Page 27 of Deathtoll
There was no correct response to that.
After they hung up, Kate resumed walking while calling Shannon. “Has anyone booked the honeymoon suite for next weekend yet?”
“Can’t be booked until the website is updated. Murph finally swept you off your feet?”
“It’s for my parents. Can I book the room? Saturday and Sunday.”
“Sure.”
“Do you need my credit card information right now?” Kate had her purse at her desk, but she could turn back.
“Nonsense. Since it’s not up on the website yet, I’m not making money on it anyway. How about we barter? You do that website update, and I let you have the room for the weekend?”
“Done deal.”
Maria’s door stood open. Kate slipped her phone into her pocket and knocked on the frame. “Do you have a minute?”
Maria shoved her designer metal-frame glasses up the graceful slope of her nose, then pushed aside the notes she was reading on her lacquered black desk. She wore a sleek black dress with a single string of pearls. She was always perfectly put together, looking more like the editor of a fashion magazine at their Paris offices than a therapist. Her office matched her, of course, and could have been on the cover ofElle Design. “For you? Always.”
Instead of her problems, Kate started with “Why is it that you’re always effortless elegance personified, a graceful swan, while I’m like a neurotic chipmunk?”
Maria laughed. “Hardly. Take a seat. Should we have the door closed?”
“This is fine.” The hallway was deserted. “Thank you.” Kate sat. “Okay, first, how was the date?”
Maria smiled. “Sumptuous. He’s…” She shook her head. “I’m not even going to talk about him. I’m scared I’ll jinx it.” She dropped her hands onto her lap. “Are you all right?”
“I might have some mild depression.”Admitting the problem is the first step.“I just… I don’t know. I feel on the edge of crying a lot of the time lately.”
“It’s understandable. A friend of yours just died.” Maria leaned back in her saddlebag-brown leather chair. Two black frames balanced out the wall space behind her, one her diploma from Harvard, the other a picture of her immigrant parents beaming at their citizenship ceremony. “Betty Gardner, right?”
“Even before Betty died.”
“Everything okay with Murph? You moved out. I didn’t want to pry, but I assume that means you’re taking a break. Change in a relationship is a major stressor. You and Murph have been together a long time.”
“Five years.” Kate sighed. “Sometimes, I get so mad at him. But then sometimes, I feel like I’m being irrational.”
“Could be from a change in hormone levels—”
“I’m not pregnant.” Kate cut off that whole line of thought.
“Oh, wow.” Maria’s eyebrows jumped. She smiled. “I think that’s what they call avehementdenial.”
“I think it’s menopause. My mother is going through it. She’s all wigged out. And I feel the same. My period has been irregular…”
Maria gave her a thoughtful look. “Perimenopause is not impossible. Some women start as early as their midthirties.”
“That is such bullshit— Oh God.” Kate pressed her fingers to her top lip. “I’ll be growing a mustache?”
Maria’s shoulders shook, but to her credit, she did not laugh out loud. “No mustache. I promise. It’s probably not even perimenopause, but there’d be no harm in ordering up some lab work. And we could rule out pregnancy too, for sure. It’s always better knowing than not knowing,” the psychologist said in a mild tone, not pushing, but gently encouraging. “I’ll add some thyroid labs as well. That could cause mood swings too, and it’s more likely. In the meantime, how about we schedule a session for you? I know you’ve processed your past, but childhood trauma is a tricky issue. It can bubble right back up through time and space.”
“I don’t—” Kate stopped herself.No shame in asking for help. It’s the smart thing, the right thing.Wasn’t that what she always said to her patients?
“Thank you. That would be great.” She needed to get her head on right. “Let’s do that.”
“I could stay an extra hour tonight?”
“I appreciate it. But I promised to help with packing up my neighbor’s belongings. I need to start organizing things. At least make some preliminary piles.”
