Page 44 of The Ground Beneath Our Feet
You watch out, I texted back.One of these days I’m gonna blow right past you.
Looking forward to it.
Then he texted me a picture of the taxidermied animals in the back room. He’d added a scarf to a stuffed chipmunk.
The receptionist buzzed me that my clients had arrived, so I put my phone away with a smile.
For the next hour I met with my clients, wearing a new black pencil skirt and fitted jacket from Amelia. Funny how that made me feel stronger. I sat up straighter, looked them in the eyes, and told them how to handle our upcoming city council meeting.
After work, I went to the bar with Amelia, Marie, and Lucy, and sipped on my sparkling water. My clothes were looser, my spirit freer, and overall, my heart was lighter than it had ever been.
When I got home, Mikey asked if I was ready to work out.
“Absolutely.”
We stepped outside into the sunshine to run down the leafy street. Sniper mewed behind us. “Hey, buddy, we’ll be back soon,” Mikey called, and handed me Elvis’s leash. That old hound dog was frankly my speed, although lately I’d been able to run farther than I’d thought. Maybe a 5k wasn’t a pipe dream.
We set off down the street. While the first half block was sedate jogging, once Elvis caught sight of a cat running across the street, he suddenly became a puppy, and yanked so hard on the leash I almost fell down. I tripped along behind him, my arm extended, saying, “Hey, wait!”
Mikey caught up to me easily and grabbed the leash, taking over, and pulling Elvis to a stop on a grassy patch. He smirked. “See, I told you so.”
I panted as much as the dog. But Mikey breathed like he’d just woken up from a nap. Not elevated in the slightest.
Then the dog had to go to the bathroom.
“Oh, sh—” I started.
“Remember? You can say shit.”
“No. I know you told me to swear, but I have a lifetime of not swearing. It wasn’t something my family did.”
He caught the expression on my face. “It’s more honest, don’t you think? If you just say how you really feel?”
I leaned up against a tree, my breath almost back to normal from my sprint. “But that’s so hard. I’ve never said what I really think.”
“Yeah, I know. Your default is quiet mode. We’re gonna work on that.” He looked thoughtful. “What would happen if you said something I didn’t like?”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly.
“Would I still like you?”
My stomach sank. “I don’t know.”
He reached over and touched my cheek. I was now getting used to how affectionate he was. How touchy-feely. I didn’t flinch any more when he reached out. “I’d like you no matter what you did.”
Oh. He liked me. That gave me goosebumps, but I tried to play it off. “That’s good to know.”
“Do you like me?”
“Of course,” I answered instantly.
“No matter what?”
“Of course,” I said. I couldn’t think of a reason why this wouldn’t be true.
He flashed me his smile. Our eyes connected for a moment, and he held mine just a little longer than normal. “So say the honest things. Say what you mean.”
“I do it at work, but that’s my job. I can’t keep my thoughts to myself, because I’m getting paid to analyze, to think. So if people don’t like my advice, well, they can just go pay someone else.”
