Page 15 of No Such Thing as Serendipity
Peace washed over me. Emma had caught me at a weak moment of sleep deprivation. Then she’d plied me with a home-cooked meal. Her manipulation had almost worked, but I was thinking clearly now. Tomorrow I’d contact Nancy and hire her back, so she could go with me to my next job. She could tackle the mundane research that had trapped me at my computer the last two days. It would give me time to do a deeper dive into the top contenders.
With my insides settled, my eyelids fluttered.Better.I’d almost let Emma prey on my weak moment. I hated weaknesses, especially in myself. Good thing I got it under control before it devoured me.
Control.Emma said I was an out-of-control control freak or something along those lines.Ha.Just because she was in love with simplicity and her New Age lifestyle didn’t mean I had to go along with her whims or her serendipity. What a stupid concept.
“I’ll make my own damned serendipity,” I muttered before sleep overtook me.
The next morning, I rolled out of bed refreshed and ready to tackle the day. On a whim, I’d even run down to a local coffee shop and ordered the biggest drink on the menu. And Emma didn’t think I could be spontaneous.Ha.When I recognized my rebellion, I’d added a blueberry muffin to my order. I’d planned on eating it all until I’d glanced up at the calorie count on the board. Six hundred fricking calories. Add that to the five hundred eighty-calorie frozen coffee, and it was over half my calories for the day.
I’d planned on cutting it in half when I got home. Instead, I’d handed it off to a homeless man standing outside the coffee shop. He could use the calories more than me. At least I could enjoy the entire drink without guilt.
I set the drink on my desk and powered up my computer. So what if I didn’t want to waste my calories on a muffin? It made me prudent, not a control freak. My buoyant mood had taken a hit, but I wouldn’t let the muffin incident derail me. Today, I planned to narrow my targets to the top five, so I could do a deeper dive into the companies.
But first, I should contact Nancy before someone snatched her up. I clicked on my email and smiled.
“Take that, Emma,” I said aloud when I saw the email from Nancy. Was it serendipity or kismet? Whichever. Yet another sign from the universe I shouldn’t tromp off on some frivolous vacation.
The subject line was: Checking in.
Typical Nancy, wanting to make certain I was okay. One more reason I wanted to take her wherever I landed.
I opened the email.
Dear Blake,
I cannot thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me. Mr. McClinton told me you insisted on my generous severance package. WOW! I was speechless and still am.
I wanted to call you, but, well, I didn’t want to bother you. But I couldn’t leave without saying something.
What did she mean—leave? I laughed at my reaction. Maybe Emma was right. I was wound a bit tight after everything that happened. I could take a three-day weekend. Go to Provincetown or Biltmore. That should appease Emma.
I turned my focus back to Nancy’s email.
You’ve been an amazing boss over the years, and now you’ve allowed me to follow my heart. I don’t know if you remember how devastated I was when Misty moved to Chicago last year.
How could I forget? Poor Nancy was heartbroken when her daughter moved away. For two weeks after Misty left, Nancy sat at her desk and cried. I tried my best to offer her reassurance, but it wasn’t my strong suit, so I’d told her Fortitude had a new airfare perk. She never discovered there was no such thing, but she’d flown to visit her daughter three times on me.
Well, she’s having a baby. I’m gonna be a grandma! YAY!!! It’s like someone was smiling on me. Uh, sorry, that came out wrong. Of course, you being let go wasn’t a blessing or anything. But now I can move to Chicago to be with my family. I’ve missed her terribly, and I want to see my grandbaby grow up. With the money I got from Fortitude, I can. And it’s all because of you. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.
Things are moving fast. I’m leaving next weekend, but I thought maybe…if you have time...we could get together for lunch or something—before I go.
Please let me know. I’ll work around your schedule. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. I’d just love to thank you properly and say goodbye.
All the best,
Nancy
I leaned back against my chair and closed my eyes.Fuck.Just like that, she was deserting me, too.Figures.Nobody was loyal anymore. I knew I wasn’t being fair, but her departure stung. I’d had everything figured out last night, but my plans included Nancy.
Now what?
For fuck’s sake, she was a personal assistant, not my wife. I didn’t need her to be successful. I could hire anyone. Someone with more computer skills. She’d always been lacking in that department. She could find her way around a spreadsheet, but so could a high school kid. It wasn’t rocket science.
My earlier thought of kismet flitted across my mind, but I pushed it aside. Emma’s woo-woo shit was playing with my head. Nancy leaving wasn’t an omen. It just was what it was.
I clicked on the reply icon and wrote:
Nancy,
