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She snorts. “First of all, I’m not, nor have I ever been, your personal assistant. That’s not what I was hired here to do. And second, I have been doing my job. I’ve spent three weeks teaching a little mouse how to stand up to the office bitch. She’s gonna do great. She’ll do the job, you’ll show her grace and bite less, and I’m certain I’ll be by on a semi-regular basis. We’ll visit and maybe get lunch sometimes.”
“Your new job will have you back here sometimes?”
She lifts her chin. “Yes.”
“What’s the job?”
“I’m not telling you!” She spins on four-inch heels, only to stop again and startle when she finds our crowd growing. Doctor Kirk. Doctor Catlin. Even Mr. Green, our night shift janitor, who, like his medical examiner counterpart, stuck around for the show. “Go away!” she charges the glass, the way little old men shoo kids off his grass. “Get a life, you imbeciles!”
I choke out a laugh when Aubree only tosses a sucker between her lips and smiles around the stick. “I don’t think they’re afraid of you. Now turn around and talk to me. This isourfight. I’m not sharing it with those imbeciles.”
Dropping her head and staring down at her sexy, red-bottom heels, she turns back to me.
“I know the things Fletch said to you were hurtful. But if your new job brings you to my office on a semi-regular basis anyway, then what was even the point? Why leave me when the intention was to get away from him?”
“I panicked.” Her voice catches, tearing at my soul as she brings her eyes up and locks onto mine. “My intentions, at first, were to just leave. To not behere anymore. Because you’re married to Malone, and Malone is best friends with Fletcher. It’s inevitable the detectives would be here, and the risk of running into that jackass when I’m trying to heal was simply too much.”
“But then you jumped ship without thinking and… what? Landed right next door? Got a job at the police station? What, Fifi?”
“After I accepted my new position and worked through the headache of what I’d done, once I got past the panic of realizing I would still see him, sometimes, though hopefully not often, I considered quitting that job too. Cutting myself free and moving to a whole other country.”
I firm my lips and stare her down.Are you crazy?
“Those were all emotions. Such silly things to make business decisions with.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying! You left because of your feelings, Fifi! Undo what you’ve done, come back to work Monday, and we move on like nothing ever happened.”
“But once I worked through my freak out, I realized I was excited about my future at this new place. The career advancement is…” Sighing, she shakes her head. “Well, I jumped a few levels with this one. My new team is something to strive for. My new boss…”
“Is who?”
She smiles. Finally, she releases a little of her anger and allows something happy in. “Someone I’m eager to learn from. I jumped ship because of my feelings, allowing them to screw not only with my career, but also with my friendships. Now I’m thinking clearly again, and I’ve realized I don’t want to give up on this opportunity.”
“So you expect me to celebrate the fact you’re leaving? You dump me like yesterday’s soggy burrito and want me to be happy for you?”
“Yes.” She clasps her hands together and holds on to her small smile. “Yes, you need to be happy for me. Because professionally, I hooked you up with a 2.0. who will do just fine once you give her a chance. And personally, that’s what friends do. They cheer each other on and celebrate when good things happen.Youwouldn’t know about that though, since all of your childhood friends were cartoon animals played on the kids’ channels while your parents ignored your existence.”
“Wow!” I slam a hand to my heart as her strike lands right where she intended it to. But bubbles of laughter roll though my chest and out to diffuse what could have been hurtful. Damaging, even. “Jesus, Fifi. You’re just setting shit on fire on your way out, aren’t you?”
She lifts a shoulder, dropping it in a shrug and smirking. “I’ve wanted to say a lot of things over the last year, Chief Mayet. Now’s my chance.”
“Vicious,” I snicker. “Makes me proud.”
Turning serious, she drops her grin and brings her gaze up. “I’m not running away from Charlie, just so you know.”
I step around her and make my way back to my chair. “Liar.”
“I’m not.” She plops into the visitor’s chair, resting her elbows on her knees and destroying the posture she’s so good at holding the rest of the time. “What he said to me was crappy. But he was a hurt man, lashing out at the first poor soul who dared to step up. I just so happened to be that person, and honestly,” she looks down at her hands, “I had no right to go to his apartment that night. He was going through personal things that had absolutely nothing to do with me. I inserted myself, and like any parent in the wild would do, he went for the throat to protect his baby.”
“He was misguided. You were never a threat to Mia.”
“We know that.” She exhales a soft, sad laugh. “And I’m certain he knows now, too. But I just want you to know… I want you to hear me,” she pleads, “when I say I’m not running from Charlie. I’m running from Mia.”
Stunned, I bring my focus up again. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t even like kids. Lord knows, they’re smelly and sticky andreallyneedy. I had no intention of ever being a mom. I still don’t see a future where my belly is rounded and I’m wearing a man’s diamond ring. But Mia’s just…”
“Perfect? Pure. Sweet.”
