod were having a date night downstairs.

By the time Rod came home from post-school training, she’d slipped into a little black dress that she hadn’t worn for a very long time. She had even taken the trouble to shave her legs. Oh yes, she knew how to handle her husband. Feed him, give him beer, drop the bombshell, then seduce him.

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