matter what excuse she gave? “I can’t work for you because I’m in love with you and you don’t remember me and you have a partner.” Her throat tightened.
The driver behind her tapped his horn. She’d missed the light change. In the bar she’d decided to find the life she wanted, but that determination had slipped away on the flight home. She wanted love and passion and all the trimmings, but could she make room in her heart for someone else when Jamie filled up all the space? Out of sight, out of mind was the saying, right? She needed to be away from what she couldn’t have.
Carla put her purse in her office and walked to Jamie’s office. The door was closed. She was about to knock when she heard Jamie speaking in a loud, angry-sounding voice.
“I have talked to your legal department. That’s my point. How can I prove I didn’t commit fraud when you won’t provide me with the EOBs so I can compare what was billed with what should have been billed? I’ve called six times this month alone, and each time I have to talk to a different person and—I know I have a time limit to prove I didn’t—No, don’t put me on hold again. Damn it!”
Carla flinched when the phone slammed down and backed away from the door when Jamie uttered another expletive. She retreated to her office, her thoughts in tatters. She wrapped her sweater tighter around her shoulders and was deep in thought when a voice startled her.
“You don’t have to come in early.” Jamie’s voice was tight and she looked tired.
Carla gripped the edge of the desk to keep from wrapping her in a hug. That was someone else’s job. “I like the quiet before everyone comes in.” Maybe tomorrow would be a better day to tell her she was leaving. “Gives me a chance to get a jump on the billing before I have to put out fires.” She could at least get the billings caught up before she told her.
“Never a dull moment. Betty’s last day is Friday. Will you be all right on your own?”
The perfect opening. Carla hesitated.
“If not…” Jamie’s face tightened, and her brown eyes were full of worry.
“I’ll be fine, Dr. Hammond.” Jamie’s face relaxed, and Carla created a smile she hoped looked genuine. The smile faded as the truth she’d been avoiding poked through. Deep down she wanted to help Jamie. Deep down she wanted a little more time with her. She trembled. She wanted so much to tell Jamie they’d met once. She wanted her to say, “Oh, my gosh. I didn’t recognize you. Of course I remember that night.” If she laughed and said, “We had some fun, didn’t we?” that would be enough.
*
Sitting in her chair, Jamie stared at her father’s picture. One problem solved, Dad . Now, how did she solve her relationship problem?
All weekend she’d been plagued by loneliness—not just short-term, Sheryl’s-gone-for-the-weekend loneliness, but a deep sense of aloneness she realized had been there for a while. She fingered the blue mug with What’s Up, Doc? hand-lettered on the side in Penni’s curly script and took a sip of the lukewarm coffee. It would be terrible even if it were hot. Would the end of the embezzlement problem breathe new life into her relationship? It had to. She couldn’t shake the feeling they were in trouble.
Sheryl had come home jazzed by her seminar, but instead of sharing what happened with Jamie over dinner and a glass of wine, she’d given her a quick kiss on the cheek and said she needed to work while it was all fresh in her mind. She’d still been typing away in the office when Jamie went to bed. How had they ended up living their lives in separate rooms of their home?
Jamie looked at the stack of patient files on her desk. It seemed taller every day this mess went on. She was tired of arguing with insurance companies. She was tired of losing precious time with Sheryl. Wasn’t she supposed to be reaping the rewards of middle age instead of struggling everywhere in her life? Fighting to hang
The driver behind her tapped his horn. She’d missed the light change. In the bar she’d decided to find the life she wanted, but that determination had slipped away on the flight home. She wanted love and passion and all the trimmings, but could she make room in her heart for someone else when Jamie filled up all the space? Out of sight, out of mind was the saying, right? She needed to be away from what she couldn’t have.
Carla put her purse in her office and walked to Jamie’s office. The door was closed. She was about to knock when she heard Jamie speaking in a loud, angry-sounding voice.
“I have talked to your legal department. That’s my point. How can I prove I didn’t commit fraud when you won’t provide me with the EOBs so I can compare what was billed with what should have been billed? I’ve called six times this month alone, and each time I have to talk to a different person and—I know I have a time limit to prove I didn’t—No, don’t put me on hold again. Damn it!”
Carla flinched when the phone slammed down and backed away from the door when Jamie uttered another expletive. She retreated to her office, her thoughts in tatters. She wrapped her sweater tighter around her shoulders and was deep in thought when a voice startled her.
“You don’t have to come in early.” Jamie’s voice was tight and she looked tired.
Carla gripped the edge of the desk to keep from wrapping her in a hug. That was someone else’s job. “I like the quiet before everyone comes in.” Maybe tomorrow would be a better day to tell her she was leaving. “Gives me a chance to get a jump on the billing before I have to put out fires.” She could at least get the billings caught up before she told her.
“Never a dull moment. Betty’s last day is Friday. Will you be all right on your own?”
The perfect opening. Carla hesitated.
“If not…” Jamie’s face tightened, and her brown eyes were full of worry.
“I’ll be fine, Dr. Hammond.” Jamie’s face relaxed, and Carla created a smile she hoped looked genuine. The smile faded as the truth she’d been avoiding poked through. Deep down she wanted to help Jamie. Deep down she wanted a little more time with her. She trembled. She wanted so much to tell Jamie they’d met once. She wanted her to say, “Oh, my gosh. I didn’t recognize you. Of course I remember that night.” If she laughed and said, “We had some fun, didn’t we?” that would be enough.
*
Sitting in her chair, Jamie stared at her father’s picture. One problem solved, Dad . Now, how did she solve her relationship problem?
All weekend she’d been plagued by loneliness—not just short-term, Sheryl’s-gone-for-the-weekend loneliness, but a deep sense of aloneness she realized had been there for a while. She fingered the blue mug with What’s Up, Doc? hand-lettered on the side in Penni’s curly script and took a sip of the lukewarm coffee. It would be terrible even if it were hot. Would the end of the embezzlement problem breathe new life into her relationship? It had to. She couldn’t shake the feeling they were in trouble.
Sheryl had come home jazzed by her seminar, but instead of sharing what happened with Jamie over dinner and a glass of wine, she’d given her a quick kiss on the cheek and said she needed to work while it was all fresh in her mind. She’d still been typing away in the office when Jamie went to bed. How had they ended up living their lives in separate rooms of their home?
Jamie looked at the stack of patient files on her desk. It seemed taller every day this mess went on. She was tired of arguing with insurance companies. She was tired of losing precious time with Sheryl. Wasn’t she supposed to be reaping the rewards of middle age instead of struggling everywhere in her life? Fighting to hang
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