Read Online Paige Rewritten by Erynn Mangum - Free Book Online Page B

thousands and thousands of dollars on very expensive medical treatment to help us get pregnant and nothing worked,” she says, tears in her voice. “This is our last hope for having a family, Paige.”
    My heart hurts for her. What I want to say is “Don’t give up hope. God has a plan for you.” But this is a place of business and I can’t talk to the clients about God. So I just say, “Don’t give up hope, Tammy.”
    It sounds about as reassuring as a five-dollar bill not backed by anything substantial.
    I hang up a few minutes later, ready for my later lunch. Peggy comes down the hall, holding a Tupperware dish filled with some kind of bean salad. “Long conversation there, Paige. I’ve got nothing to teach her at the orientation meeting now.” She grins at me, poking a fork into her dish and leaning against my desk.
    I shrug. “I just tell everyone the basics.”
    â€œYou’re going to make a good counselor someday.”
    I sigh. “Not if Mark has anything to say about it.” I tell her about the pay raise and she nods.
    â€œI know. He asked me and Candace for opinions on that too.”
    I pull my lunch out of the drawer with my purse and look at Peggy. “And you said that was a good idea?”
    â€œIt’s a pay raise, Paige. Most people don’t complain about raises.”
    I dig my peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of the plastic baggie. I’m not sure what I’m upset about. Everyone seems to think this is a good idea.
    Except me.
    Well and Rick. But he has ulterior motives.
    I think Peggy can tell I don’t want to talk about it, so she changes the subject, leaning back against my desk while she pokes at her salad with her fork. “So, how’s it going with Tyler?”
    Peggy and Candace are all for Tyler. According to them, I usually only date needy, weird men so they think Tyler is an angel from heaven.
    â€œIt’s fine.” I think it’s fine anyway. It’s a little sticky with Luke being back in town, but I’m not going to say a word about Luke to Peggy. Lunch on Sunday was bad enough. I’m not necessarily in the mood to relive it.
    Plus, I don’t have time for a psychoanalyzation from my friendly counselor coworkers today.
    â€œFine. Hmm.”
    â€œPeggy.”
    â€œPaige.”
    â€œStop,” I command her, looking her in the eye. “It’s fine. No reading into it.”
    â€œIt’s just that —”
    â€œIt’s fine .”
    She looks at me, takes a bite of her salad, and then nods. “All right then. Whatever you say. I’m heading back to work.”
    She walks down the hall and I feel incredibly guilty for not wanting to talk about it. Then I feel justified because I had to go through a very long few months to learn how to say no. Then I feel awful again because, dang it, I was born with a very healthy guilt complex.
    I stand, slink down the hall, and tap on her door. She’s sitting at her desk, looking at a laptop.
    â€œI’m sorry,” I say. She looks up and smiles at me.
    â€œYou don’t have to apologize, Paige. It’s your business. Frankly, I’m just glad to see you’ve started telling people no.”
    â€œWell, anyway. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
    â€œYou’re fine. I’m glad everything seems to be going well with Tyler. You deserve a good man.”
    I kind of nod at her, smile, and go back to my desk, thinking about that. A good man. Tyler is definitely a good man. He was even very gracious to Luke at lunch on Sunday, though Luke kept bringing up memories he had of when he and I were dating.
    â€œOh,” he interjected into the conversation, laughing. “Paige, do you remember when we went to that coffee shop, and the waiter gave you the tea latte on accident and you said you didn’t think you’d be able to even chai to force it down?” He laughed. “Didn’t