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“And what is it?” I was so looking him up.
Stella gave me a placating smile. “It’s not important right now. I still can’t believe you followed me and watched me … well … you know.”
“For your information, I only saw what you did in the parking lot and in the car.” I decided not to mention that Tristan was with me and saw everything too. That would probably embarrass her even more. “You should be more careful. And you need to get your priorities straight.” I didn’t mince words even though my heart broke for her.
She let go of me, pouting. “I haven’t felt wanted in a long time. So don’t judge me.”
“I’m not judging your sex life. Although, I hope you’re being careful there. Jumping into a new relationship after a tumultuous one isn’t necessarily the best thing to do. Especially if it’s making you forget you’re a mother. A mother to the most terrific kid on the planet.”
Her lower lip trembled.
I placed my hands on her shoulders. “Stella, listen to me. You can’t judge your worth by what others think of you. Please don’t teach Quinn you need a man to feel validated. Or worse, that a man is more important than she is in your life.”
Stella’s eyes widened, as if that thought had never occurred to her. “I love Quinn.”
“Then show up in her life.”
A few tears trickled down Stella’s creamy cheeks.
“I need to leave for work. I love you, sis. You can do hard things, even if the hardest thing is believing in yourself. We can talk more when I get home.”
“Okay,” she squeaked out.
“Good. Now go get cleaned up. You look like … well … you know.”
“Yeah,” she sighed.
I kissed her head. “Have a good day. Don’t forget to take Quinn to school and to pick her up afterward. Also, you’ll need to drop her off at Granger Outfitters. She’s starting a new job today.”
Stella tilted her head. “Doing what?”
“Stocking shelves, sweeping floors, things like that.”
“Huh. Okay. I guess I’ve been out of the loop.”
“Yep.” I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. “But it’s not too late to jump back in.”
She nodded.
“Great. See you tonight.” I prayed she would be home and not with this Skip character. Believe me, I was going to find out who he was if it was the last thing I did.
FEELING A LITTLE BETTER, OR at least relieved Stella wasn’t involved in prostitution, I walked into the ER. I prayed no other ghosts from my past showed up today. I wasn’t sure I could handle any more surprises. I waved to a few of the nurses at the station, even Evie, who looked so pleased I was working again. By pleased I meant she curled her lips at me. I was going to buy her something nice for Christmas. That would get to her.
I walked into the office to deposit my bag, only to find that Deidra was sitting behind the desk, reading something on her phone. Weird. My heart raced. “Good morning,” I said uneasily. “Did I do something wrong?” was the first thought that came out of my mouth.
“No,” she laughed, while standing and walking around the desk.
“What are you doing here so early, then?”
“I came to tell my goddaughter how proud I am of her. I’ve been hearing good things about your first week.”
Had it only been a week? It felt like months.
“And I heard you had to treat your grandfather.”
“One can hardly call him that.”
Deidra patted my cheek. “It’s their loss.”
