Page 150 of Chosen Road

“Fortunately for me, you don’t sign my paychecks.”

My heart pounded in my chest sending heat up to my face.

“No, but I do sign off on your reviews.”

I stood up. “I will escalate it. I will go all the way to the top. I’ll take it to the hospital CEO. You are a liability. I’m done playing with you.”

I walked to the door, but his next words stopped me in my tracks.

“Don’t you think you’d be better off spending more time at home? Looking after your family? Rumor has it your husband has a wandering eye.”

I spun to face him, the blood draining from my head so fast my vision tunneled. “I beg your pardon?” I asked, shocked.

He met my gaze with a tight-lipped smile. “You heard me.”

“What do you know of my husband?” My voice was embarrassingly soft, little more than a whisper.

He sneered. “I know enough to know you are unable to juggle the demands of this job as well as your marriage. Perhaps, you should choose one or the other.”

I stared back at him, pictured Jacqueline beside him, while a mental checklist of all the shit the two of them had caused over the last couple of years ran like a Walmart receipt through my brain. All the posturing and posing, conniving, and manipulating. It struck me as wholly ludicrous that Gus and I had been brought low by the likes of them. I began to laugh. Once started, I couldn’t stop. I slapped my palm down on my thigh as I squealed. “Oh my gosh! You’re fucking delusional! I know someone I should introduce you to. You’d be perfect for one another!”

“I hardly think you’re qualified to give relationship advice,” he retorted, his face turning red in the face of my laughter.

I shook my head and was still laughing when I walked out the door and headed to my office. I sat down at my desk, siphoned my appointments to my more than capable colleagues, tendered my resignation, and hand carried it to HR.

It wasn’t until I got out to my car that I realized. For the first time in over twenty years, I was unemployed.

Gus

Wednesday morning, I stepped inside the main office for the first time in weeks and headed directly to Nick’s office.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jacqueline jump to her feet, but I didn’t pause. I knocked briskly at his door, and let myself in.

“Gus.” Nick stood and shook my hand.

“Thanks for fitting me in, Nick.”

“I hope this is okay, but I’ve invited both Jacqueline and HR to join us.

“Fine.” I nodded. “I just want this issue settled.”

A soft knock sounded at the door and Jacqueline slid in, sending doe eyes in my direction. She moved as if to sit beside me and I held up a hand.

“Absolutely not. You sit over there.”

She turned her big eyes on Nick, and he stared steadily back at her. “Perfectly good seats over here, Jacqueline. Please have a seat.”

I sent a brief text to Caden, asking him to pass by if he was in the area. Nick made small talk with Jacqueline while we waited. A knock sounded at the door less than a minute later.

“Good. That must be HR. Come in,” he called.

Caden opened the door and walked inside with his easy smile.

“Sorry, Caden. This is a private meeting.”

“I asked him to be here,” I interrupted. “He’s a witness and the way things look to be going, I might need one.”

After HR arrived, I gave my side of the story, Caden contributed what he knew of the situation, including the rumors Jacqueline herself had circulated, and Jacqueline made a tearful appeal for me to reconsider.

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