reappeared a few seconds later and paced her way over to Jesse, slapping him clear across the face.
“Oh my,” one of the mother’s said under her breath, immediately standing up to gather her things. “It’s getting late. We’d better get going…”
Jesse paced inside the house, grabbing Elise roughly by the arm. Enough was enough. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Problem?” Elise spat, pulling away from him. “I don’t have a problem. My only real ‘problem’ these days is you!”
Their screaming could be heard throughout the entire house, and it wasn’t long before it began to leak into the backyard. Deanna tried her best to smooth everything over with the guests, but the party dissipated in a matter of minutes, and Isaiah was left alone with his gifts. She watched him sit in the middle of the grass surrounded by heaps of toys, games, and his beloved scooter. He was looking at a book, but after a few minutes without turning the page, she knew he was listening to what was going on inside. How could he not be? Even she couldn’t stop herself from eavesdropping.
“What makes you think you have the right, Elise?” Jesse yelled. “You don’t get to dictate whether or not I’m a part of my son’s life!”
“Like hell I don’t! I’m his mother! I’d say that gives me the right, wouldn’t you?”
“And I’m his father, and you can’t keep hiding me away like some kind of dirty little secret! I’m here and I’m here to stay!”
“Right!”
“No, I mean it, Elise. I’m having my attorney draw up the paperwork as we speak. Either you and I come to some sort of agreement in regards to visitation, or I can take you to court. Either way, I’m going to know my son, and he’s going to know me.”
After that, things got eerily quiet inside the house.
Isaiah looked up at Deanna with tear filled eyes. “I want to go home,” he whispered.
Chapter Twenty
Stone’s management team still wasn’t being very forthcoming in what was transpiring in all of the closed-door conferences that had been going on over the past few weeks, and Elise was growing more concerned about her job with every passing day. When she returned from lunch on a Thursday afternoon and learned that she was part of a meeting that was taking place, her worries only skyrocketed.
“What’s going on?” Elise asked Andrea when she saw both their names on the ledger.
“I’m not sure. I guess they’re finally going to fill us in on what’s going on. Better late than never, I suppose.”
Elise wasn’t sure how she felt about finding out about the future of her employment. She couldn’t think of a worse time to have to scout for another job. She’d received a letter from Jesse’s attorney earlier in the week, just as he’d promised, and though she refused to open it, she knew that whatever awaited her inside wouldn’t be in her best interests if she were unemployed.
Andrea and Elise took a seat towards the back of the meeting room, where thirty or so of their fellow co-workers joined them to find out what was going on. Elise was so nervous about what she was going to find out that she almost didn’t notice Jesse sitting towards the front of the room beside the members of the board. Their eyes locked at the same time, and they each refused to be the first to look away.
Elise didn’t break the gaze until Andrea inquired about what she was looking at. Before she got a chance to explain herself, a man she didn’t recognize came up to the front of the room and began speaking, introducing himself as the Chairman of the board. As he spoke, Elise made a point of ignoring Jesse.
“As you all know, there’s been a lot of talk about a merger these past few weeks, and we apologize for keeping so many of you in the dark. I’m here today to tell you that we’ve put a lot of thought into the overall dynamic here in the malpractice department,
“Oh my,” one of the mother’s said under her breath, immediately standing up to gather her things. “It’s getting late. We’d better get going…”
Jesse paced inside the house, grabbing Elise roughly by the arm. Enough was enough. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Problem?” Elise spat, pulling away from him. “I don’t have a problem. My only real ‘problem’ these days is you!”
Their screaming could be heard throughout the entire house, and it wasn’t long before it began to leak into the backyard. Deanna tried her best to smooth everything over with the guests, but the party dissipated in a matter of minutes, and Isaiah was left alone with his gifts. She watched him sit in the middle of the grass surrounded by heaps of toys, games, and his beloved scooter. He was looking at a book, but after a few minutes without turning the page, she knew he was listening to what was going on inside. How could he not be? Even she couldn’t stop herself from eavesdropping.
“What makes you think you have the right, Elise?” Jesse yelled. “You don’t get to dictate whether or not I’m a part of my son’s life!”
“Like hell I don’t! I’m his mother! I’d say that gives me the right, wouldn’t you?”
“And I’m his father, and you can’t keep hiding me away like some kind of dirty little secret! I’m here and I’m here to stay!”
“Right!”
“No, I mean it, Elise. I’m having my attorney draw up the paperwork as we speak. Either you and I come to some sort of agreement in regards to visitation, or I can take you to court. Either way, I’m going to know my son, and he’s going to know me.”
After that, things got eerily quiet inside the house.
Isaiah looked up at Deanna with tear filled eyes. “I want to go home,” he whispered.
Chapter Twenty
Stone’s management team still wasn’t being very forthcoming in what was transpiring in all of the closed-door conferences that had been going on over the past few weeks, and Elise was growing more concerned about her job with every passing day. When she returned from lunch on a Thursday afternoon and learned that she was part of a meeting that was taking place, her worries only skyrocketed.
“What’s going on?” Elise asked Andrea when she saw both their names on the ledger.
“I’m not sure. I guess they’re finally going to fill us in on what’s going on. Better late than never, I suppose.”
Elise wasn’t sure how she felt about finding out about the future of her employment. She couldn’t think of a worse time to have to scout for another job. She’d received a letter from Jesse’s attorney earlier in the week, just as he’d promised, and though she refused to open it, she knew that whatever awaited her inside wouldn’t be in her best interests if she were unemployed.
Andrea and Elise took a seat towards the back of the meeting room, where thirty or so of their fellow co-workers joined them to find out what was going on. Elise was so nervous about what she was going to find out that she almost didn’t notice Jesse sitting towards the front of the room beside the members of the board. Their eyes locked at the same time, and they each refused to be the first to look away.
Elise didn’t break the gaze until Andrea inquired about what she was looking at. Before she got a chance to explain herself, a man she didn’t recognize came up to the front of the room and began speaking, introducing himself as the Chairman of the board. As he spoke, Elise made a point of ignoring Jesse.
“As you all know, there’s been a lot of talk about a merger these past few weeks, and we apologize for keeping so many of you in the dark. I’m here today to tell you that we’ve put a lot of thought into the overall dynamic here in the malpractice department,
Similar Books
