Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 116031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
“Two’s enough to get it on, Cate.” She’s not wrong. “Please don’t ruin the fantasy and tell me he’s been a perfect gentleman.” Right again.
I know most have fantasies of how spending a night with a celebrity, especially one who looks like Shane, would go. I’m no exception. But we talk on the phone, even if just a quick hello, and text each day. He asks about my day and how I’m doing. It’s so normal that I’ve started to forget he’s famous, touring with his band and performing concerts each night that he’s gone.
The divorce barely crosses our minds since I lost the house. Now that we don’t have to worry about it, we can focus on him wrapping the tour and dealing with loose ends afterward.
I get Luna’s interest, though. We share everything. I’m also fascinated when she dates recognizable names. But saying we watched Gladiator because it just happened to be on and we were too tired to search for something else won’t quell her thirst for details.
It was a perfect night if she asked, though, especially falling asleep in his arms.
“He has, for the record. I get that you expected us to be swinging from chandeliers and breaking beds several times over, but neither of us feels the need to rush into it.”
“You do remember you’re married, right? Like that’s the headliner. Sex is the opening act.” I get up to close the door just in case anyone else is hanging around this afternoon. “You’ve seen him, right? Tall, handsome, sexy as fu—”
“Ms. Farin, I was hoping to catch you.”
Dammit. I cringe, but right my face as fast as I can. “Mr. Goodman, I didn’t know you were in the office today.” I rush around my desk and hang up on Luna. She’ll understand. “Last update I received, you were in Mykonos for a few weeks.”
“We were, but we cut the trip short. Too crowded to enjoy.”
“Ah. Well, at least you enjoyed it three months ago when you docked your yacht.” I sit down, pretending to be professional, considering I was acting anything but a few minutes earlier.
“True,” he says, not catching the little jealousy I slipped in.
“How can I help you, Bob?”
He stands in the doorway with his white coat on, though he hasn’t seen patients in years. He’s barely seen this office, which he pays for monthly. He’s busy making millions and running the firm from vacation spots around the world. “I have a lot of work to catch up on and will be working late.”
I nod, understanding since I have a stack of files I’m working on tonight as well. And I come to work every day.
“We have a new account I wanted to discuss.”
“Alright. Do you want to talk here or move into the conference room?”
Sitting in a chair on the other side of my desk, he looks around as if this is a whole new perspective. It is for him. His office is a palace full of wood furniture, leather chairs, and awards from the Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau. I have a plastic chair with a broken swivel and a desk we acquired when the yoga studio moved out last year.
He picks at the rubber coming off the arm of the chair, and replies, “Here is fine, but you should look into replacing this chair.”
“Will do, Bob.”
“Let’s discuss your future with our company.” I wait for him to lead the discussion. “You may not know that we don’t give promotions here.” I most certainly do know this, but it’s not something I need to quibble with my boss about. “We get more assignments with increased pay or lose locations, which means less money.”
He has me on the edge of my seat in suspense of where he’s going with this. He continues, “Flexibility is key to our business.”
“I thought care was at the center of our business?”
“That’s the business we’re in. Not Endeavor Personal Healthcare’s mission.” I need to reread that mission to see if our values still align if that’s not a priority. “We’ve had a banner year with record profits. You need to expand your mind beyond the basic duties of your job if you want to continue climbing the corporate ladder to have a career.”
Corporate ladders are one of the reasons I went into healthcare. I have no interest in that rat race when I can focus on helping others live better lives. I’m not sure why this conversation depresses me, but hearing about his goals has me wondering when he lost his humanity.
Wasn’t that what I thought about Shane initially? That his stardom made him lose touch with reality. He’s real and present with me as if I’m the most important way he could spend his time. The corner of my mouth rises as recent memories collide, and I shake my head, hoping not to give them away through my expression.