Page 6 of Work with Me

Noah was still fumbling with the seatbelt, so I clipped it for him. He gave me a wobbly smile, and I closed the door. I got into the driver’s seat of my Honda, waved at Coach, and slowly backed out of the parking space, watching for soccer balls and distracted parents.

I caught Noah’s gaze in the rear-view mirror. “Tell me what happened, buddy.”

He kicked his cleats against the bench seat. “Practice was over, and Coach made us run a lap. I was winning, and when I looked up, I tripped. I fell on my arm, and it hurt a lot. Miz Tiannah, do you think I still won, even though I fell?”

“Sure you did. Everyone saw you would’ve finished first.”

In the mirror, I saw him lean back and smile. The competitive spirit ran deep in the Weber family.

The urgent-care office wasn’t far, and the route was familiar. But this time, with Tiannah’s soothing presence in the car, I wasn’t panicked about Noah’s injury or beating myself up over my parenting failures that might’ve caused it. So I walked into the lobby with a smile, holding Noah’s uninjured hand. I froze when I saw the unfamiliar face behind the desk.

“Where’s Ruby?” I stepped up to the desk.

“Not here tonight. What’s the reason for your visit?” She stared at her screen, fingers poised over her keyboard.

“My nephew”—shit, I was going to have to go through all that with her—“injured his arm playing soccer. He’s ten. Is Dr. Ruiz here tonight?”

“Yep.” She typed the entry then handed me a clipboard. “I need you to fill that out, and we need a letter of consent from his parents.”

“I’m his guardian. His parents are”—I stole a glance at Noah in the plastic chair next to Tiannah—“no longer with us. I’m sure we’re in your system with the appropriate documentation.”

Her smile was saccharine-sweet. “Fill out the paperwork. Don’t forget the insurance information.”

My heart dropped into my stomach.Insurance.How much was this visit going to cost? At least we hadn’t gone to the hospital emergency room. Yet.

I took the clipboard from her and trudged to where Tiannah and Noah sat. I flopped down into the chair next to Noah and filled out the form, taking out my new insurance card and carefully transcribing the numbers.

Tiannah nudged me with her elbow. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just…right now, I’m missing my old insurance. You know how good it was. I went for the cheaper plan while I’m still getting my company off the ground. I should’ve known better than to start up my company during soccer season. This copay is going to hurt.”

“Having your own business is worth it. You’ll get through this.”

After the meeting with Cooper and Jackson, I wasn’t so sure.

I had to argue with the new receptionist about the parental note until she found our paperwork in the system. Victorious at last, we were taken back to see Dr. Ruiz, who palpated Noah’s arm and told us she needed to take him back for an X-ray.

When the door closed behind them, Tiannah hugged me. “It’ll be okay, sugar.”

“I know.” I squeezed her back. “He’s a tough kid.”

She leaned against the exam room wall. “You’re tough, too, you know. How was your first day?”

I snorted. “Terrible.” I lifted my hair to show her the Lightning McQueen bandage and told her briefly about the dysfunctional founders of Synergy Analytics and the difficult task they’d set for me.

She shook her head. “What’d Jamila say?”

“When? You mean two weeks ago, when she told me about this gig?”

“You didn’t call her after?”

“Today? No. I wore my big-girl panties today. I can handle this.”

Tiannah rolled her eyes. “Always thinking you have to go it alone. Jamila knows these guys. They all went to college together. She can give you some tips. Pointers. Leverage. I bet she’s got some serious dirt on that Jackson Jones. Something you can use to get a leg up on him.”

Thinking about Jackson Jones and legs—the way those broken-in jeans stretched over his thighs—made my cheeks hot. As usual, Tiannah didn’t miss a thing.

“Are they as fine as their pictures?”

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