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“I guess,” I say, not sure I like where this conversation is going.
“We never know someone’s true intention.”
“Right...” I lock the screen of my phone and set it beside me. I have a feeling this isn’t going to be a short conversation.
“We have to trust that they tell us the truth when we ask them.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “If this is about what happened today, I really don’t want to talk about it. Cameron didn’t think about anything when he jumped up and punched that guy the way he did. It was incredibly unnecessary—and what if Samuel presses charges?”
Dr. Shadid laughs. “I don’t think he’s going to—let’s just say, he’s much more concerned about his own image.”
That brings me a little relief, but still. Things leak all the time.
“It could cost Cameron his place on the team.”
“It could, I suppose.”
“It could ruin my reputation if it gets out that it was my fault,” I blurt out, my eyes dropping away from Dr. Shadid.
“Hmm, so you think it’s your fault?”
“No.” I shake my head, but then hesitate. “I mean, kind of. I don’t know what to think anymore. But I’ve worked really hard to grow my career. And this situation has gotten so messy. I’ve let some things happen between us, but I know that when this is over, we’ll have to return to our normal lives.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Well, it’s just that I travel a lot for work, so I don’t want to be tied down. Plus, Cameron is a client. I don’t date my clients. But even if he wasn’t, we live in different states! A relationship outside of here just feels … impossible. It’s pretty much guaranteed to end in heartbreak.”
“I see.”
Do you?
Do you see?
I open my mouth to say something, but the sound of footsteps coming into the lobby causes us both to look in the direction of the sound.
Tina comes around the corner along with a man in a suit. I don’t recognize the guy, but Dr. Shadid does. He stands to his feet and extends his hand.
“Jefferson,” Dr. Shadid says curtly. “I take it you’re here to speak with Nila.”
The man in the suit—Jefferson—eyes me and then nods. “Yes.”
I swallow hard and stand to my feet to join the rest of them.
“This is our attorney,” Tina explains as I teeter back and forth. “He handles internal incidents and would like to speak with you about what happened today.”
“I’ll let the two of you chat.” Dr. Shadid gives me a nod and then ducks out, heading back down the hallway. Part of me is relieved to see him go, while the other part almost thinks talking to him might be better than talking to this guy.
Jefferson, a lanky man who’s a solid ten years older than me, gestures to the couch. “You can take a seat. We can chat right here. I’m making my rounds and speaking with everyone involved to get this mess straightened out.”
I nod, slowly sitting back down on the couch. “Okay...”
Tina looks at me, sighing. “This is an anger retreat. You can probably imagine we have these kinds of things happen more often than not.”
“Right,” I mutter, running my tongue along my bottom-chapped lip. “What can I do for you?”
Jefferson pulls out a black binder and flips it open before clicking a pen. “Why don’t you just tell me what happened. It’s much easier to start from there.” His tone is blank and unemotional.
He’s completely unbothered by what’s going on.
