Page 2 of More Than A Boss

“My personal life is so exciting that I’m already planning my Thanksgiving soiree. How is that for pathetic?” Allie said ruefully. This year, she was looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and, even though it was a little way off, she was excited and already daydreaming and planning the details for the upcoming holiday. This one would be a true Thanksgiving, she thought, having finally settled into a home she loved and stepping more fully into her new life. There was much to celebrate. Thanksgiving on the farm with family and friends was just what the doctor ordered. It made her feel whole and a part of community.

“You know what? Mom might be bringing a date.” Allie’s mom had been out several times with someone, and things seemed to be going well.

“Do tell!” Casey pleaded.

“I don’t know all of the details, but she seems a bit smitten with this guy. Pete is his name.”

“Now that’s exciting! I knew it was only a matter of time. Your mom is so vibrant and beautiful, it would be a sin for her to give up on romance. Speaking of which, Charlie is still bugging me to convince you to go out with his co-worker, who, I might add, is hot. I keep telling him that you’re not interested, but he won’t take no for an answer.”

“Same answer: No thanks. I really appreciate you guys looking out for me, but right now my life is way too full and, honestly, I’m just not ready to date.”

“That’s what I keep telling Charlie. When you’re ready, you will be beating men off with sticks. You really won’t need our help finding a date. Anyway, if it’s meant to be, it will happen. That’s my philosophy. Who knows, it might even be the handsome boss!” Casey said, tongue in cheek.

“Stop it. I don’t mix my professional life with my personal. I’m immune to his charms!” Allie laughed at her friend’s persistence. “As for the fix-up, I know Charlie has my best interests at heart and that means a lot to me. Now, on to more important matters. I’m freaking out a bit. I need you to help me plan this Thanksgiving thing. I’ve never hosted such a big gang!”

“Yes, of course I will. You know how much I love party planning. It’s at the top of my list of favorite things to do!” Casey promised.

“Great! I knew I could count on you. You Libras are so good at organizing. Listen, I better get off the phone. Time is slipping away from me and I have a million things to do. Weekends seem to fly by, and there is never enough time to fit everything in.”

“I’m in the same boat. Love you!”

“Love you, too. Thanks for calling.”

—

Allie marveled at how different things were now than they had been several years ago. Her present life was barely recognizable compared with her past. Then, she was happily married to her college sweetheart, Jeff, whom she met her freshman year while studying for a bachelor’s degree in English. She was working from home on her third young adult novel, plus juggling several other paid writing projects. She got some recognition for her first two books, which received positive reviews. She believed that her life was neatly mapped out.

Things seemed much simpler back then. The future stretched out before her, beckoning like the North Star. The world had seemed friendly and her life full of hope. That was before the heartbreak and betrayal, before the end of innocence, before she found out Jeff was living a double life. It was before she was abandoned for a twenty-something younger woman who was now pregnant with their second child in less than three years!

The blow to Allie’s sense of self and the destruction of her world happened one evening when Jeff came home from work and announced, without preamble, that he was leaving her for his pregnant girlfriend. After that, she doubted her judgment and her ability to tell truth from lies; her entire reality came into question. Completely bereft and adrift, her friends and family watched helplessly as she fell apart. They held her, cheered her on, believed in her when she didn’t believe in herself. They encouraged her and wiped away her tears.

Early on in their marriage, Allie had suffered a miscarriage and had decided parenthood wasn’t for her. The loss was too painful. Although she had never regretted her decision, that didn’t stop her from the occasional longing or “what ifs.” Now, she found herself starting over at age thirty-eight. She was looking forty in the eye with her thirties in the rearview mirror. No safety net, no retirement, just herself, Kit Kat, and Mel. Under her present circumstances, it was probably for the best.

Of course, she always had her twin nieces, Ursula and Fiona, to borrow, and she loved them with all her heart. They, in turn, idolized their aunt and loved having slumber parties at the farmhouse. Aunt Allie pretty much let them get away with anything. They were such great kids, and at ten years old still retained their innocence and wonder. She knew she was lucky and had much to be grateful for.

She had recently realized that there were days when she didn’t even think about her past. Somehow, gradually, without her knowing it, she was healing. She was catching glimmers of her old self. Her sense of humor was returning. She laughed more. She found herself looking forward to her evenings alone rather than feeling lonely. She was enjoying her own company. She wouldn’t go as far as to say she felt that she was completely recovered from her painful breakup, but she knew she had come a long way from the shattered self she had been.

Knowing she no longer had the luxury of relying on book sales and other writing projects for her livelihood, she began taking classes in paralegal studies and completed her associate degree at the end of last year. Allie’s sister-in-law, Astur, previously an attorney herself, helped set up an interview for Allie with her old firm, Smith, Dunn, Rogers, and Browne, which led to an amazing opportunity with one of the largest and most respected law firms in the state.

In the beginning, Allie’s job seemed overwhelming. She was clueless about the high demands of a paralegal career. She had to wear many hats to fulfill her obligations as a paralegal. There was the legal research, which she loved; assisting in preparing for trials; preparing presentations for clients, which she was surprisingly good at; and writing reports that helped determine how the attorneys would proceed with a case. She had taken to her new career like a duck to water and quickly rose as one of the favorites in the office.

There were the usual quirky office personalities and their idiosyncrasies to work with, but that came easily for Allie. Her direct boss and one of the partners, the dangerously handsome Zane Dunn, was the attorney she worked with the most. He wasn’t always a warm and fuzzy type of guy or easy to please, however, he was appreciative and rewarded hard work. The more she worked with him, the more she understood his intensity, and the more she got to see other facets of his personality. He was brilliant and funny. He could be demanding and impatient and then demonstrate that he was also generous and kind.

He kept his personal life close to his chest. The office gossip-mill told tales of a very contentious divorce and a man who was left distrustful of women in general and only married to his career. Except for some superficial dating with the beauty of the week, and a different date at every office party, he seemed completely disinterested in a relationship of substance. The quintessential playboy, one who worked hard and played even harder. Allie did admit that his ruggedly handsome looks were easy on the eye, but she had convinced herself that that part of her life was over for now and that Mr. Dunn had zero effect on her. Romance was the last thing on her mind.

Zane could be intense to work with, and his keen eye didn’t miss much that went on at the office. To say he was a micromanager was an understatement! She was often aware of his piercingly deep blue eyes following her movements. However, he was always quick to praise hard work and accomplishments, and to award his employees for their efforts. He had integrity and, although he could sometimes have an intimidating manner, he was respected and held in high regard by his colleagues.

Originally, she looked at the paralegal job as just a part of her ten-year plan, but the good news was the discovery that she was great at her job, and, the more she learned, the more she loved her work. She realized that she wasn’t just adjusting but thriving. Her earlier notion that the next ten years were just about putting in her time had transformed into so much more. She still missed her free time, but it no longer felt like a prison sentence.

—

Allie glanced at her watch and was shocked to see how much time had passed. She knew that if she didn’t get herself moving, she wouldn’t get anything done today. More importantly, she wouldn’t get any needed horse time. She took a last swig of her coffee, rinsed out her cup, and left it in the sink to wash later with her breakfast dishes.

She pulled on her well-worn boots, grabbed a fleece-lined rain jacket, and headed out the door, reminding Kit Kat to guard the house while she was away as she locked the door behind her. Kit Kat, now perched on the back of the sofa, eyed her unblinkingly, taking her position very seriously. Her friends kept harping at her to get a security system installed, which she would consider when she got a little further ahead financially. They worried about her living so far out in the country all alone. Allie, conceding partially to the pressure from her family, had taken a self-defense training class last month at the local gym.

Arriving at the barn, she cracked her window as she drove down the lane so she could enjoy the smell of horses and farm. It was one of her favorite things in life. The crunching sound the tires made as she drove over the gravel drive combined with the beautiful fall colors, even with the gray and dreary skies, filled her with anticipation.

She parked and then jumped out of her worn but dependable Subaru wagon, which had seen much better days but was bought and paid for. Not just a car, it meant much more to her than it probably should. She was quite attached to this piece of metal. It always started, it could hold all her barn paraphernalia, groceries, even furniture when needed. It was getting up there in mileage, but according to statistics this car had another 100,000 miles (at least) of life left in her!

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