Page 102 of Happy Harbor
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Josie stood at the corner of Bill’s desk, staring over his shoulder as he looked at a file.
“You’re not going to throw this in the trash when I’m done, are you?” he asked, only partially joking.
She chuckled. “No, and I’m sorry. I really am. I shouldn’t have done that.”
He slowly turned in his chair and looked up at her. “Really?”
“Of course. When you work with people on a team, you have to support each other. I wasn’t being a team player.”
He stood up. “I do hope you’ll come back then.”
“I’m considering it. I mean, it’s an enormous opportunity for me, but I also want to make sure I can live up to the job and what Sandra needs.”
He stared at her. “You don’t even sound like the same person.”
“I’m not.” As she said it, she realized it was true. She wasn’t the same person anymore. What if she needed to go back and use what she’d learned in Happy Harbor to build a better life?
As if he was sensing her thoughts, Josie looked down and saw Walker calling.
She didn’t answer the call. He would have questions she couldn’t answer right now. When was she coming back? Was she staying in Happy Harbor? She needed time to reflect, to figure out what she wanted in her life. Hearing his voice would only make her want to rush back to Happy Harbor.
“We’re going out for lunch,” Sandra said, walking up beside them. “Want to go?”
“I’ve got some calls to make, so I’ll take a rain check,” Bill said, sitting back down.
“Where?” Josie asked.
“The Pillar on Peachtree, of course.” The fanciest restaurant in town, The Pillar had amazing peach margaritas and the best grilled chicken salad in the city.
“Then I have to go. Let me grab my purse,” Josie said. She ran into Sandra’s office and picked it up before following Sandra and three other women to the elevator.
They packed into Steph’s SUV and headed toward the restaurant. As they moved down the road, Josie listened to them talk.
“Did you know that Devon from accounting is having an affair?” Lydia asked.
“No! Really? And her husband’s pretty hot!” Kira said.
The office gossip mill hadn’t changed a bit.
“We shouldn’t gossip, but I have to say one more thing,” Lydia said, whispering like the car was bugged. “Do we all agree that Bill got hair plugs?”
The three women, including Sandra, cackled with laughter. Josie felt uncomfortable.
“Maybe he just wanted to feel better about himself,” she said without thinking.
The laughter immediately stopped.
“You’re probably right, Josie,” Sandra said, a tone of warning in her voice.
The rest of the drive was awkward and quiet, and Josie wondered why she stopped them from talking like that. She’d always been in the middle of gossip when she could, always finding humor in knocking other people down. It was one of her worst traits, but she did it all the time.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Sandra asked for a table. They only waited a few minutes before they were seated. Sandra, Lydia, Kira, and Steph all ordered margaritas. Josie ordered a glass of sweet tea.
“You’re not drinking a margarita?” Steph, one of the office receptionists, asked.
“It’s not even noon yet,” Josie said, laughing.
