“Now, what’s next for your article?”
“Oh God. I hate that article.” Zoe sighed. “At least I have it outlined. Need to do more research on the stats of success and failure, et cetera, and I think I’ll leave this awful aborted meeting out entirely—though Philip almost preempting my date is kind of a twist that’s worth mentioning.”
“Okay, homework. I want you to get into your profile and consider being honest. Put yourself out there. You met a man you were willing to date. You learned something from this. You learned you can still meet someone and have chemistry with them. If you can do that with Adam, you can do it with someone else.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that, but I’ll think about it.” Zoe stood up. “Thanks, Dr. Suzuki. I needed to hear that.”
“Yes, you did. I’ll see you a little later in the week. Consider what I said—going honest on your profile, disclosing the article you’re writing. You might find there are still plenty of men willing to go out with you, even knowing about it.”
“Okay.” Zoe stepped out the door, picked up her shoes. “See you soon.”
She slid her feet into her shoes and walked out to the car. Her head still felt muzzy from drinking and all that crying and laughing, but the tight, bruised, about-to-burst feeling was gone.
Thank God. She got into her little VW Bug, parked in the shade with windows halfway down because Sylvester was waiting for her, paws on the dash, his tongue hanging out and whole hind end wagging with excitement to see her, as if she’d been gone for days instead of just fifty minutes. Now, to drink a bottle of water, go home to take a nap, and start the day over.
Adam combed his hair with his fingers in the truck before his meeting with Dr. Suzuki over his lunch break. He’d gone back to the job site that morning, deciding to act like nothing had happened the day before with Boss Lady—perhaps if he pretended nothing was wrong, she’d want to save face and wouldn’t act on her threats.
All was normal on the job site. Bobby, his second cousin and decent framer but a great drywaller, reported that Boss Lady had come out of his trailer after he’d roared out yesterday and announced that she’d sent Adam off on a special errand but that he’d be back the next morning.
“So what was really going on?” Bobby asked, frowning.
“Yeah, I had to go on special assignment,” Adam said, rolling with it. If she’d decided to handle it that way, so much the better. He hoped it meant she was going to leave him alone. “What did you get done yesterday?”
They’d gone on as usual, and to Adam’s relief, Alixia Lepler didn’t visit the job site. If she was gearing up her machinery to fire him, at least he would do everything he could to make it hard for her to show any wrongdoing.
He got out of the truck and dusted down his work shirt and pants and took off his boots, replacing them with rubber slippers before he walked up the little pathway to Dr. Suzuki’s cottage office with its little porch.
“Hey, Doc.” He put his slippers on the rack and came into the office. He’d brought his lunch. Yesterday, after a morning in bed with what Charl called “the vapors,” Kalia Rodrigues had gotten up and carried on as usual. This morning, she’d packed two homemade musubi, a thermos of his favorite juice drink, and an apple. “Is it okay if I eat while we talk? I have to be back at the job site in an hour.”
“Sure, Adam. How’re you doing?”
“Shitty.” He gave a little bark of laughter as he sat on the couch and opened the lunch box. “I’m not fired today, but I could well be. I had a total showdown with Boss Lady.”
He described the confrontation with Alixia Lepler. “On top of that, my mom really wanted me to get together with my cousin Tami. When I told her that wasn’t happening, she sort of had a spell. My sister came over to take care of her, and we think she’s okay, but she’s not feeling
“Oh God. I hate that article.” Zoe sighed. “At least I have it outlined. Need to do more research on the stats of success and failure, et cetera, and I think I’ll leave this awful aborted meeting out entirely—though Philip almost preempting my date is kind of a twist that’s worth mentioning.”
“Okay, homework. I want you to get into your profile and consider being honest. Put yourself out there. You met a man you were willing to date. You learned something from this. You learned you can still meet someone and have chemistry with them. If you can do that with Adam, you can do it with someone else.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that, but I’ll think about it.” Zoe stood up. “Thanks, Dr. Suzuki. I needed to hear that.”
“Yes, you did. I’ll see you a little later in the week. Consider what I said—going honest on your profile, disclosing the article you’re writing. You might find there are still plenty of men willing to go out with you, even knowing about it.”
“Okay.” Zoe stepped out the door, picked up her shoes. “See you soon.”
She slid her feet into her shoes and walked out to the car. Her head still felt muzzy from drinking and all that crying and laughing, but the tight, bruised, about-to-burst feeling was gone.
Thank God. She got into her little VW Bug, parked in the shade with windows halfway down because Sylvester was waiting for her, paws on the dash, his tongue hanging out and whole hind end wagging with excitement to see her, as if she’d been gone for days instead of just fifty minutes. Now, to drink a bottle of water, go home to take a nap, and start the day over.
Adam combed his hair with his fingers in the truck before his meeting with Dr. Suzuki over his lunch break. He’d gone back to the job site that morning, deciding to act like nothing had happened the day before with Boss Lady—perhaps if he pretended nothing was wrong, she’d want to save face and wouldn’t act on her threats.
All was normal on the job site. Bobby, his second cousin and decent framer but a great drywaller, reported that Boss Lady had come out of his trailer after he’d roared out yesterday and announced that she’d sent Adam off on a special errand but that he’d be back the next morning.
“So what was really going on?” Bobby asked, frowning.
“Yeah, I had to go on special assignment,” Adam said, rolling with it. If she’d decided to handle it that way, so much the better. He hoped it meant she was going to leave him alone. “What did you get done yesterday?”
They’d gone on as usual, and to Adam’s relief, Alixia Lepler didn’t visit the job site. If she was gearing up her machinery to fire him, at least he would do everything he could to make it hard for her to show any wrongdoing.
He got out of the truck and dusted down his work shirt and pants and took off his boots, replacing them with rubber slippers before he walked up the little pathway to Dr. Suzuki’s cottage office with its little porch.
“Hey, Doc.” He put his slippers on the rack and came into the office. He’d brought his lunch. Yesterday, after a morning in bed with what Charl called “the vapors,” Kalia Rodrigues had gotten up and carried on as usual. This morning, she’d packed two homemade musubi, a thermos of his favorite juice drink, and an apple. “Is it okay if I eat while we talk? I have to be back at the job site in an hour.”
“Sure, Adam. How’re you doing?”
“Shitty.” He gave a little bark of laughter as he sat on the couch and opened the lunch box. “I’m not fired today, but I could well be. I had a total showdown with Boss Lady.”
He described the confrontation with Alixia Lepler. “On top of that, my mom really wanted me to get together with my cousin Tami. When I told her that wasn’t happening, she sort of had a spell. My sister came over to take care of her, and we think she’s okay, but she’s not feeling
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