Page 91 of All That She Needs

Liam nodded thoughtfully, absorbing it all. I noticed that Keith's expression had relaxed, his gaze on Theo now carrying a hint of pride.

Then Liam turned his attention to me again and asked, "How's your mom?"

I studied his expression, noting how his gaze softened when he mentioned my mom. "She's doing well," I replied. "The holiday was really good for her." He gave me a smile—a genuine one—that made me think he was truly happy to hear she was doing okay.

"Up for another game of basketball?" Liam asked, standing up.

"Yeah," I said, feeling myself lit up, relieved that the talk was over, and it wasn't as bad as I thought. "That'd be great."

We played for another half hour. Keith came back with full force and ended up beating Liam and me two to one when the game finished. Throughout the whole time, Theo kept complaining about the lack of snacks at the court, pouting and scowling in the corner with his arms crossed over his chest.

Liam asked if I wanted a ride back home, but I declined, telling him I'd take an Uber to the hospital to check on my dad. He nodded and said, "Safe trip, then."

When the Uber app on my phone notified me that the car was approaching, I walked toward the front door. But halfway there, I stopped and turned to Liam. The question that had been nagging at me since the game started finally slipped out.

"Are you..." I hesitated, trying to find the right words, "Are you my mom's boyfriend now?"

His face shifted, and for the first time, I couldn't read him. "Your mom decided to leave me. She wants to move on with her life."

"Okay..." I trailed off, unsure whether I should feel relieved or disappointed. Honestly, I didn't know what I was supposed to feel about this.

"And I decided," he continued, his tone going cold, " that I'll do the same."

Part 41: Asha

"Dennis..." I said softly. "Please don't cry."

But his sobs only grew, and I didn't know what to do.

"We can still meet up," I offered gently. "We'll go out for lunch, do some shopping. Let's set a regular date, just for us. How about that?"

He grabbed another tissue, blowing his nose loudly. Still crying.

"Dennis..."

"Why don't you take me with you, Asha?" he whined, his lips trembling, his voice shaky. "I could be your personal assistant and help you with..." He paused, as if suddenly realizing that all I had at the moment was a dream of starting a plant nursery. "... planning," he finished. "I could help you buy the supplies you need."

"You've built your career in this office, Dennis," I reminded him gently. "Don't waste all those years of hard work. You still have a long way to go."

"Eh," he said, blowing his nose again and looking at me with a mix of disbelief and frustration. "What about you? You've been building your career even longer than I have."

"But where do I go from here, Dennis? My career's already at its peak—there's nowhere to go but down. I don't want to be a Regional or Global CEO. That would force me to move town or, worse, move out of the country, and I can't do that to my kids." I paused, letting out a sigh. "Besides, I'm already boredout of my mind. I want to do something I really love, before I'm too old to make it happen."

"But why so soon, Asha?" he cried, grabbing one of the chocolates I'd brought for him, now scattered across his desk. With a mouthful, he cried again, "Why didn't you tell me before you left for your holiday?"

Yeah. The morning before I left, I emailed my resignation to my boss and the head of HR. I told no one else—just my kids and my brothers—wanting the holiday to be free from the panic of my team and especially from Dennis's worrying.

"For the next month, I'm still going to come to the office to transition things to my replacement. I'll still see you."

Dennis scrunched his face. "George Blythe. I really don't like him."

I laughed. "You did say you liked him, Dennis. You called him the hottest silver fox you've ever met."

"I don't know if he's smart," he scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"George is smart. His region's seen the biggest growth since he took over. And he's a good guy, Dennis. You'll love working with him."

He mumbled something incoherent, probably still cursing the situation, and grabbed another chocolate, popping it into his mouth.

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