In halting sentences, Hailey explained why she currently sat in a Thai restaurant sipping tea and nursing a possibly broken wrist under the curious eyes of a handful of diners. She glossed over the worst details, saying instead she and her boss had had a falling out, and now she was stuck.
Do I even have a job anymore? Do I evenwantthat job anymore?
In her head, she repeated the mantra,I am the boss of me.
Amy sounded almost gleeful to be called upon to help. “Of course. Give me five minutes, and I’m out the door.” If Hailey could have, she would have reached through the phone and bear-hugged her.
An hour and some minutes later, Hailey forced her shaky hands to open the Loose Moose’s door and lock it firmly behind her. She turned the shower on to full-force scalding. Gingerly, she slipped off her clothes and unwound what remained of her forgotten bun. The tears she’d been holding back burst their dam when she faced her reflection in the mirror: a puffy, split lip and Cliff’s fingers imprinted in purple on her breast. The image hurt worse than the physical damage because it slammed the horrifying memory against her, turning her knees to water.
By the time the shower was over, she wasn’t sure if the cascade of water had come from the showerhead or her.
Chapter 22
The Boss of Me
They say everything looksbetter in the morning, but Hailey wasn’t buying the platitude as she stared at her computer screen. She reread her resignation letter to Dan Williams for the fiftieth time, vacillating between hitting the send button and sleeping on her decision one more night. Every piece of herself she’d invested for the last five years would be lost with one stroke. Her generous salary that increased on the regular every year, her growing pension fund, the steady stream of savings feeding her nest egg. Her benefits. Her safe job.
“But itisn’tsafe!” she raged aloud.
How could she continue working in a culture that allowed someone like Cliff Meissner to rise through the ranks and victimize his subordinates? Hell, saying theyallowedhim to advance was far too passive a way to describe what the higher-ups actually did. They were complicit in his ascent. They aided, and they abetted. They cleared the path for him, handed him the keys to the kingdom, and praised him as he ran roughshod over whomever he pleased. If she stayed, she’d be giving them all a nod to continue.
Wasanyjob worth forfeiting one’s integrity?
Then came that other thought that had been circling her mind. If she quit before Cliff fired her, she could at least preserve some of what she’d built. But if he got there first, he would win.
She drew in a lungful of air and sent the email.
Doc Embry’s clinic openedat eight, and Hailey was the first patient through the door. The receptionist didn’t hide her surprise.
“Um, did you have an appointment for …” She peered over her counter, no doubt looking for Hailey’s pet.
“It’s Lauren, right?” Hailey greeted in her friendliest voice. “I didn’t make an appointment, but I need to speak to the doctor about, ah, a problem my pet is having. Won’t take but a minute.”
Those big eyes the girl had given Charlie widened. “I’m not sure the doctor—”
“Hailey Bailey?” Neve stood in the hallway behind the reception area. “I thought I recognized my favorite dog rescuer’s voice! What can we do for you? Don’t tell me Lex Luthor has had a setback.”
Hailey skirted around the counter. “No, he’s great.”I think, though I wouldn’t know. Probably never will again either.“If I could have a moment of your time—in private.”
Neve gestured toward the back. “Of course.”
Fifteen minutes later, they sat in Neve’s office while the vet explained what she was seeing on the X-ray. “No fractures or other injuries to the bones that I can see, but you might want to get an MRI so they can tell if you sustained any damage to the soft tissues. Unfortunately, the closest place for imaging is in Montrose.”
After her years on the surfing circuit, the thought of soft tissue damage andbroken bones didn’t rattle her. But hearing “Montrose” chilled her to the marrow. Even if she opted for an MRI, how much would it cost? Did she have health insurance anymore?
She made herself focus on the answer she’d needed from Neve’s X-rays. Nothing was broken. “I’ll keep that in mind. Where’s the best place around here to buy a brace?”
“The Fall River General Store on Bowen Street.”
“Where else?” Hailey forced a laugh.
Neve grinned. “They’re like having our own mountain Walgreen’s, except they carry waaay more souvenirs and T-shirts. Do you want me to write you a script for something to dull the pain?”
“No, thank you. You’ve done so much already. I’d like to pay you for—”
“Don’t you dare.” Neve put a warm hand on Hailey’s good wrist. “Now go take care of that.”
Tears threatened to spill again. People here were so kind, even to a stranger like her.
