Page 34 of Turning the Page with My Grumpy Boss

The leaves crunched beneath her feet as she neared the boarding house. She wasn’t looking forward to entering. It was likely that the gossip mill had already made its way here, and Patty would know all about the falling out. It wasn’t that Tessa didn’t want to talk to Patty, but she just didn’t see a world where her words would make a bit of difference.

She braced herself for the conversation as she pushed the door open. The foyer was aglow in amber lighting, the way Patty liked to keep it in the evenings. As soon as Tessa turned to the check-in desk, she found Patty looking at her with sympathetic eyes.

Here we go. Tessa steeled her nerves as she stepped inside.

“Oh dear, I heard all about what happened at the diner. Are you quite alright?” Patty took her glasses off and let them drop, hanging from a new bedazzled chain.

Suddenly, it was like the events of the night were washing over her anew. Tessa tried to fight back the tears, but they began flowing freely. Her shoulders shook, softly, as she tried to rein in the sobs, but it was like they had a life of their own. “It was awful, Patty.”

Patty came around the check-in desk and wrapped Tessa up in her arms. She brushed Tessa’s hair from her face with soothing hands and shushed her softly. “I know, honey. I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about what happened?”

Tessa had to admit that this motherly coddling was nice. Her own mother had never been one for hugs, and sometimes, she wished that she had more experience with human affection outside the bounds of romance. She melted into the embrace, inhaling the baby powder scent of Patty’s hair.

“He answered my phone. I thought it was just my ex calling to bug me about picking up my stuff. But it was a job offer.”

Patty pulled away for a moment, gazing into Tessa’s eyes with concern. “A job offer? I assume it’s not here.”

Tessa shook her head and wiped at the tears on her face. “No, it was an offer I received a while back. I asked for time to think about it. And—and I decided to stay! I was going to turn them down. I just hadn’t done it yet. But then Daniel looked at me like that, and I—” A new wave of tears washed over her, and she crumpled back into Patty’s arms.

“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. Why don’t I put on some tea in the kitchen and we can talk there? There are no reservations set for tonight, and I have my doubts about walk-ins.” She patted Tessa’s shoulders reassuringly and led her toward the quaint kitchen of the boarding house.

The whole place was like a Southern woman’s dream. All done up in gingham and cow print, it had a homey feel to it. Tessa had only been in it a few times to make coffee or tea. She hardly ever cooked, as it more often than not ended in disaster. Still, there was something about the comforting atmosphere that put her at ease now.

Patty went to the stove and grabbed the old, red kettle. Tessa had always found it rather endearing that she chose to use an old-fashioned kettle rather than one of those electric ones. Or the microwave, though Tessa found that to be a crime against tea.

The hiss of the water from the faucet filling the kettle filled the silence. Tessa did her best to pull herself together as she sat down at the kitchen table. She had managed to hold herself together decently until she was explaining the situation to Patty. Suddenly, it was like the floodgates were opened, and Tessa was being washed away in waves of grief.

This town had become like home to her. That was something she hadn’t been able to say about anywhere in the past ten years, at least. She was so used to hopping from place to place, never caring about the fragments of her life she left behind. If they were meaningful, they would have held her in place, right? She was prepared to set down roots here, and in just a few moments, Daniel had blown that plan to bits.

“Here you go, dear. I thought lavender chamomile suited this situation perfectly. Even put a dollop of wildflower honey in there for you.” Patty slid a mug across the table.

Accepting it gratefully, Tessa curled her hands around the mug, grateful for the warmth that emanated from it. Steam rose from the sweet-smelling tea, and it loosened some of Tessa’s taut muscles. As she took her sip, the flavorful brew soothed her even further.

“I always say that there’s no heartache that a good cup of tea can’t at least help.” Patty settled into a seat across from Tessa, her knees popping as she did.

“Thank you, Patty. You’re really too kind.” Tessa took another sip and fought the urge to start crying again. Though the tea and Patty’s encouragement had gone a long way in soothing away her shock, she was settling in with the dread.

Patty blew on her mug and fixed Tessa with a knowing look. “So, has our Daniel succeeded in driving you away, or are you willing to give this little town another chance?”

The words struck home, and Tessa turned them over in her head. It wasn’t exactly that Daniel had driven her away. But things were different now. It wasn’t like she could go back to working at the bookshop—not with the bad blood that existed between them now. It wasn’t fair, but it was the reality.

“I just don’t see another path forward, Patty. At this point, I’ve already lost Daniel over it. I accepted the job offer. I leave the day of the Harvest Festival.”

“You’ll miss the festivities?” Patty looked heartbroken, and for a moment, Tessa wanted to take it all back. But she knew that wasn’t the right thing to do. The only path forward was to make peace with her decisions. “Honey, I think you might be rushing into things.”

Tessa wanted to snap back that rushing into things is what got her in this mess in the first place, and it wasn’t like she could make things any worse. “Why shouldn’t I return to Boston, though? I mean, truly?”

“Because, honey. That would be going backward.” Patty clicked her tongue and stared into her cup of tea. “I know it’s easy to run when things get hard, but you never truly grow when you do that.”

Though Tessa could see the merit in what Patty was saying, it wasn’t really that simple. “Yeah, but I can’t exactly go back to working side-by-side with him every day. Not after how tonight went. And honestly, Patty,” she hesitated, unsure how to say what she needed to. “I just—I don’t think I want this town if Daniel won’t be part of my life.”

A haze of sadness came over Patty’s expression, but she nodded, patting Tessa’s hand. “I understand, dear. It has been a few decades since I last had my heart broken, but no amount of time erases the memory of that hurt. I trust you to make the right decision. Just make sure to consider all your options, okay?”

Tessa wanted to believe there were other options available to her, but the only path she could see to move forward was to leave this town, and Daniel, in her rearview mirror. She offered Patty a wobbly smile and took another sip of her tea. “I think my mind is made up, Patty.”

The sadness in Patty’s eyes deepened. “Well, I have said my piece. This is your life, after all. But you will be dearly missed, my girl.” Her wrinkled hands gave Tessa’s an encouraging squeeze. “Now, I think the best thing you can do right now is to get a good night’s rest. No decision-making until you’ve had at least eight hours, okay?”

Tessa offered a small, wobbly smile in return. “Okay, Patty. I think I do need some sleep. Some cuddles with Merry and Pippin wouldn’t go amiss either.”

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