Page 103 of The Gathered Fragments of Us
"I'll miss working with you too. But this is better. For both of us."
After he left, I sat staring at the pen box for a long time. I'll figure out what to do with the set. At some point, I'll need to tell Caden though, this I know. No more secrets. Maybe tonight when we have some privacy.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of emails, catch-up meetings, and project updates. Everyone was welcoming about my return, but I could feel myself struggling to get back into the rhythm. The professional facade felt like a costume I'd forgotten how to wear properly.
By lunch, I was mentally exhausted. I texted Maliyah to see if she wanted to meet up, but she responded that they were at the children's museum and having too much fun to leave.
I called Caden instead.
"How's your first day back?" he asked, and I could hear the stress in his voice.
"Surreal. Yours?"
"Like walking through a minefield. Everyone's being polite, but I can feel the questions they're not asking."
"About what?"
"Stability. Job security. Word travels fast."
I felt a pang of worry. "Are their jobs secure?"
"For now, yeah. We're going to be tight for a while, but we'll survive." I could hear him blow a breath out.
"What can I do?"
"Exactly what you're doing. Be with me through this. Let me hear your voice when my own gets too loud in my head. Just knowing we're together in this—it's a lot Felicity."
"I'm here."
"I love you."
I responded, "I love you too."
The afternoon dragged by. I tried to focus on the stack of reports that had accumulated during my absence, but my mind kept wandering to everything that wasn't work related.
By four-thirty, I was more than ready to get home. Walking into the house, I was thrilled by how alive with energy it was. Giggles sounded from the living room. An exceptionally elaborate blanket fort had been constructed using the couch, dining room chairs, kitchen stools, some cushions and pillows, sheets, blankets, lamps, and tables. If it was in my house, it was somehow being used for this fort. I was torn between being impressed and anxious at who the hell was going to clean all this up.
"Aunt Fliss!" Zoe's head popped out amidst the chaos of sheets. "Come see our spaceship!"
"It's not a spaceship, it's a castle," Lucas corrected from somewhere inside the fort.
"It can be both," Macy's voice came from the depths of the construction.
I crawled inside the section of the fort that looked safe—and big enough to house someone taller than four feet. Okay, well—admittedly I was surprised at how spacious and well-engineered this thing was. Maliyah was clearly behind this fascinating monstrosity.
"This is incredible," I said, settling cross-legged on the cushioned floor. "Very professional architecture."
"Aunt Maliyah helped," Macy said. "She's like super good at building things."
"Years of practice with these two," Maliyah said, appearing in the entrance and crouching down with me. "How was your first day back?"
"Complicated. It was okay, but I'm glad to be home." I looked around at the cozy fort. "This looks like way more fun than budget reports and employee complaints."
"It was. Though I think we're going to need to disassemble before dinner. This thing has gotten completely out of hand."
Caden arrived home soon after carrying ice cream for the family. Of course—sugar before bed seemed like a great idea. Should probably address my addiction, but not today!
Chapter 41: Not Quite Ready
